Big ideas in plain language
A naturalist, an emperor, a poet and a novelist, each trying to say something very large in clear words.
Some of the most influential books ever written are easier to read than their reputations suggest. None of these needs a teacher or a study guide to start.
They cover nature, duty, love and the search for a meaningful life, and you can read them in any order.
The books
-
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
Charles Darwin- English
- First published 1859
- Read online
- EPUB
- Public domain
Published on 24 November 1859. Darwin builds his argument for evolution by natural selection from many examples, beginning with the breeding of pigeons.
Open the book -
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius- English
- Read online
- EPUB
- Audio
- Public domain
Private notes the Roman emperor wrote to himself in Greek, never meant for publication. The short sections make it easy to read a few pages at a time.
Open the book -
The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran- English
- First published 1923
- Read online
- EPUB
- Audio
- Public domain
Twenty-six prose poems from 1923, in which the prophet Almustafa answers the people of Orphalese about love, work, children and death before he sails home.
Open the book -
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse- English
- First published 1922
- Read online
- EPUB
- Audio
- Public domain
Hermann Hesse wrote it in German and published it in 1922. A young man in India, in the time of the Buddha, leaves home to find his own way to wisdom.
Open the book
