Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

Samuel Johnson wrote this philosophical tale in a single week, reportedly to help pay for his mother’s funeral, yet its calm melancholy has long outlasted the occasion. Prince Rasselas of Abyssinia lives in the Happy Valley, a paradise where every desire is met, but he grows restless and escapes with his sister Nekayah, her maid Pekuah, and the wise poet Imlac to learn where true happiness lies. Their travels through Egypt introduce hermits, scholars, rulers, and astronomers, each of whom claims to have found contentment and none of whom truly has. Johnson uses the search to test every path to satisfaction and quietly take each one apart. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.