The Enchiridion by Epictetus

The Enchiridion is Epictetus's handbook for living well, written nearly two thousand years ago and still doing the job it was written for. Epictetus was born a slave in the Roman Empire and later became one of the most influential Stoic teachers of his time. His central idea, that peace comes from focusing only on what is within your control and releasing your grip on everything else, has outlasted empires for a reason. It works.

This edition puts that philosophy in a form worth keeping. It's a compact hard-cover, sized at 11.4 cm wide by 19 cm high, so it sits easily in a bag or on a bedside table without taking up much room. The pages are gilded along the edges, catching the light every time the book is opened, and printed on acid-free archival paper designed to hold its colour and strength for decades rather than years.

Inside, Epictetus's teachings are set out plainly. There's no dense academic language to wade through here, just short, direct passages on desire, disappointment, judgement, and self-command.

Read one page or read it cover to cover: the lessons hold up either way, and most people find themselves returning to a handful of lines again and again.

It makes a thoughtful gift for anyone drawn to philosophy, mindfulness, or simply steadier thinking, and it holds its own on a shelf as a small, well-made object in its own right.

Details

• Format: Hard-cover, Gift Edition
• Dimensions: 11.4 cm x 19 cm
• Weight: approximately 113 g
• Paper: acid-free, archival quality
• Finish: gilded page edges