Books Should Be Free Loyal Books Free Public Domain Audiobooks & eBook Downloads |
|
Ancient Texts |
---|
Book type:
Sort by:
View by:
|
By: Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) | |
---|---|
Eudemian Ethics
Eudemian Ethics (Greek: ΗΘΙΚΩΝ ΕΥΔΗΜΙΩΝ Latin: ETHICA EUDEMIA) discusses topics including virtue, friendship, happiness and God. It is believed to have been written before Nicomachean Ethics and to be named after Eudemus of Rhodes. Books IV, V, and VI of Eudemian Ethics are identical to books V, VI, and VII of Nicomachean Ethics and are excluded from this translation. |
By: Diogenes Laertius (-3rd Cent.) | |
---|---|
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book VI
There are 10 divisions in this title. This project is a recording of book 6. There is a number of interesting anecdotes on the lives of Antisthenes, Diogenes of Sinope, Monimus, Onesicritus, Crates of Thebes, Metrocles, Hipparchia, Menippus and Menedemus. Their school of thought is known an Cynicism. Most of the text in this book is devoted to the anecdotes concerning Diogenes's life and sayings. Even Alexander envied his life saying that if he had not been Alexander, he should have liked to be Diogenes. |
By: Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) | |
---|---|
On the Ends of Good and Evil
On the Ends of Good and Evil (Latin: DE FINIBUS BONORUM ET MALORUM) discusses Skeptic, Epicurean, Stoic, Peripatetic and Academic views on the good life. Written by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Translated by Harris Rackham. | |
On Duties
On Duties (Latin: DE OFFICIIS) discusses virtue, expediency and apparent conflicts between the two. St. Ambrose, St. Jerome and other Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church considered it to be legitimate for study. It was the second book after the Bible printed on Gutenberg's press and a standard text taught at Eton College. Written by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Translated by Walter Miller. | |
Tusculan Disputations
Tusculan Disputations (Latin: TUSCULANARUM DISPUTATIONUM) is divided into five books which discuss death, pain, grief, perturbations and virtue. At issue is whether wise people can always be happy regardless of the apparent evil that fortune throws in their way. Andrew Peabody says the A. and M. in the text may stand for Auditor, Adolescens, Atticus or Aulus and Marcus or Magister. Written by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Translated by Charles Duke Yonge. |
By: Unknown | |
---|---|
Katha Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads.Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Mundaka Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads.Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Taittriyaka Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Kaushitaki Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Aitreya-Aranyaka Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shlokas (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shlokas (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... |
By: Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (c. 46 - c. 120) | |
---|---|
Morals (Moralia), Book 1
The Moralia (or The morals or Matters relating to customs and mores) is a work by the 1st-century Greek scholar Plutarch of Chaeronea. It is a collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches that give an insight into Roman and Greek life. Extremely popular for centuries, Plutarch's Morals have been read and imitated by many generations of Europeans, including Montaigne and the Renaissance Humanists and Enlightenment philosophers. Some of the most famous chapters on history are "On the Fortune or... |
By: William Q. Judge (1851-1896) | |
---|---|
Ocean of Theosophy
Judge wrote this book because he saw a need for a book about Theosophy that everyone could understand. Discussed are after-death states, reincarnation, karma, the pitfalls of pseudo-occultism, the 7 natures of man, cyclic evolution, sages and adepts, psychic phenomena and more. Although the book is fairly elementary it will help you in your journey, whether you are just starting out or have been at it for years. |
By: Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) | |
---|---|
Economics
Economics (Greek: ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΑ; Latin: Oeconomica) may not have been written by Aristotle. The author provides examples of methods used by the state to raise money including debt, currency devaluation, commodity controls, tariffs, sales tax, fines, violence and sacrilege. |
By: Unknown | |
---|---|
Chandogya Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. The Chandogya-upanishad belongs to the Sama-veda. It ranks among the oldest Upanishads, dating to the Brahmana period of Vedic Sanskrit (before the 8th century BC). It figures as number 9 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads... | |
Prasna Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Isha Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Kena Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shloka (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Svetasvatara Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shlokas (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... | |
Maitrayana Upanishad
The word Upanishad (upa-ni-shad) consists of, "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit." Thus, Upanishad is to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice, and experience. There are some 200 or more Upanishads. Some are lost and are only known about because of being referenced in other Upanishads. Most of the Upanishads were kept secret for centuries, only passed on to others orally in the form of Shlokas (a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh meter)... |
By: Aristotle (384 BCE-322 BCE) | |
---|---|
Opuscula
Opuscula is a collection of shorter books that may or may not have been written by Aristotle. 1. On Colours 2. On Things Heard 3. Physiognomonics 4. On Plants 5. On Marvellous Things Heard 6. Mechanics 7. On Indivisible Lines 8. The Situations and Names of Winds 9. On Melissus, Xenophanes, and Gorgias - Summary by Geoffrey Edwards |
By: Lucius Apuleius | |
---|---|
Apocrypha
It is not generally agreed whether Plato was the author of any of these books. I. Hippias Major II. Second Alcibiades III. Theages IV. The Rivals V. Hipparchus |
By: Plotinus (204-270) | |
---|---|
Enneads
The six Enneads are the collected writings of the Neoplatonic philosopher Plotinus arranged by his student Porphyry into fifty-four books with each Ennead containing nine. The translator Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie arranged these books chronologically rather than according to Porphyry's numeration. This recording is organized according to Porphyry's numeration with Roman numerals indicating the Ennead and Hindu-Arabic numerals indicating the book e.g. VI.9 would be the ninth book of the sixth Ennead. A hyperlinked table of contents at Volume 1 Page 3 of the gutenberg.org text will enable you to jump to the specific Ennead if you wish to read along with the recording. |
By: Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BCE-65) | |
---|---|
Moral Letters, Vol. II
This is the second volume of the Letters, Epistles LXVI-XCII. Among the personalities of the early Roman Empire there are few who offer to the readers of to-day such dramatic interest as does Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the author of the Epistles. These letters, written by Seneca towards the end of his life, are all addressed to his friend Lucilius, who, at the time when these letters were written, was a procurator in Sicily. The form of this work, as Bacon says, is a collection of essays rather than of letters. Summary paraphrased from the Introduction in Volume 1 by Suprad. |
By: Lionel Giles (1875-1958) | |
---|---|
Musings of a Chinese Mystic: Selections from the Philosophy of Chuang Tzu
If Lao Tzu then had revolted against the growing artificiality of life in his day, a return to nature must have seemed doubly imperative to his disciple Chuang Tzu, who flourished more than a couple of centuries later, when the bugbear of civilisation had steadily advanced. With chagrin he saw that Lao Tzu's teaching had never obtained any firm hold on the masses, still less on the rulers of China, whereas the star of Confucius was unmistakably in the ascendant. Within his own recollection the propagation of Confucian ethics had received a powerful impetus from Mencius, the second of China's orthodox sages... |
By: François Fénelon (1651-1715) | |
---|---|
Lives of the Ancient Philosophers
François Fénelon became a priest in 1675, Archbishop of Paris in 1679, was spiritual advisor to Madame Guyon, and was appointed tutor to Louis, Duke of Burgundy by Louis XIV in 1689. He wrote Dialogues of the Dead, and The Lives of the Ancient Philosophers as well as The Adventures of Telemachus expressly for his instruction. Fenelon wrote against the Jansenists and in favor of the Jesuits. He is also known for his Christian Perfection: Devotional Reflections on the Christian Life and Treatise on the Education of Girls.. - Summary by Wikipedia |
By: Lao Tzu | |
---|---|
Sayings of Lao Tzu
Lao-Tzu, also known as Laozi was a Chinese philosopher believed to have lived in the 6th century BCE and is credited with writing the Tao-Te-Ching which centers around the idea that the way of virtue lies in simplicity and a recognition of a natural, universal force known as the Tao. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism. This book is a compilation of his most profound writings translated directly from ancient Chinese texts. - Summary by Nemo |
By: Aristotle (384 BCE-322 BCE) | |
---|---|
On the Parts of Animals
On the Parts of Animals by Aristotle . The first book asks whether animals were designed or came into existence by chance. The remaining three books focus on particular examples of various animals and the functions of their organs. The translator William Ogle, who was both a medical doctor and classicist, presented Charles Darwin with a copy of this translation. |
By: Proclus (412-485) | |
---|---|
Elements of Theology
The Elements of Theology was written by the Greek Neoplatonist philosopher Proclus and translated by Thomas Taylor who named his youngest son Thomas Proclus Taylor. This book consists of 211 propositions, each followed by a proof, beginning from the existence of the One and ending with the descent of individual souls into the material world. Saint Thomas Aquinas recognized that the Liber de Causis , which had been attributed to Aristotle, was actually a summary of the Elements of Theology, likely written by an Arabic interpreter. - Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Geoffrey Edwards |
By: Theophrastus | |
---|---|
Characters Of Theophrastus
Theophrastus was an ancient Greek philosopher, successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic School. He wrote on many topics: biology, geology, physics, metaphysics, psychology, ethics, logic – and more. His book Characters… contains thirty brief, vigorous, and trenchant outlines of moral types, which form a most valuable picture of the life of his time, and in fact of human nature in general. They are the first recorded attempt at systematic character writing. “Apart from slight variations of local coloring and institutions, the descriptions of the old Greek philosopher might apply almost as well to the present inhabitants of London or Boston as to the Athenians of 300 B... |
By: Proclus (412-485) | |
---|---|
Six Books of Proclus, the Platonic Successor, on the Theology of Plato
The Six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on The Theology of Plato to which a Seventh book is added by the translator, Thomas Taylor, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost. According to the 1995 Prometheus Trust edition Book 3 Chapter 1 of this translation contains Chapters 1-4 from the original Greek, Chapter 2 contains the Greek chapters 5-6 and Chapter 3 contains the Greek Chapters 7-8. Thereafter, the translated and Greek chapters match beginning at Chapter 9... |
By: Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius | |
---|---|
Consolation of Philosophy (Version 2)
The Consolation of Philosophy was written about 524 A.D. and has been called one of the most popular and influential books ever written. The book is presented as a dialogue between Boethius, the author, and Lady Philosophy, his tutor. Through her teaching, Boethius learns the true nature of fortune, misfortune, wealth, good, and evil.This dramatic reading is an attempt to present this wonderful work in an audio format while maintaining the dialogic structure of the work. Cast ListBoethius, the Narrator: Larry WilsonPhilosophy: Devorah AllenHeadings and Footnotes: KevinS |