Ancient Knowledge ClubMeditationsMarcus Aurelius
Philosophy
Meditations
Private reflections on character, attention, duty and how to live well when the world is difficult.
30 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition The library
Original books. A clearer way in.
Choose a work, read the source chapter by chapter and use the guide only when you need it.
Ancient Knowledge ClubThe RepublicPlato
Philosophy
The Republic
A foundational conversation about justice, education, government and the kind of life worth choosing.
55 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubLeviathanThomas Hobbes
Politics
Leviathan
A rigorous argument about fear, order and the authority people create to escape conflict.
105 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubCommon SenseThomas Paine
Politics
Common Sense
A concise, forceful case for political change, written for people outside the usual centres of power.
12 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubA Vindication of the Rights of WomanMary Wollstonecraft
Society
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
A radical argument for education, dignity and equal moral development.
41 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubNatureRalph Waldo Emerson
Philosophy
Nature
An invitation to look again at the natural world, independence and the meaning people make from experience.
8 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubThe Federalist PapersHamilton, Madison and Jay
Politics
The Federalist Papers
A detailed argument for constitutional government, federal power and institutional restraint.
93 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubSecond Treatise of GovernmentJohn Locke
Politics
Second Treatise of Government
A lasting account of consent, property and the limits of legitimate government.
31 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubAn Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingJohn Locke
Philosophy
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Locke’s inquiry into where ideas come from and how people come to know anything at all.
143 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubA Treatise of Human NatureDavid Hume
Philosophy
A Treatise of Human Nature
Hume’s ambitious account of reason, emotion, habit and moral judgement.
120 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubEnquiries Concerning Human Understanding and MoralsDavid Hume
Philosophy
Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Morals
Two clear inquiries into evidence, habit, ethics and the limits of certainty.
51 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubThe Theory of Moral SentimentsAdam Smith
Society
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
A study of sympathy, character, judgement and the social life behind moral choices.
79 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubThe Wealth of NationsAdam Smith
Economy
The Wealth of Nations
Smith’s argument about work, trade, institutions and the sources of shared prosperity.
187 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubRights of ManThomas Paine
Politics
Rights of Man
A sharp defence of rights, representative government and the case against inherited power.
21 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubAn Enquiry Concerning Political JusticeWilliam Godwin
Politics
An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice
An expansive argument about justice, public power and the limits of government.
109 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubAn Essay on the Principle of PopulationThomas Robert Malthus
Economy
An Essay on the Principle of Population
A controversial account of scarcity, population growth and social pressure.
117 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubBacon’s EssaysFrancis Bacon
Society
Bacon’s Essays
Short, searching essays on judgement, ambition, friendship, money and public life.
58 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubThe Advancement of LearningFrancis Bacon
Philosophy
The Advancement of Learning
Bacon’s enquiry into what knowledge is for and how it should be organised.
65 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubAreopagiticaJohn Milton
Society
Areopagitica
Milton’s case for free speech and against censorship before publication.
9 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition Ancient Knowledge ClubUtopiaThomas More
Society
Utopia
A fictional society used to question work, property, religion and the shape of collective life.
25 guided readingsFirst reading free
Open guided edition