This was an easy to read erudite book regarding the 1400's florentine scholar Poggio de Bracciolini, his dogged love for ancient latin literature that led him in search of classical texts abandoned in medieval monasteries; the miracle that it was to find Lucretius poem "De Rerum Naturae" in an old German library and the even greater miracle that it was to rescue it from the tides of time and the turmoil of History.It was an uneasy life that of the Renaissance with its wars, plagues, the papacy and religious turmoil.

The influence of the poem in what is considered mainstream thought today-even though I am not sure it is as mainstream outside scientific and cultural circles as the author Mr. Greenblatt seems to assume- is what prompted the author to gush about this little known chapter of scholarly history. He sees its influence in Thomas More (who tried to apply epicurean principles to a christian world view in his "Utopia") , Erasmus, Giordano Bruno, Shakespeare and Einstein among others. I think the author is right in assuming we live in a more epicurean society today but by far I think most of us are quite ensnared by other dogmas and thought shackles that might not be of religious nature per-se (Justin Bieber anyone? ) but are just as magical and superstitious.

The author also identifies the inner sorrow of the scholars who pursued relief from the sordid world they endured with the balm of their quest for ancient latin texts, a remnant of the grandeur of Rome, stripped even then of its stones and ambitions.

I also found interesting how the author mentions the many occasions in which the poem's incendiary message was protected by the beauty of its language; to the point that most scribes and translators claimed to look upon it while dismissing its content but fascinated by its beauty ( a claim meant to protect them from the Inquisition naturally).

Epicurus was the founder of a doctrine of pleasure seekers in ancient Greece . Some Roman scholars had embraced its tenets as epicureans themselves. The Middle Ages saw the decline of some philosophical freedoms as ,over time, the Catholic Church had taken upon itself to root out, mold and regulate any idea that might threaten its dogma and its power. Paradoxically, monasteries were the last refuge of the ancient classical texts sought by Poggio and his competitors. Lucretius poem delivered the philosophical ideal of Epicureanism and saw the light anew when such an ideal was tantamount to blasphemy. Sensible religious men perished at the stake (jan Hus, Jerome of Prague) for crimes much milder than embracing epicurean doctrine.

The poem was leaps and bounds beyond , it hinted at a time and a way of life that could ignore the Gods altogether or assume that, if they existed, they would care nothing for human affairs. The dedication of the poem to Venus just indicates that Lucretius saw the world as in constant erotic tension, a resplendent self-regulated chaos where the ultimate goal is to find pleasure and avoid fear, even pain. The poem paints a world where everything is in constant change, where the universe was not created , furthermore, it was not created for us . Its building blocks are "atomi" or minuscule particles. Its philosophy accepts there is no reward or punishment after death and that all we have is our time allotted to live. Far from being a pessimistic message that would induce everyone to just seek pleasure with no regards for others, it hints at a way of proper living in which the ultimate pleasures are obtained from the common happiness of all and the dismissal of magical thinking, superstition and useless grief. I am not going to attempt to explain Epicureanism in my review , suffice it to say , it has an appealing common sense to it.

In general, the book was well written and entertaining. In some areas it has a bit too much of the salacious anecdote and exaggerated claiming typical of any book that wants to be in a best-seller list today but I din't mind that. It is part of the pleasure of reading.