Epitome: Epicurean Writings

by Hiram Crespo

Students of Epicurean philosophy in antiquity were known to carry epitomes to help them in their studies. Initially, they read the Little Epitome (Epicurus' Epistle to Herodotus), and they later moved on to more advanced literature compiled into the Big Epitome. This modern Epitome by the Society of Friends of Epicurus (a non-academic fraternity of philosopher friends) contains Epicurus' main epistles, Principal Doctrines, and Vatican Sayings with a thematic index.

173 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2021

About the author

Hiram Crespo is the founder/editor of SocietyOfEpicurus.com, and the author of Tending the Epicurean Garden (Humanist Press, 2014), How to Live a Good Life (Penguin Random House, 2020) and Epicurus of Samos - His Philosophy and Life: All the principal Classical texts Compiled and Introduced by Hiram Crespo (Ukemi Audiobooks, 2020). He's been featured in The Humanist (a publication of the American Humanist Association), occupy.com, the online classics journal Eidolon, Partially Examined Life, The Secular Web, Europa Laica, and many other outlets. He has been featured in the Seize the Moment podcast, and in the special edition How to Live a Good Life series of philosophical discussions.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Northeastern Illinois University with a focus on Mass Media and French. He is also fluent in Spanish and English. He lives in Chicago and edits SocietyofEpicurus.com.

Reviews

[Caio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad for the format they chose for the book. An epitome of epitomes is a clever and honest way to present the ideas in the same way Epicurus did, and that worked, given that a lot of his work was lost, and still kept through epitomes.

I would love to have a paper edition with a solid cover, since the one I got seems a little fragile. I'm sure I'll have this book around me for a long time.

This book is an excellent knowledge base for anyone wanting to learn about Epicurus' philosophy, as well as, who intends to use it as a reference for practicing.