Marcus Aurelius

The vivid, magisterial and long-awaited biography of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and embodiment of the philosopher's kingMarcus Aurelius is the one great figure of antiquity who still speaks to us today, nearly 2,000 years after his death. A philosopher as well as an emperor, his was an extraordinary reign. He proved himself a great leader, protecting the Empire from Germans in the North and fighting the Parthians in the East, and his Meditations - compared by John Stuart Mill to the Sermon on the Mount - remains one of the most widely-read Classical books. Impeccably researched and vividly told, Frank McLynn's Marcus Aurelius is the definitive biography of a monumental historical figure.

“A compendious and thought-provoking study”

-- Boris Johnson The Mail on Sunday
Impressively well-researched and unfailingly engaging -- John Dillon The Irish Times
McLynn has written a huge, erudite survey of the social, cultural, economic and political world of the second century AD rather than a mere biography of Marcus Aurelius...there is much to enjoy here and even more to be learned Literary Review
By exposing the real Marcus Aurelius, this biography illuminates an important era of transition...it was under Marcus that the delicate balance was disturbed and this, too, is his legacy. -- Martin Empson TLS
A flickering torch in the darkness, and with his fine biography, Frank McLynn tends the flame. -- Stephen McGinty Scotsman

Frank McLynn is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Napoleon, 1066, Villa and Zapata, Wagons West, Stanley, 1759 and Lionheart and Lackland.

'A compendious and thought-provoking study' Boris Johnson, Mail on Sunday Marcus Aurelius is the one great figure of antiquity who still speaks to us today, nearly 2,000 years after his death. A philosopher as well as an emperor, his was an extraordinary reign. He proved himself a great leader, protecting the Empire from Germans in the North and fighting the Parthians in the East, and his Meditations - compared by John Stuart Mill to the Sermon on the Mount - remains one of the most widely-read Classical books. Impeccably researched and vividly told, Frank McLynn's Marcus Aurelius is the definitive biography of a monumental historical figure. 'Impressively well-researched and unfailingly engaging' Irish Times 'McLynn has written a huge, erudite survey of the social, cultural, economic and political world of the second century AD rather than a mere biography of Marcus Aurelius...there is much to enjoy here and even more to be learned' Literary Review

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