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Films, Trade, And Pleasure (Podcast)
I didn’t really know what to call this podcast. It’s a mix of a few different things. I wanted to talk about the movies I reviewed in the last post here, but I also wanted to toss out an interesting comment made by Samuel Johnson on trade and pleasure. And finally–to relax and unwind a…
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Film Roundup (12/15/2018)
Here are some of the more interesting choices of the past few weeks. Watching movies is much like trying new dishes: you just have to “consume” them and judge for yourself.
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“Sallust” Is Now Available In Hardcover
Fortress of the Mind Publications is pleased to announce that Sallust: The Conspiracy of Catiline and The War of Jugurtha is now available in a beautiful hardcover edition on Amazon and all other major book retailers. With extensive annotations, maps, photos, indexes, chronological tables, and an acclaimed introduction, this is a book designed to last…
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“On Moral Ends” Is Now Available In Audio Book Format
On Moral Ends is now available in audio book format on Amazon Audible and iTunes. For the first time, this essential classic has been introduced to a new generation of readers in a way that preserves the integrity and majesty of the original Latin work. Engagingly and professionally read read by Saethon Williams, this audio…
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“On Duties” Is Now Available In Hardcover
Fortress of the Mind Publications is pleased to announce the issuance of On Duties in hardcover. First published in 2016, Quintus Curtius’s innovative translation of On Duties has helped introduce this masterpiece of moral philosophy to a new generation of readers, many of whom have had no previous exposure to classical studies. In so doing,…
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The Eight Qualities Of The Man Of Understanding
One of the first and greatest classics of Arabic prose is the Book of Kalila and Dimna. It is a collection of fables told with an allegorical purpose, but it is presented with such wisdom, poetic eloquence, and engaging humor as to make it one of the treasures of world literature. Its pedigree verifies its…
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On His Deathbed, Johnson Celebrates Youth’s Vitality And Spirit
It is right that youth should celebrate its vigor. We do it a grave injustice by shackling its natural ebullience, by attempting to douse its fires with an excess of admonitions and restrictives. Let it, as far as health and safety will permit, taste the light of the open sky, the airs of unexplored mountains,…
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A London Men’s Club Of 1783 (Podcast)
Men’s clubs used to be places where like-minded individuals could congregate and discuss topics of mutual interest. As society has changed, this is becoming an increasingly rare tradition. To see just what a gentleman’s club was like in London in 1783, we go to the original sources and read the club’s by-laws. Nothing better illustrates…
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Some Bits Of Travel Advice
It is very easy to find travel advice. It gushes in currents, like the waters of a melting glacier, carrying all before it. I have no desire here to provide an exhaustive laundry-list of action items; my goal is only to toss out a few thoughts on the subject that have come to me in…
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Obsession, Judgment, And Restraint (Podcast)
At what point does a man’s dedication turn into obsession? And at what point can this obsession turn self-destructive? What role should judgment and restraint play in our lives? We discuss these issues, and offer the example of storm chaser Tim Samaras.
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The Travels Of Sir Thomas Roe
One of the most successful diplomats of his era, Thomas Roe (1581–1644) got an early start on success in life. In his era it helped to be a part of the nobility. He was born in Essex, the son of Sir Robert Rowe, and was educated at Oxford; his genteel manners and refined ways soon…
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Ibn Fadlan’s Unique Travels In Central Asia And Rus
The name of Ibn Fadlan (أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن راشد) has received some notoriety in recent years, primarily due to fictionalized accounts of his travels in print and film. Enthusiasts of travel literature who have taken the time to read his work will find, however, that his actual travels have little to do…
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An Interview With Delta2Alpha
Last week I had a great interview with Ace Johnson of Delta2Alpha, an elite knife manufacturing company that I’ve written about before. I think it was one of the most enjoyable I’ve done; Ace knew the right questions and kept things moving.
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When To Deliver A Rebuke, And When To Have Fun
There are times when a leader must deliver a sharp rebuke to someone in order to get him or her back on the right track. It is a technique that has to be used carefully, as it is not appropriate for every situation. We relate an anecdote in which the holy man Athanasios of Athos…
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The Wisdom And Character Of Athanasios Of Athos
Of all the great and sanctified names of Mount Athos, few inspire more veneration than that of Athanasios. He lived from about A.D. 925 to 1001, and occupies a central place in the development of the monasticism there. As a young man he was a teacher and scholar in Constantinople, and mixed with the upper…
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The Hardcover Edition Of “On Moral Ends” Is Now Available
The hardcover version of the groundbreaking new translation of Cicero’s On Moral Ends is now available. It can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, Books-A-Million, and many other retailers as well. Let me know if you have any questions or issues. Some people prefer hardcover for important literary works, so I wanted…
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Movie Roundup (11/11/2018)
I’ve seen quite a few lately, along with some decent miniseries productions. But here are the highlights of the movies that most caught my attention.
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The Wise Sayings Of Al-Muhallab
The Arab military commander Al Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufra (المهلّب بن أبي صفرة الأزدي) was born around A.D. 632, but not much is known of his early life beyond anecdotes. His biographer Ibn Khallikan tells us on good authority that “His surnames Al-Azdi, Al-Ataki, [and] Al-Basri indicate that he descended from Al-Atik, member of the…
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How Were Ancient Books Made And Stored?
There has been surprisingly little information published on how books were made, edited, distributed, and stored in ancient times. Yet the subject holds real interest for many of us today. My goal in this short essay will be to summarize how books were made and stored during the Greco-Roman period. I am confident that readers…
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Whether It Is Advisable To Change Religions, Or Remain With An Inherited Faith
It is well-known that there is great variability in religious practices across the world. Climate, geography, and historical memory shape the outlook of man; and what may be routine and normal for one, may be seen as anathema to another. Yet this variability in practices does not mean that morals, or beliefs, are irrelevant; it…
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“On Moral Ends” Lectures: Part 3 (Podcast)
This podcast is the third and final lecture in a series of three on my translation of Cicero’s On Moral Ends. In this lecture, we focus on the fifth and final book of On Moral Ends, which deals with the somewhat eclectic philosophy of Antiochus of Ascalon. The speakers in book V, Cicero and Marcus…
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Washington Crosses The Delaware And Attacks
Anyone who thinks the American Revolutionary War was a gentleman’s affair has been seriously misinformed. We are sometimes given the impression that genteel types in powdered wigs maneuvered this way and that, and at the end of the day, everything was neatly wrapped up as almost a foregone conclusion. This, however, was not the case,…
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Avoiding Irritating And Boorish Habits In Conversation
We are all acquainted with those people who have not sense enough to keep a conversation flowing smoothly. They have never been taught the conversational arts; they have nothing of consequence to talk about; and they try to compensate for these deficiencies by taxing the patience of their interlocutors. I have noticed a sharp rise…
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“On Moral Ends” Lectures, Part 2 (Podcast)
This podcast, the second in a series of three, discusses the highlights of books III and IV of Cicero’s “On Moral Ends.” In these two books, Cato and Cicero aggressively debate the merits of Stoicism and its conception of the Ultimate Good. The discussion takes place at Tusculum, Italy, a place that was extensively photographed…
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
Quintus Curtius 
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