The Library

This book was a gift from my son, who knows my interest in these things. Sellars, a clear and reliable guide to ancient philosophy, offers more of an overview than an in depth analysis, but it’s a useful way to understand the major schools of the Hellenistic world. I’m always struck by how central philosophy was to daily life then — Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics — each offering a full approach to living. They thought about life in ways very different from ours today.

I’d seen so many films inspired by Jules Verne that I was curious to go back to the source and see what the literature itself was like. First published in 1865, it was popular from the start, though many English readers encountered it in unauthorized translations — rushed, abridged, and done without Verne’s permission or involvement. The story is inventive and energetic, and reading it reminded me how much of modern science fiction traces back to him.

I read this work because its reputation as one of Faulkner’s greatest novels made me want to see if it earned that standing. First published in 1936, it was admired for its ambition but also recognized as difficult, and I felt that too — dense, tangled, and often hard to follow. I’m glad I read it, but it didn’t make me want to read more Faulkner. Still, its influence is undeniable, and that’s why it’s here.