Historical Wisdom for Modern Life

Dagny Dagny

Believe it or notpeople in the past actually had some solid ideas about how to exist in the world. Though the Myth of Progress would have us believe thamodern life is far superior to ancient and historical existence, most of us sense that the truth is more complicated than thatCheck out the books below for some timeless ideas of how to live well.

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In the Catalog

Convent Wisdom

Convent Wisdom

How Sixteenth-century Nuns Could Save your Twenty-first-century Life

Ana Garriga & Carmen Urbita

Convent Wisdom is your guide to navigating everything from patriarchal bureaucracy to an all-consuming friend crush with help from history’s most fascinating nuns.

From the Catalog
Herbal Medicine for Modern Life

Herbal Medicine for Modern Life

Traditional Folk Remedies for Everyday Health and Well-being

Ruth A. Blanding

With “Herbal Medicine for Modern Life,” you’ll discover the enduring wisdom of plant medicine with an herbalist who draws on her connection to the ancestors and nature to support health and wellness.

From the Catalog
How Not to Be A Basic Peasant

How Not to Be A Basic Peasant

A Medieval Bard’s Guide to Living your Best Life

Kristen Mulrooney

Including helpful and insightful illustrations inspired by medieval art, this handy guide will keep you become just slightly better than your peers, even if you never achieve royalty status.

From the Catalog
How to Sleep Like A Caveman

How to Sleep Like A Caveman

Ancient Wisdom for A Better Night’s Rest

Merijn van de Laar

Drawing from emerging science, archeological research, and modern hunter-gatherer cultures, this book explains everything from why we jerk awake to why we struggle to “optimize” sleep schedules, and what to do about it.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
Knowing What We Know

Knowing What We Know

The Transmission of Knowledge, From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic

Simon Winchester

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes–this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
The Outward Path

The Outward Path

The Wisdom of the Aztecs

Sebastian Purcell

Stoic and Buddhist philosophies will teach you to still your mind to address the outside world; but according to the Aztecs, we should cultivate healthy relationships first and then use those to forge a path forward. This “outward path” offers an alternative to the presumptions of our highly individualistic, competitive Western culture.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
The Place of All Possibility

The Place of All Possibility

Cultivating Creativity Through Ancient Jewish Wisdom

Adina Allen

Putting spiritual wisdom in conversation with the contemporary disciplines of art therapy, liberation theology, and creativity research, this essential book invites us all to rediscover our place in a world of mutual thriving.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
The Roman Empire Got It Right

The Roman Empire Got It Right

From Stoicism to Strapless Bikinis, 413 Genius Innovations and Ideas That Still Matter Today

Steven Marr

Discover the ways ancient Rome shaped the modern world, from engineering marvels to advances in health care, law, language, and even guilty pleasures.

From the Catalog
When Things Don't Go your Way

When Things Don’t Go your Way

Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times

Hyemin

While loss, heartbreak, and loneliness are all part of the human experience, in this warm guide, internationally bestselling author Haemin Sunim shows us that these moments can actually be rare opportunities for self-discovery, serving as stepping stones to greater things in life.

From the Catalog