- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (1 April 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060928247
- ISBN-13: 978-0060928247
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 13.1 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 108,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In showing that a profound delight with life is a necessity for our personal and collective survival, Thomas Moore reveals methods by which to restore the heart and mind through a return to ancient ways of living the life of the spirit.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
It' early summer, and the sunflowers are about seven feet high in the garden off the kitchen. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
It' early summer, and the sunflowers are about seven feet high in the garden off the kitchen. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To begin with, a confession:I suspect that the people who might have most to gain from reading this book are the very people who would probably dismiss it as so much hocus-pocus.
Furthermore,Thomas Moore himself would I suspect have sympathy with a mere reviewer attempting to nail down his master themes:we are emphatically here in the realms of an experiential tradition which eludes purely intellectual categorisation or anaylsis.After all,if disenchantment,disillusionment or even plain discontent,are essentially about "loss of soul" - as Moore would contend - it begs the question:what exactly does this author mean by "soul?"
In his massive best-seller,"Care of the Soul,"Moore concedes that it is "impossible to define precisely what the soul is."In distinguishing it from what,say, a Christian might understand by the term,he argues - while insisting on the validity of mainstream religious belief - that the "soul," in his terms, complements transcendent beliefs precisely because it is essentially a way of being which honours the particularities of life, both personal and corporate, in all their concreteness,paradoxes,absurdities and downright perplexities, without denying the imperatives of religion.
Drawing heavily on the neo-Platonic geniuses of the Renaissance - pre-eminently his great mentor Marsilio Ficino - as well myth,mysticism,the arts and psychology,Moore has a graceful way of being able to apply what appear to be impossibly esoteric and ridiculously outmoded ideas to contemporary challenges in whatever sphere of life.This book,first published 14 years ago, and arguably more relevant now than it was then,covers a wide range of subject areas - some of which he has subsequently developed at greater depth in separate books - represents possibly the best introduction to Moore's life's work.At the heart of that work is a passionately held belief that human beings can view themselves and the world around them in a radically different way by the smallest shift in imaginative awareness.If that sounds like hocus-pocus,this reviewer could provide evidence to the contrary.Food for the soul.
Furthermore,Thomas Moore himself would I suspect have sympathy with a mere reviewer attempting to nail down his master themes:we are emphatically here in the realms of an experiential tradition which eludes purely intellectual categorisation or anaylsis.After all,if disenchantment,disillusionment or even plain discontent,are essentially about "loss of soul" - as Moore would contend - it begs the question:what exactly does this author mean by "soul?"
In his massive best-seller,"Care of the Soul,"Moore concedes that it is "impossible to define precisely what the soul is."In distinguishing it from what,say, a Christian might understand by the term,he argues - while insisting on the validity of mainstream religious belief - that the "soul," in his terms, complements transcendent beliefs precisely because it is essentially a way of being which honours the particularities of life, both personal and corporate, in all their concreteness,paradoxes,absurdities and downright perplexities, without denying the imperatives of religion.
Drawing heavily on the neo-Platonic geniuses of the Renaissance - pre-eminently his great mentor Marsilio Ficino - as well myth,mysticism,the arts and psychology,Moore has a graceful way of being able to apply what appear to be impossibly esoteric and ridiculously outmoded ideas to contemporary challenges in whatever sphere of life.This book,first published 14 years ago, and arguably more relevant now than it was then,covers a wide range of subject areas - some of which he has subsequently developed at greater depth in separate books - represents possibly the best introduction to Moore's life's work.At the heart of that work is a passionately held belief that human beings can view themselves and the world around them in a radically different way by the smallest shift in imaginative awareness.If that sounds like hocus-pocus,this reviewer could provide evidence to the contrary.Food for the soul.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Bringing the Magic Back In
2 July 2000
Format:Paperback
Moore addresses a very important question: How can we bring back magic into our lives? We are used to living in a rational, practical society, argues the author, with the result that we have neither time, nor ability to stop, think, and savor the strangeness and beauty of things. We have over-rationalized our existence to the point where spirituality suffers. Some things, the authors counsels are, well... not very practical. Can we really afford to keep old and dilapidated buildings because they can enchant us when we intentionally romanticize them? But the utility of Moore's book lies in learning how to accept what is and endow it with spirit, magic, and meaning. Even if we must grow up, we need not give up the romantic spirit that makes life fascinating.
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
A Gentle-No Promises Prescription for the Ills of this Life
30 July 2001
Format:Paperback
In this book, Moore builds on the material expressed in his earlier books, Care of the Soul and Soul-Mates, by considering the essentials of art, culture and society. A thought-provoking and re-energising read, without overt self-disclosure, false pretensions or weak, misguided self-illusions. Moore skillfully weaves his own special web of spiritual significance that stretches beyond our culture itself: by going straight to the centre of all human experience. An intellectually modest, yet soulfully rigorous book that is still highly capable of having literary and philosophical relevance to even the simplest of considerations. It's also a great interpretation of much of our long-forgotten human thought and endeavours from our past, present and the future, as well as allows you to realistically think about your own, unique cherished experiences yet to come.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Loved It!
29 Jun 1998
Format:Paperback
After having never gotten around to Moore's previous best sellers, I finally bought this one. I enjoyed it very much, and found much to savor. It is NOT a book to read through all at once; rather, it's a smorgasbord that I have found myself musing on, reflecting on, and returning to again and again.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
