THE SECOND BOOK OF MARCUS AURELIUS’ MEDITATIONS⠀•⠀A PHOTOGRAVURE BY ZACH PROFFITT⠀•⠀PRINTED IN BOTH KOINE GREEK AND GEORGE LONG’S ENGLISH TRANSLATION⠀•⠀WITH NINE FURTHER TRANSLATIONS OF SECTION VI

There is no more famous work of secular wisdom than Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, of which its second book is perhaps the most resonant. Here the emperor crystallizes the core tenants of his stoicism: to live according to nature, to dwell in the present, to withhold judgement, and to prize inner peace over the flux and flummox of an impermanent world.

This edition continues No Reply’s fascination with ancient works in translation. The original Koine Greek is printed first, followed by George Long’s English rendering. Long’s translation is undoubtedly the most widely read in history. It has – how to put it…? “Attitude,” maybe? In a way, its style is now out-of-fashion and far more liberal than the prevailing schools of translation. Still, it charms me, and retains in its energy the force of primary readership, a force which modern translation sometimes enervates in an attempt to chase a fleeting fidelity.

To demonstrate the difficulty of translating ancient texts and the crucial role that translators play, this edition provides nine further translations of Section VI, composed across three centuries. The readers will be astonished how each generation in turn renders the same Koine Greek so differently in our English.

Poignantly, this edition uses the last of the ivory Zerkall-bütten paper first used for Enūma Eliš, as well as two Awagami handmade papers.

Finally, the edition opens a new chapter for the press. For the first time, a No Reply book features photogravure. I was delighted to work with my friend and Pacific Northwest neighbor Zach Proffitt, who has quickly established himself as one of the world’s major intaglio printers. Zach did everything himself – from taking the photograph to etching the plate and pulling each print by hand. His methods are painstakingly slow, but the resulting work is otherworldly. I’m thrilled to take part in the publishing debut of someone who I am certain will play a major role in fine presswork for years to come.