New Books on Marcus Aurelius
My recommendations for beginning and advanced students
Marcus Aurelius was one of the most famous people in the world during his lifetime, and his popularity seems undiminished almost 2,000 years after his death. In our era we are lucky to have many centuries of people thinking about his life and studying his Meditations—and a correspondingly large number of biographies. But the downside is that there is so much written about him, from both a scholarly and popular perspective, that it can sometimes be overwhelming. How do you know what to read and which authors to trust? (Be sure to avoid all the AI-generated books and videos out there!) Where do you start, or where do you go next if you’re already familiar with Marcus’ life and thought?
Fortunately, there are some excellent new books about Marcus Aurelius that correspond to every level of interest. Today I’m sharing a quick overview of three (relatively) new books on the philosopher-emperor:
Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor (Donald Robertson)
The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations (ed. John Sellars)
Marcus Aurelius and His Legacy: Seeking Rome’s Kingdom of Gold (Judy Stove)
These books focus on different aspects of Marcus’ life and philosophy, so whether you are just starting to learn about Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius, or you are a seasoned student of the philosopher-emperor, you should be able to find a book that’s right for you.
Great Basic Biography
Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor
Donald Robertson (2024)
This book is the oldest one I’m including here, having come out in early 2024, but it’s still a great place to start for basic information on Marcus’ life. Donald Robertson has written multiple books on Marcus Aurelius (including the ever-popular How to Think Like a Roman Emperor), and he excels at getting inside the emperor’s head. Not only do we learn basic facts about the emperor’s life, but we learn how Marcus himself might have interpreted the people and events around him, and how Stoicism fit into the overall context of his reign. If you’re new to Stoicism, this is a great place to start learning about Marcus as a person, an emperor, and a philosopher.
Also consider reading: William O. Stephens’ Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed, or his forthcoming Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King (due out this fall)
Advanced Study and Technical Terminology
The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations
Edited by John Sellars (2025)
If you’re already an advanced student of Stoicism, I highly recommend this brand new Cambridge companion, edited by John Sellars and full of exceptional scholarship on the Meditations. I love edited volumes for the wide variety of perspectives they offer on a single topic, and this one certainly delivers. Some of the highlights include:
Brad Inwood on ethics and natural philosophy
Chris Gill on virtue and happiness
Francesca Alesse on ethical self-cultivation
Gretchen Reydams-Schils on nature, providence, and fate
John Sellars on the early modern reception of the Meditations
This book is not for beginners; you’ll encounter technical philosophical concepts, Greek vocabulary, and many references to ancient and modern scholars. However, for committed Stoics who are ready to dig deep into the philosophy, this is as good as it gets. You will gain detailed knowledge of how the Meditations fits into the wider Stoic tradition, including the ways Marcus both adopted and adapted orthodox Stoic ideas. I plan to return to this collection frequently in the future, and I’m sure this volume will set the standard for Marcus scholarship for years to come.
Also consider reading: Pierre Hadot’s The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Off the Beaten Path
Marcus Aurelius and His Legacy: Seeking Rome’s Kingdom of Gold
Judith Stove (2025)
For the Stoic who has read everything, I can recommend this delightfully off-beat new book by Judith Stove, which centers around the 2,000-year legacy of Marcus Aurelius. Stove takes a very unique approach, focusing on the people and things that were related to or inspired by the emperor, rather than on Marcus himself. For example, we find one chapter on the Halieutica, an ancient book about fishing and nature that delighted Marcus; a chapter on the cult traditions that saw Marcus as a magician; and chapters on the various ways Marcus was claimed as a representative of religious and political opinions over the centuries. I really appreciated the quirky details that reveal just how influential the Stoic emperor has been throughout Western history. I also love the “walking with Marcus” feature throughout the book, which explains how the reader can follow in his footsteps to the physical locations where Marcus once lived. All in all, you will come away with a broader historical perspective and renewed appreciation for Marcus’ enduring appeal.
Also consider reading: John Sellars’ The Routledge Handbook of the Stoic Tradition
Of course, there are many other good books on Marcus Aurelius—feel free to leave other suggestions in the comments—but hopefully this will give you a good place to start or ideas for further reading!
Thanks for the reccomendations.
This article is timely as I’m systematically translating Meditations from the Original Koine Greek (from Perseus Digital Library, Teubner 1908). I would very much appreciate your opinion because of the quality of your articles (versus the quantity of some authors). I don't know Greek, and I’m using a translator, but I always believed in getting as close as possible to the source. Here is an example:
Book 4 Section 3
People seek retreats for themselves, some in their homes, others in the countryside, others on ships; but you have no need of these. Instead, you can withdraw into yourself at any hour. For nowhere does one find such quiet or such freedom from cares as in one’s own soul, especially when one contemplates things within it that, upon looking at them, immediately bring complete ease. I mean the things of order and harmony.
Book 2 Section 1
Say to yourself in the morning: Today I will encounter the meddlesome, the ungrateful, the insolent, the deceitful, the envious, the unsociable. All these traits arise in them from ignorance of what is good and what is bad. But I, having understood the nature of the good—that it is noble—and of the bad—that it is shameful—and the nature of the wrongdoer himself—that he is akin to me, not by blood or seed, but by mind and a share of the divine—cannot be harmed by any of them, for no one can impose anything shameful on me. Nor will I be angry with my kin or hate them. For we are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. To act against one another, therefore, is contrary to nature; and to be angry is to act against one another.