Synopses & Reviews
A humorous and philosophical trip through life, from the New York Timesbestselling coauthor of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .
Daniel Kleins fans have fallen in love with the warm, humorous, and thoughtful way he shows how philosophy resonates in everyday life. Readers of his popular books Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . and Travels with Epicurus come for enlightenment and stay for the entertainment.
As a young college student studying philosophy, Klein filled a notebook with short quotes from the worlds greatest thinkers, hoping to find some guidance on how to live the best life he could. Now, from the vantage point of his eighth decade, Klein revisits the wisdom he relished in his youth with this collection of philosophical gems, adding new ones that strike a chord with him at the end of his life. From Epicurus to Emerson and Camus to the theologian Reinhold Niebuhrwhose words provided the title of this bookeach pithy extract is annotated with Kleins inimitable charm and insights. In these pages, our favorite jokesterphilosopher tackles lifes biggest questions, leaving us chuckling and enlightened.
Review
Praise for Travels with Epicurus “An insightful meditation.” - The New York Times Book Review “Along the way, Klein touches on the ideas of Bertrand Russell, Erik Erikson, Aristotle, and William James. Klein's narrative is a delightful and spirited conversation, offering up the ingredients inherent to the art of living well in old age.” - Publishers Weekly “Charming and accessible, this philosophical survey simply and accessibly makes academic philosophy relevant to ordinary human emotion.” - Kirkus Review “Witty and wry” - Huffington Post “A lovely little book with both heart and punch.” - Booklist “A charming meditation on aging. Daniel Klein takes us on a thought-provoking journey.” - The Weekly Standard Book Review “Reading this book after a period of overwork and high stress, I was bowled over by its easy charm and hard-won wisdom. I shall be buying it in bulk as presents for my equally overburdened peers, and I suspect a few older people will enjoy it, too.” - Markus Berkmann, The Daily Mail “If you think philosophy is hard stuff that makes your head spin and possibly hurt, Klein is the perfect guide to deep thinking. Being fully aware and wondering how best to spend our time are useful practices at any age, and this warm, thought-provoking book is a terrific introduction to thinking about life philosophically.” - Concord Monitor
Synopsis
From the authors of the bestselling
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, an uproarious new book on the meaning of death (and life, too).
The new book by the bestselling authors of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar is a hilarious take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of mortality and immortality. That is, Death. The authors pry open the coffin lid on this one, looking at the Big D and also its prequel, Life, and its sequel, the Hereafter. Philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre have been wrestling with the meaning of death for as long as they have been wrestling with the meaning of life. Fortunately, humorists have been keeping pace with the major thinkers by creating gags about dying. Death's funny that way — it gets everybody's attention.
Death has gotten a bad rap. It's time to take a closer look at what the Deep Thinkers have to say on the subject, and there are no better guides than Cathcart and Klein.
Synopsis
Q. Why are there almost as many jokes about death as there are about sex?
A. Because they both scare the pants off us.
Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein first made a name for themselves with the outrageously funny New York Times bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. Now they turn their attention to the Big D and share the timeless wisdom of the great philosophers, theologians, psychotherapists, and wiseguys. From angels to zombies and everything in between, Cathcart and Klein offer a fearless and irreverent history of how we approach death, why we embrace life, and whether there really is a hereafter. As hilarious as it is enlightening, Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates is a must-read for anyone and everyone who ever expects to die.
About the Author
Daniel Klein is the coauthor (with Thomas Cathcart) of the international bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar and Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates. The author or coauthor of thirty other books, including The Half-Jewish Book, the Elvis Presley mystery series (Kill Me Tender, Blue Suede Clues), and the award-winning novel The History of Now, Klein holds a degree in philosophy from Harvard University and lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife, Freke Vuijst.