The Art of Worldly Wisdom

This is a must read for anyone. The book was the main inspiration for Robert Greene for 48 laws of power which is also an excellent book.

Quick Summary: Content 5/5, Translation 4/5, Print 1/5ContentsI have the original Spanish version. This book is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. It has an underlying pessimistic tone, but it's full of puns and wordplay that makes it really fun to read. In its essence it conveys the powerful message that even if life is unfair we can still live it fully. I can read this book in one afternoon, but it always feels new when I pick it up again from the shelf.TranslationI bought this book for a friend that doesn't speak Spanish. The translation was done in 1892, by Joseph Jacobs. It uses a simpler language than the original, and it almost removes all puns and word-play, but it's however a lot easier to read, since it "distills" the message that Gracián wanted to express without trying to imitate his particular way of writing. I consider the translation to be excellent for anyone who wants to "get the message" but is not particularly interested in the original style.PrintThe print is just horrendous, is an outright printout of the web version of this book available in sacred-texts.com. They even kept the same spacing and text size, using lowercase roman numerals for the maxims (an awful idea) and breaking the line after each title (which wasn't done in the original Spanish text). Adding insult to injury, they also removed all translator's comments that can be seen in the mentioned website. If you want a good edition, don't buy this one.

Wonderful and practical advice from the 18th century that should have a place on everyone’s night stand. A bit heavy so good for making you sleepy but also teaches you how to deal with certain types of people and situations. Reminds me of Seneca who Gracian mentions often.

Really good book... Full of wisdom and common sense. All should buy this..

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