Et tu, Brute?: The Best Latin Lines Ever

Harry Mount and John Davie unlock the wisdom of the past in this  light-hearted and fascinating book, revealing how ancient Latin can help  us to live better in the present.

There are so many Latin  phrases in everyday use that often we use them without understanding the  background and context within which they were actually used. 'Carpe  diem'; 'Stet'; 'Memento mori'; 'Et tu Brute' – examples would fill a  book. And often these phrases are also used in English translation: 'The  die is cast'; 'crossing the Rubicon'; 'Rome was not built in a day'.

Many  of these phrases are humorous, but they are also a rich source of  wisdom: the wisdom of the ancients. The chapters of this book include:  Latin for Gardeners, the Great Latin Love Poets, Cicero on How to Grow  Old Gracefully and Seneca's Stoic Guide to Life. Each chapter starts  with a quotation and is lightly sprinkled with many more, with  accompanying English translations and entertaining cartoons and  illustrations dotted throughout.

The background to each quotation  is explained so that the context is fully understood. Who crossed the  Rubicon and why, for example? At a time of great political and social  turbulence, more and more people are turning back to ancient wisdom as a  guide to life. Here they are in touch with two classical scholars of  distinction who have the common touch and can help make Latin accessible  to all, not to mention fun!