Travels with Epicurus: Meditations from a Greek Island on the Pleasures of Old Age

Our society worships at the fountain of youth. Plastic surgery rates are higher than ever and we spend more each year on trying to delay the arrival of old age, from extreme exercise and botox to pilates and cosmetic dentistry. But are we just postponing the inevitable? And in the process, are we missing out on a distinct and extraordinarily valuable stage of life?

In Travels with Epicurus, Daniel Klein, internationally bestselling author of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, asks whether it is better to be forever young or to grin toothlessly and live an authentic old age. Journeying to the Greek island of Hydra to discover the secrets of aging happily, he draws on the lives of his Greek friends, as well as philosophers ranging from Epicurus to Sartre, to uncover the unique pleasures that are only available late in life. A travel book, a witty and accessible meditation, and an optimistic guide to living well, this is a delightful jaunt through the terrain of old age, led by one of the funniest and most astute writers of modern times.