Utopia

Utopia. Translated by Paul Turner.

Literature & Fiction

Sir Thomas More

Classics

London: Penguin 1983. (Penguin Classics)

A utopia is a community or society possessing highly desirable or near perfect qualities. The word was coined by Sir Thomas More in Greek for his 1516 book Utopia (in Latin), describing a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and imagined societies portrayed in fiction. It has spawned other concepts, most prominently dystopia.

Utopia: A New Translation, Backgrounds, Criticism (A Norton Critical Edition)

Norton& Co

Utopia by Sir Thomas More 1965 (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Washington Square Press

Humor & Satire

Pocket Books/Washington Square Press

Written originally as an ironic comment on the Elizabethan English social order, Sir Thomas More's Utopia has become one of the truly seminal works of world literature. Along with Playo, Jefferson, and Marx, SSir Thomas More stands among the few really great and original political thinkers. His rich, creative imagination, sense of justice, and profound understanding of human nature account for the powerful influence Utopia has had over the last four centuries. This new translation is a modern rendition of the original Latin and is based on the authoritative text of 1518. The Introduction by John Anthony Scott examines Utopia afresh, emphasizing its importance as a basic document for all who would secure to manking "the good life."

More has been hailed as an essentially medieval Catholic thinker and as a precursor to Marxism. His description of Utopia is not a blueprint for redesigning Eurospean society but a construct which highlights the moral and social shortcomings of Christendom. In writing Utopia, Thomas More drew on his profound knowledge of classical literature, on contemporary humanism, and on various travelers tales. His picture of Utopia owes something to Marco Polos China. For King Utopus he borrows from Plutarchs biographies of the Spartan Kings Lycurgus and Agis IV. The speakers in Utopia invoke Platos Republic more than any other source, the book is also a implicit critique of the Republic. There are many English translations of Utopia, but this edition and translation, aimed at American college students, breaks down the many long passages into modern-sized paragraphs for easier reading.

John P. Donnelly

John Sheehan

Marquette Univ Pr

Ideal Empires and Republics : Rousseau's Social Contract, More's Utopia, Bacon's New Atlantis, Campanella's City of the Sun.

Politics & Social Sciences

Jean, Jacques Rousseau

Tommaso Campanella

Sir Francis Bacon

Politics & Government

William H. Wise

In this delightful fantasy, Moore describes the "ideal" society. An imaginarly island where all work is for the common good. And suggests solutions to many of the problems that are being faced in English society in the early 16th century. In forming his ideas for the country of Utopia, More points out many of the problems that he sees in English society.

Science & Math

History & Philosophy

NuVision Publications, LLC

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Literary

Simon&Brown

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Books by Sir Thomas More