Product Description

It's telling that Desiderata has taken on a life of its own. Its simple universality and basic truths have been adopted by and attributed to, among others, the 60s flower children, singer Les Crane, who put the poetry to music in 1971, and even to mysterious entities from the 17th century. But it was Max Ehrmann, a poet, playwright, philosopher, and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who in 1927 started one of the world's most popular poems with the line, 'Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. ''Now Desiderata (Latin for 'things to be desired') comes to a new generation of readers and thinkers through the pages of Desiderata: A Survival Guide for Life. This inspiring book matches Ehrmann's poetic prose with evocative black-and-white photography that's as rich in texture and depth as the text it illustrates. The author's formula for happiness'a gentle urging to be at peace with God and life'provides comfort and direction, solace and clarity, no matter what the reader's personal perspective or circumstances. This rejuvenated work is truly inspiring.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141476 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-Ehrmann's well-known inspirational work, written in 1927, offers cogent advice on how to live at peace with oneself. This edition is distinguished by Tauss's striking photographs, most of which show children and adults of different cultures. Each of the images captures the essence of the passage it accompanies. For instance, the opening sentence ("Go placidly/amid the noise and haste,/and remember what peace/there may be in silence") is matched with a scene of a deserted city street that brilliantly creates a sense of stillness. Lines on the timelessness of love ("Especially do not feign affection./Neither be cynical/about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment/it is as perennial as the grass") are accompanied by one photo that shows parents and children nestled in bed, and another of them engaged in a pillow fight. Perhaps the most memorable illustration shows a boy and a girl set against a galaxy of stars. This complements the life-affirming statement, "You/are/a child/of the/universe,/no less than the trees and the stars;/you have a right to be here." All of the photos are well composed and have a dreamy quality, suffused with a soft light. However, while the pictures have intergenerational appeal, the vocabulary employed and the philosophy expressed in the text are adult in nature.
Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
Presents the text of the well-known inspirational poem that advises one to "go placidly amid the noise and haste" because "you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars."

About the Author
Max Ehrmann was an attorney turned philosopher-poet who lived in Terre Haute, Indiana. He spent his life wrestling with the realities of making a living and following his personal calling to a life of poetry, literature, and thought. Ehrmann wrote A Prayer, which became a message of hope for thousands, but he is best known for Desiderata, which he wrote for himself, ?because it counsels those virtues I felt myself most in need of.? Ehrmann included this work as part of a personal Christmas greeting in 1933, and Desiderata?s power and appeal have continued to reach out to and significantly affect readers ever since. Ehrmann died in 1945.

Customer Reviews

Prose = 5, Pictures = 2
On their own, the pictures are nice. I thought they detracted from the text, which I have read before in a different edition (and gave away!).

If you can understand the text without letting the pictures have any influence, great. I think this poem (?) is all the wisdom anyone needs to get through life.

Photos don't do work justice
I found the photos to take away from the words. Also parts of the poem were placed in bold face and made them stand out in the wrong way; it simplified Ehrmann's ideas too much. I was very disappointed in how it changed the over all feel. I would think these words are better left alone without other artists visual interpretation attached. Just my thoughts.

This is a beautiful book for young and old...
I gave eight of these books away for Christmas this year. I love the book because proceeds go to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, not to mention the nice black and white photography and inspiring philosophy. This book is a bit of sunshine on demand.