(London: Printed at the Chiswick Press for George Bell and Sons, 1900).

AN UNUSUALLY HANDSOME COPY, BOUND IN ART-DECO STYLE, OF MARCUS AURELIUS' CLASSIC WORK, HIS PERSONAL STOIC MEDITATIONS. His recurring thought is to consider personal judgment of oneself and others from a cosmic point of view. Mueller's illustrations are powerfully reminiscent of the classical world.
The twelve books were composed by Aurelius in Greek while he was on campaigns during the last years of his reign and were first published posthumously. The books were written in an informal manner, generally dealing with philosophical observations about the world-order and man s relationship to it. They clearly show his adherence to Stoicism and in them we find deeply personal expressions of an aging Emperor, somewhat disillusioned and despairing, in the final years of his reign.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was probably the last great proponent of Stoicism. Aside from the first book, in which he pays his respects to his teachers and influences, the work has no formal structure, which gives it the character of a diary or journal and makes its reflections more personal and immediate.
These meditations, written by the Emperor while in the midst of armed struggle and during the great military campaigns of his final years,  record his thoughts about the meaning of world-order and the relationship of man... they show him to be disillusioned and despondent, seeking fortitude against the fear of death, the cares of this world and the misdeeds and injustices of others.. Item #32673

First of the Edition and one of 325 copies only. A very handsomely designed fine press printing on special paper, titles, large capital letters introducing each book and running headlines all printed in red, the text printed in black. 8vo, specially bound, most probably uniquely, in a very handsome art-deco designer binding of fine full honey coloured calf, the spine with raised bands separating the compartments, the covers and spine with an all over pattern of blind tooled decorations consisting of concentric forms at the center with elaborately tooled designs of vines at the quadrants, accented on both covers and the spine panel with gilt leaves to the vines, the spine lettered in gilt, turnovers tooled in blind and gilt, marbled end-leaves, top edge gilt, an especially handsome binding for this iconic classical work. [6], 204, [1] pp. A very handsome copy in fine condition.