MONAD

by Thomas Taylor, Plotinus, Proclus

MONAD is the debut publication of Gallowglass Books. It is a hardcover Neoplatonic compendium containing works from Plotinus, Porphyry, and Proclus. Three of the primary Neoplatonists. All of which are translated by Thomas Taylor. MONAD contains Taylor's translations of The Enneads by Plotinus, On The Abstinence From Animal Food by Porphyry, and Elements of Theology by Proclus as well as a number of other works by the same authors. Cloth boards feature gold foiling and artwork by Kuba Sokolski. MONAD features original cover art by Benjamin A. Vierling and a frontispiece by Kuba Sokólski. As well as an introduction by Ken Wheeler. MONAD is limited in hardcover edition to 2,000 copies.

Genres: Philosophy

793 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2024

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Reviews

[Patrick Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice first physical edition from new local publisher Gallowglass Books. The foreword is a nice primer for some very dense neo-Platonic work, although I would recommend reading up on Plato’s works prior to tackling this. I’ve had a very scattershot philosophical education, never took any formal course on philosophy but gradually started dipping in to better understand pedagogy, critical theory, dialectical materialism, etc. Reading history is all on my profile, I try but metaphysics & logical formulae aren’t my strong suit.

That said, I enjoyed quite a bit of this collection, consisting of Thomas Taylor’s translations of Plotinus, Proclus, & Porphyry. Plotinus makes up the bulk of the text, about ~450 of the 790 pages. There are plenty of essays which I ultimately struggled to grasp on to, but I enjoyed what clicked. Dialectic of the Soul & On Providence, for example. Porphyry’s Books on abstinence from animal food were ultimately what I found most compelling, both rhetorically as a practicing vegetarian and practically from a historical & narrative perspective.

[Shane Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full education on metaphysics and philosophy. Incredible book