Alain de Botton is a modern day writer and philosopher whose
work emphasizes philosophical aspects of every day life.
Rather than offering self improvement tips, his books
encourage readers to contemplate upon life's issues. His first
book, "Essays In Love" has sold over two million copies
and inspired a movie.
Alain de Botton has written several books, both fiction and
non-fiction, including some best sellers.
The Background
Alain de Botton was born in Zurich on December 20, 1969 into a
Sephardic Jewish family. His father was a wealthy man who was
fluent in 12 languages. He had a grandmother who became famous
for being an Israeli intelligence officer and was even described
as Israel's Mata Hari.
Alain de Botton was educated in England where he attended
boarding school in Oxford and college in Cambridge. He also
attended Harvard for a while when working on a degree in French
Philosophy.
He published his first book at the age of 23 and immediately
found success when "Essays on Love" became a best
seller. After that, to the dismay of his father, he left his
studies behind and focused on his writing.
You will find that many of the books mentioned below are also
available as Kindle E-books and as audibles.
Books By Alain de Botton
was first published in 1993. In countries outside the
United States, the book was titled, "Essays in Love." It
is available as a book and audio book. This work by
Alain de Botton is a unique philosophical study of
romantic love. It is written as a blend of fictional
romance and non-fictional reflection and analysis. In
2010, this book was adapted into the movie "My Last Five
Romances" by director Julian Kemp.
If you click on the image to the left it will open a new
tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this
book 4 stars out of 5
was published in 1997 and is available as a book and
audio book. This non-fiction work by Alain de Botton was
a best seller in the UK and US. This is one of the more
unique self help books on the market as it is comprised
of philosophical reflections by Alain de Botton along
with his analysis of the massive book "In Search of Lost
Time" by Marcel Proust. "In Search of Lost Time" is one
of the longest books in world literature and is said to
have had a major impact on the literary world. Alain de
Botton shows readers how to apply segments of the book
to their personal lives in order to live more fully.
was published in 2000 and is available as a book and
audio book. This work was inspired by "Consolation of
Philosophy," a book by the ancient philosopher Boethius.
In the book by Boethius, philosophy appears to him as an
allegorical figure. In the book by Alain de Botton,
philosophical insights are offered on various aspects of
everyday woes. These insights can be used as a type of
self help advice and they were inspired by writings of
some of the great thinkers throughout history such as
Seneca, Nietzsche, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, Epicurus,
and Socrates.
was published in 2004 and is available as a Kindle ebook
and book. In this work, Alain de Botton considers the
writings of some famous travelers such as Wordsworth,
Van Gogh, and Baudelaire. He also delves into the
psychology of travel such as how we anticipate the
experience, how we remember beautiful sights, the allure
of exotic locations, how magnificent sights affect us,
and how the mundane can hold meaning.
was published in 2005 and is available as an ebook,
book, and audio book. The self help advice in this book
targets readers who worry about what other people think
of them. Alain de Botton discuses how other people judge
us and how it makes us feel.
was published in 2006 and is available as a book and
audio book. In this work, Alain de Botton takes a look
at architecture and how it influences individuals and
societies, even though we are not aware of it. He also
describes how human traits are reflected in the
architecture we construct. Because of the success and
impact of this book, Alain de Botton was named as the
inspiration for a new architectural project called
Living Architecture in the UK and he was appointed a
position as an honorary fellow to the Royal Institute of
British Architects.
Work" was published in 2008 and is
available as an audio book, ebook, and traditional book.
In this book, Alain de Botton turns his wit and wisdom
towards the work place and offers inspirational self
help advice to those seeking meaning from their jobs. He
takes a look at various jobs and analyzes what makes
them fulfilling or soul-crushing.
was published in 2009. This book came about when Alain
de Botton won a competition for writer-in-residence at
the Heathrow Airport. Along with a photographer, Alain
de Botton spent a week at a desk in Terminal 5. He wrote
about the people he saw coming and going over that time
and compiled the stories into a book complete with
photographs.
Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion"
was published in 2012 and is available as a book, audio
book, and ebook. Alain de Botton explains that even
atheists can benefit from the teachings based in
religion even if they don't believe in the supernatural
stories. Rather than throwing out the teachings and
making belief an all-or-nothing situation, Alain de
Botton teaches important lessons can be learned about
building better relationships, communities, and
individual lives by applying some of the self
improvement advice found in religious teachings.
Other Work By Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton is a columnist and lecturer. He also owns his
own production company called Seneca Productions, and creates
documentaries for television that are derived from his works. He
has also conducted numerous radio talks and interviews.
Alain de Botton is also a co-founder of The School of Life in
London. This unique school offers self improvement classes that
help people lead better lives.
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