TOM HODGKINSON

There are few literary pleasures that can top sitting idly in a comfortable chair reading HOW TO BE IDLE. With chapter titles like "Sleeping In," "The Hangover," "The Idle Home," "Sex and Idleness," and "Sleep," Tom Hodgkinson writes eloquently in defense of idleness, which he sees not as a vice but as a much-needed antidote to the addiction to work that, he claims, plagues Western cultures. In his supremely English way, Hodgkinson argues for the joy of doing nothing, and marshals other writers in his noble cause, among them Oscar Wilde and Samuel Johnson. Complete with line drawings of people in various stages of idleness, HOW TO BE IDLE can be a valuable tool for the overworked, overscheduled, and overstressed.

Brave Old World is Tom Hodgkinson's year-round guide to the ancient art of husbandry. In this indispensable addition to his much-loved guides for the free-spirited, Tom Hodgkinson takes us on a modern tour of the ancient arts of everyday living: philosophy, husbandry and merriment. Drawing on the wisdom of an eclectic range of thinkers and writers, and, as ever, on Tom's own honestly recounted and frequently imperfect attempts to travel the road to self-sufficiency, Brave Old World charts the progress of a year in pursuit of the pleasures of the past. From January to December, let Tom be your guide to a better, older way of life. "A meditation on why life has been a dreadful mistake ever since the Reformation brought us paid jobs and the work ethic. Brave Old World is hugely inspiring even when it is most bonkers". (Sarah Bakewell, New Statesman). "A delightful read. Share in the exuberant joys and comic misfortunes of an eccentric who has made up his mind about the existence he wants to lead, and has gone ahead and lived it". (James Delingpole, Mail on Sunday). Tom Hodgkinson is the founder and editor of The Idler and the author of How to be Idle, How to be Free, The Idle Parent and Brave Old World. In spring 2011 he founded The Idler Academy in London, a bookshop, coffeehouse and cultural centre which hosts literary events and offers courses in academic and practical subjects - from Latin to embroidery. Its motto is 'Liberty through Education

Si alguna vez te has preguntado por qué vas a trabajar o por qué pagas todos los meses la hipoteca, si estás harto de la cultura del consumo-basura y piensas que la vida moderna es totalmente absurda, éste libro es para ti. Su autor, Tom Hodgkinson, busca inspiración en la Historia, la Filosofía y la Literatura para elaborar un divertido manifiesto a favor de vivir en libertad. Llena de sugerencias prácticas y de inspiradas reflexiones, su guía es un ingenioso canto de protesta contra el mundo moderno que nos enseña a deshacernos de una vez por todas de la ansiedad que nos provocan la burocracia, el gobierno, las deudas, las tareas del hogar, los hipermercados y muchas cosas más. ¿Estás preparado para ser libre?

El camino a una vida de placer, libertad y vagancia está delante tuyo. A través de la historia, la filosofía y la experiencia personal, Elogio de la pereza es una apasionada y optimista defensa d ela holgazanería y la buena vida. Los testimonios que el autor ofrece en favor de este tipo de vida son tan diversos como Lord Byron, Bertrand Russell, Nietzsche o John Lennon.Con consejos, información y reflexiones acerca de aspectos tan importantes como la siesta, el arte del escaqueo.

As Oscar Wilde said, doing nothing is hard work. The idlers of this world have the odds stacked against them, but here, at last, is a book that can help. From Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler, comes How To Be Idle, an antidote to the work-obsessed culture which puts so many obstacles between ourselves and our dreams.Ranging across a host of issues that may affect the modern idler - sleep, the world of work, pleasure and hedonism, relationships, bohemian living, revolution - Hodgkinson draws on the writings of such well-known apologists for idleness as Dr Johnson, Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson and Nietzsche. His message is clear: take control of your life and reclaim your right to be idle.

Have you ever wondered why you bother to go to work? Why so much of consumer culture is crap? Whether there might be a better, freer, happier way to live our lives? If so, this book is for you. Following up his cult bestseller How To Be Idle, Tom Hodgkinson takes us on an inspirational journey towards true freedom and happiness. Read How To Be Free and learn how to throw off the shackles of anxiety, bureaucracy, debt, governments, housework, moaning, pain, poverty, ugliness, war and waste, and much else besides.