Can it conceivably be that I started reading William Irvine's book last December! I feel assured there is an apt stoical reason for taking such an extraordinarily long time to read 283 pages (if one excludes the Notes section and Index, which would raise the page count to 314) - though I am not inclined to reach for one!

Congratulations, William (can I now call you Bill?) for taking me (a modern stoic pupil) on an illuminating and entertaining journey into stoicism; I won't label myself a disciple, as I'm still hedging my bets!

A well-crafted, balanced and easy to read work on the subject, which marries the needs of the 'modern age' with the philosophies and practices of the ancient Stoics. I would not say that this is a definitive guide - one would need to read more widely on the subject - but it does cover a broad spectrum of issues. Pages 281-283 provide 'A Stoic Reading Program' - thank you, Bill, that's where I'll be heading next!