From the frustration of misplacing your keys to the sadness of losing a loved one, the writings of Seneca can offer consolation. For the particular agony of not having enough money, Epicurus has a solution, and it’s one that everyone can afford. Solace for a broken heart can be found in the works of Schopenhauer, even though his most lasting and significant relationships tended to be with poodles. And if your life is beset by difficulty after difficulty, wise advice may be found in the words of Nietzsche, the brilliant philosopher whose own life was riddled with poverty, bad health, and excruciating loneliness.

In The Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Botton has performed a stunning feat. He has transformed the arcane into something accessible and entertaining, something useful and kind. Drawing on the work of six of the world’s most uncommonly brilliant thinkers, de Botton has arranged a panoply of inimitable wisdom to guide us through our most common problems. The Consolations of Philosophy is smart, lucid, and pleasing, a rare sort of book that wonderfully fulfills the promise of its peculiarly audacious title.

Alain de Botton is the author of six books, including On Love, How Proust Can Change Your Life, and The Art of Travel. His work has been translated into twenty languages. He lives in Washington, D.C., and London, where he is an Associate Research Fellow of the Philosophy Programme of the University of London, School of Advanced Study.