Siddhartha (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

The best thing I can say about this book, Siddhartha, is that it is indeed a classic jewel. I am happy to have been able to find such a literary work of art; not only in the form of a great novel, but as a novel that simultaneously professes great spiritual enlightenment in everyday general terms. There are dozens of “best” paragraphs I could quote, but I will randomly quote the following, not because it is better than most paragraphs, but because it is just one of the many forceful paragraphs:“Siddhartha learned much among the samanas, he learned to follow many paths away from his ego. He followed the path of unselfing through pain, through the voluntary suffering and overcoming of pain, of hunger, of thirst, of fatigue. He followed the path of unselfing through meditation, through thinking till the mind was empty of all notions. He learned to follow those and other paths, he left his self a thousands times, for hours on end and days on end he lingered in the nonself. But though the paths led away from the ego, in the end they always led back to the ego. Though Siddhartha fled his ego a thousand times, dwelling in nothingness, in animal, in rock, the return was inevitable since he found himself again, in the sunlight or in the moonlight, in shade or in rain, and again was ego and Siddhartha, and again felt the torment of the onerous cycle.”

I absolutely adore this book. Physically, the ragged page edges helps to put you into young Siddhartha's shoes many many years ago. It is very easy to see the text, and you can tell that it the cover is a good quality paperback that will last for a long while. About the story itself, its a great philosophical read. If you've ever questioned the meaning of life, I would recommend this book. It teaches many great lessons such as how you can learn a lot from worldly experiences it included an interesting and enlightening bit on how to love. I was slightly unsatisfied with the ending because it isn't completely conclusive, in my opinion, but it does make you think about your own life. Overall, I love Hesse's style of writing, with beautiful imagery and an almost poetic style.

As always, the Penguin Drop Caps books never cease to amaze me. Siddartha is no exception, and although I was wary of the color, it fits right in with the rest of the collection. I love that the Penguin Drop Caps are something I can collect over time. Not only do they make a great statement piece but I get to reconnect with classics that I love and also discover new books! My only caution is that if you are buying them to collect them and use them gently - check them over when they arrive in the mail. The hard covers have a "soft" finish which can easily be dented or scratched. This is not something that happens with normal use (I read my books often and they do not show any signs of abuse) but it is something that could easily happen in shipping or if placed to bounce around in a tote bag with keys/other sharp objects.

This was the first novel by Hermann Hesse I read, and now I wish I had read this book so much sooner!A descriptive yet brief spiritual and bibliographical odyssey of a fictional Siddhartha, Hesse weaves an inspirational tale of life and the pursuit of the "ultimate wisdom" that countless others, both real and fake, have been doing since the dawn of time. A must read for anyone that wants a deep and thoughtful fiction that is so hard to come by these days.

This book, I believe is a very good translation, but I can't really compare because I haven't read the alternatives. But I''ll share a little about the story in general. Here's how nice it is: Years later, upon learning yoga from a brilliant teacher, the story of the true Om came back and shed perfect light on everything, helping me understand meditation in a way that I can't imagine I would grasp without having read this book.My take is that its kind of like a fantasy, Hobbit type of story - trekking through wild environments and unexpected cultures in another time, before technology. Except instead of goblins and trolls and battles with sorcery, it is the real world: politics, emotions, and constructed vices, which present truly dire challenges, and instead of a ring, there exists a magical meaning (or simplicity) which must be achieved through an adventure of the mind. If taken, this journey promises freedom and peace.As a read, this story of Siddhartha kind of made my mind work a little, and thoughts will sometimes buzz through your head to process something, which slowed down my reading. Been a while since you've felt youthful contemplativeness? Read this.

Quick delivery. Purchased for a class but ended up being a nice read and a book to get you thinking but read with an open mind

The drop cap series has been on my wish list for a while, and I finally got an excuse to buy one when Siddhartha was assigned in one of my classes. This copy wasn't too much more than a regular copy on Amazon, whereas buying a drop cap book in stores is way too expensive.The book came earlier than expected and packaged well so that the cover, which has a nice soft feel to it, wasn't scratched or at all marked.Its a beautiful book, and definitely one that will be part of my "do not lend" collection of books as its too nice to have friends break the spine or spill crumbs in. I definitely love just looking at it, let alone reading it and I can't wait to buy more of the drop caps collection!

I bought my book used, and it came in near mint condition. The only thing even remotely "wrong" with it was a little black line along the bottom. The story is pretty good, and the build quality of the book is just fine.

Totally worth it

Please note: The pages of this product are "deckle edged", that is they have a subtle, irregular "cut".But, as I have just recently learned from a certain vendor of this product, this "cut/finish" of the paper is NOT an imperfection but a very intentional effect styled by the publisher owing to which the book is valued more as compared to conventional, smooth paper "cut" edition(s) by the same publisher.Hence, this edition of the book is sold as the Penguin Deluxe Edition -- because of the deckle edge binding of the pages, the seemingly, perhaps ostensibly, larger size of the font, and other so called 'changes/improvements' as compared to the other edition(s) sold by Penguin.Again, I am not advertising or encouraging anyone to buy this product. Personally, I find the conventional smooth paper edges more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. But then, I don't really have any complaints about this product other than this trivial cosmetic trait that does not otherwise undermine my personal reading experience.To be honest, the deckle edged pages, now that I have read a few pages, makes me otherwise feel as if I am turning over the parchments of some medieval book. An innocent experience worth its own honest dime.

A superb book which seems to encapsulate the essential teachings of Buddhism. This book benefits from an excellent translation which faithfully conveys the meaning of the text in a thoroughly eloquent way. A pity that it is not available as an eBook.

Beautiful book inside and out. I know I'll be reaching out for this book throughout my life again and again.

Amazing