The great books, explained.
Six classics, 72 ideas, each told through the real story behind it and explained in plain words. Plus a new idea every night, about a minute long.
A new idea every night.
Six classics, twelve ideas each.
Read in order, in three parts, the way the book builds. Each idea takes about a minute.
1513The PrinceThe quiet manual of power, from the man who wrote it.
about 175 ADMeditationsAn emperor’s private notes to himself, on staying steady.
about the 5th century BCThe Art of WarThe oldest book on strategy, for every kind of conflict.
about 62 to 65 ADLetters from a StoicA retired statesman’s letters to a friend, on living well.
about the 4th century BCTao Te ChingEighty-one short verses on doing less and forcing nothing.
gathered 3rd century BCThe DhammapadaThe Buddha’s sayings in verse, on taming your own mind.How a read works.
- The real storyA painting and the moment it happened: a court, a battle, a letter.
- Your own weekWhere the same thing turns up at work, at home, with money.
- The part to keepThe idea in two short paragraphs, with one line to remember.
- Make it yoursOne small step, a question for your council, or a talk to practice.
Inside the app.
Good to know.
What is Read in Counsel?
Read explains the big ideas and the great books in plain words. Every idea starts with the real story behind it, told over four or five painted screens, then shows where it turns up in your own week: at work, at home, with money. It ends with the part to remember and one small step. Each takes about a minute.
Is it free?
Tonight’s read is free: a new idea every night. The six classics and the four collections need a subscription, which the app shows with its price before you buy.
Which books are explained?
The Prince, Meditations, The Art of War, Letters from a Stoic, the Tao Te Ching and The Dhammapada. Each one is told as twelve ideas in three parts, in reading order.
Are these book summaries?
Not chapter by chapter. Each book becomes the twelve ideas worth keeping from it, and each idea is told through a real moment: the battle, the letter or the court where it happened. Together the twelve cover what the book is for.
Can I trust the facts and quotes?
Every name, date, number and quote is checked against the sources listed with the idea, and quotes come from public-domain translations: W. K. Marriott for The Prince, George Long for Meditations, Lionel Giles for The Art of War, Richard M. Gummere for Seneca, James Legge for the Tao Te Ching and F. Max Müller for The Dhammapada.
The great books, a minute a night.
A new idea every night, free. Then the classics, one idea at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.
