A Book for the Wise: Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

In 1759, Samuel Johnson published "a little story book" in order to defray the expense of his aged mother's funeral. The brief novel, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, sought to answer the question of  the "choice of life" or what kind of occupation will lead to happiness in this life?

Rasselas, a young prince, is sequestered in the Happy Valley, where he is given all of his desires and kept from the vicissitudes of life. The prince, however, isn't satisfied, and with his sister and friend escape the Happy Valley and travel to Egypt in search of the answer to the choice of life.

While their fascinating search leads to a less than clear answer to the question, the book itself sets the reader on the path to wisdom. As Rasselas's sister says at the end of the book, "to me the choice of life is become less important; I hope hereafter to think only on the choice of eternity." This is a wonderful book that will bear repeated reading over the course of a lifetime.