James Harris
AUTHOR

James Harris

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James Harris is the original creator of the first modern adaptation of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader, published in 2016.

Born in London, England, in 1986, James developed a strong imagination, a keen aptitude for mathematics, and a deep appreciation for the English language, influenced by his family.

His mother was a trained artist who graduated from Chiswick Polytechnic, while his grandmother worked at the College of Arms creating heraldry for aristocrats and royalty. His uncle was a classically trained pianist and organist, councillor, alderman, founder of a church, and engineer for the Ministry of Defence. His father was an RAF officer and Red Cross centre manager, his grandfather a Royal Navy inspector, and his great-grandfather a British Army officer. Their diverse influences helped shape his appreciation for creativity, language, logic, discipline and order.

His stepfather, a native Irishman, contributed to his humorous and jolly character, while a friend's father, a croupier, introduced him to chess. James developed a deep passion for the game and has even defeated a grandmaster online.

James studied electrical engineering before achieving a BA (Hons) in Business & Finance. Alongside his studies and professional career, he stripped engines and shipped them internationally. He created an iPhone app in 2012, worked as an IT engineer for Fujitsu, trained as an accountant at PwC London, and later worked as a financial auditor at Goldman Sachs on the FX & EM desks. His entry scores placed him in the top one percent internationally for mathematics, logic, pattern recognition and spatial recognition.

Despite this varied background, James's enduring passion has always been for words, historic texts and the pursuit of reconciliation. He began rewriting classical works in his spare time, initially to understand them more clearly himself and ultimately to make them coherent and accessible to the contemporary reader.

His English ancestry, which he traces back to the era of the Roman Empire, contributed to a personal sense of connection with the world in which Marcus Aurelius lived. This inspired him to read and rewrite Meditations in 2016. The resulting adaptation became a bestseller and marked the beginning of James's work bringing classical philosophy to a modern readership.

His work now centres largely on philosophy, strategy, tactics, warfare and action. The Complete Stoic Classics Collection represents the continuation of that work, with further projects to come.

When the time is right, the moves will proceed, and their execution will be precise.
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Marcus Aurelius - Meditations: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

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