bA unique collection of advice for lifeand perhaps the first 'self-help' book ever writtenb brWritten over 350 years ago, iThe Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudencei is a subtle collection of 300 witty and thought-provoking aphorisms. From the art of being lucky to the healthy use of caution, these elegant maxims were created as a guide to life, with further suggestions given on cultivating good taste, knowing how to refuse, the foolishness of complaining and the wisdom of controlling one's passions. Baltasar Gracian intended these ingenious, pragmatic aphorisms to challenge the mind, and recognised that few would be capable of applying them. br In Jeremy Robbins's introduction to his penetrating new translation, he examines Gracian's place in Spanish literature and his previous works. Robbins also looks at the themes, contexts and contradictions of iThe Pocket Oraclei, as well as the brevity and subtlety of Gracian's cool-headed aphorisms. This edition also contains a chronology, suggeste