How to be Idle

From Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler, comes How To Be Idle, an antidote to the work-obsessed culture which puts so many obstacles between ourselves and our dreams. Hodgkinson presents us with a laid-back argument for a new contract between routine and chaos, an argument for experiencing life to the full and living in the moment. Ranging across a host of issues that may affect the modern idler – sleep, the world of work, pleasure and hedonism, relationships, bohemian living, revolution – he draws on the writings of such well-known apologists for idleness as Dr Johnson, Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson and Nietzsche. His message is clear: take control of your life and reclaim your right to be idle.

 

Books

idler 42 Smash the system

Idler 42: Smash the System

The new 350 page Idler, a collection of radical essays by Alain De Botton, Penny Rimbaud, John Mitchinson, Jay Griffiths, Paul Kingsnorth, Oliver James. Published 17 June 2009. In Stock. Order now.
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idle parent

The Idle Parent

Order Now. Published 5th March. "Wise, funny, practical and personal, The Idle Parent puts the fun back into parenting." Oliver James
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book of idle pleasures

The Book of Idle Pleasures

A sumptuous compendium of one hundred pleasures, each lovingly described and illustrated.
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how to be free

How to be Free by Tom Hodgkinson

"Packed with wit, anecdotes and ideas ..." Word Magazine
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how to be idle

How to be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson

Take control of your life and reclaim your right to be idle.
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i fought the law

I Fought the Law by Dan Kieran

"Very funny...should be at the top of Tony Blair's reading list." The Times
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how to fish

How to Fish by Chris Yates

Recommended to anyone interested in either angling or doing nothing.
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cloudspotter's guide

The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney

"Read this eye-opening and amusingly written book" Daily Mail
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