Why We Need Love

Why We Need Love - Paperback

$12.99
Sale price  $12.99 Regular price 
Skip to product information
Why We Need Love

Why We Need Love - Paperback

$12.99
Sale price  $12.99 Regular price 

Book Overview

by Simon Van Booy (Author)

Provocative and eye-opening, Why We Need Love is one of three slim selections of philosophical texts and excerpts--along with Why We Fight and Why Our Decisions Don't Matter--introduced and contextualized by acclaimed author Simon Van Booy (Love Begins in Winter, The Secret Lives of People in Love).

This book explores how some of the greatest minds of civilization have tackled a question that continues to play a vital part in our lives today. In Why We Need Love, Simon Van Booy curates an enlightening collection of excerpts, passages, and paintings, presenting works by Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, John Donne, William Blake, George Eliot, Emily Dickinson, O. Henry, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, E. E. Cummings, Anaïs Nin, Marc Chagall, J. Krishnamurti, and others.


What does love mean to a poet, a philosopher, a novelist, or a zoologist?


  • Classic Literature: Explore love through the eyes of literary giants like Chaucer, Shakespeare, and James Joyce, with curated excerpts from their most influential works.
  • Poetry About Love: Discover timeless verses on romance, longing, and devotion from poets such as Emily Dickinson, W. B. Yeats, and William Blake.
  • Psychology of Love: Question the very nature of our desires with groundbreaking perspectives from thinkers like psychoanalyst Erich Fromm and zoologist Desmond Morris.
  • Spiritual Philosophy: Find deeper meaning in human connection with insightful passages on mindfulness and self-knowledge from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Back Jacket

Vital insights and wisdom on the perennial question of why we need love

This book explores how some of the greatest minds of civilization have tackled a question that continues to play a vital part in our lives today. In Why We Need Love, Simon Van Booy curates an enlightening collection of excerpts, passages, and paintings, presenting works by Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, John Donne, William Blake, George Eliot, Emily Dickinson, O. Henry, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, E. E. Cummings, Anaïs Nin, Marc Chagall, J. Krishnamurti, and others.

Why We Need Love will engage both the serious philosopher and the eternally curious.

Number of Pages: 256
Dimensions: 0.8 x 7 x 4.4 IN
Illustrated: Yes
Publication Date: November 14, 2014
ISBN9780061845543
Author Simon Van Booy
PublisherHarper Perennial
GenreLiterature and Philosophy
FormatPaperback
PublishedNovember 2014
LanguageENG- English
Pages256
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

1% fer Each of the Seven Seas

Every purchase sends 7% of our profits to The Ocean Cleanup. No fine print, no opt-in — just how we sail.

Whoever Ye Be, Welcome Aboard

Queer lit, music, art, philosophy, fiction — stories for every kind of soul. Come as ye are, matey.

About Simon Van Booy

Simon Van Booy is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children, including The Secret Lives of People in Love and Sipsworth. He is the anthologist of three volumes of philosophy and has written for The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, and the BBC. His books have been translated into many languages and optioned for film. Raised in rural North Wales, he currently lives in New York where he is also a book editor and a volunteer E.M.T. crew chief.

You may also like