3 h 23 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Why do some words persuade us, while others lift us out of ourselves?
On the Sublime asks what gives writing the power to transport a reader. Traditionally credited to Longinus, this short ancient Greek treatise takes the form of a letter to Postumius Terentianus, a young Roman friend. Its central idea is hypsos: height or elevation, the quality that makes language fill us with wonder.
Answering a handbook by Caecilius of Calacte that he finds too concerned with rules, the author looks beyond polish. Through examples from Homer, Sappho, Demosthenes and Plato, he explores great thoughts, strong feeling and the art that guides talent. The challenge is to reach genuine greatness without slipping into hollow, swollen language.
What you’ll discover
- Power beyond persuasion Explore why the strongest passages do more than convince: they carry readers beyond themselves.
- Great thoughts come first Consider how a writer's inner life shapes the height and force of their words.
- Talent meets discipline Follow the argument over natural genius and the art that helps it find direction.
- The danger of bombast Learn to question grand language that sounds impressive but holds little beneath its surface.
- Masters worth learning from Discover how reading great writers can nourish your own work without becoming mere copying.
Who will love it
For readers who love writing and want to know why some passages move them. It suits students of literature, speakers and writers drawn to the power of thought, feeling and craft.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Sublime writing transports rather than merely persuades
- Genius needs art to guide it
- Five sources shape sublime writing
- Great thoughts come from a great mind
- Passion, figures and words serve the same end
- Beware the faults that imitate greatness
- Imitation of the great lifts your own work
- Why does an age lose its greatness?
- The treatise has shaped criticism ever since
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 23 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Sul Sublime in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Sul Sublime
by Longino · 50
An ancient critic explores how a poem or speech lifts the mind, and what separates real power from mere polish.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
On the Sublime is a short treatise on what makes writing lift a reader out of themselves. It comes from the ancient Greek world, and it is traditionally credited to Longinus, though scholars doubt that name and place the author in the first century AD or thereabouts.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Sublime writing transports rather than merely persuades
The author begins by saying what the sublime is. It is a kind of excellence and distinction in language. Great writers win their place not by pleasing a crowd but by striking the mind with force. Persuasion can be resisted, he says, but the sublime carries the hearer away.
He compares it to a flash of lightning. A single stroke can scatter everything before it. A well-built argument shows its worth over many pages, but a sublime moment shows the whole power of the speaker at once.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Sul Sublime
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is On the Sublime about?
It is a Greek treatise on what makes writing powerful and uplifting. It names sources of the sublime, gives examples from Homer, Sappho and Demosthenes, and lists the faults that spoil lofty style.
Who wrote On the Sublime?
Tradition names Longinus, but the identity is uncertain. Manuscripts offer different names, and most scholars place the author in the first century AD. The author is often called Pseudo-Longinus for that reason.
What does sublime mean in this book?
It translates the Greek hypsos, meaning height. It refers to writing of such force and nobility that it lifts and astonishes the reader, as lightning strikes, rather than merely persuading step by step.
The author
Longinus
100–100 · Ancient Greek literary critic
Roman soldier, and saint, who pierced the side of Jesus.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
