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Sir Saint Thomas More
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Utopia (Illustrated) Kindle Edition

by Thomas More (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 2,305 ratings
This edition includes 10 illustrations. The author of a book in the early 16th century describing a fictional, idealized island society, Sir Thomas More was destined to occupy a significant place in the literary canon with his work Utopia, yet it is also his association with the infamous English king Henry VIII and his untimely political death at the monarch’s behest that has ensured More’s posthumous fame. A martyr for his belief in the supremacy of the Pope and the Catholic church, More was canonized in 1935 as Saint Thomas More, while Utopia’s controversial contents – like an early form of socialism – continue to spark discussion.
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  1. Print length
    122 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    4 Aug. 2014
  5. File size
    3.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

About the Author

David Harris Sacks is Professor of History and Humanities at Reed College. His scholarly work focuses on the cultural and social history of medieval and early modern Britain. He is the author of "Trade, Society and Politics in Bristol, 1500-1640" (1985), and "The Widening Gate: Bristol and the Atlantic Economy, 1450-1700" (1991), which was awarded the John Ben Snow Prize in British History by the North American Conference on British Studies. His current work includes studies in the history of early modern British urban society and culture and of the history of ethical, political, and economic discourse in early modern England focusing on the problem of monopoly and freedom. Sacks has been a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and was an NEH Long-term fellow at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. During 1998-99, he will be Visiting Professor of History at Yale University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00EP6ARWG
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 4 Aug. 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 122 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: 27,045 in Whispersync for Voice
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 2,305 ratings

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Sir Saint Thomas More

Sir Saint Thomas More

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4.4 out of 5 stars
2,305 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a great intellectual read that throws up interesting concepts and is highly influential. They appreciate its value for money, noting there's no money within Utopia, and one customer mentions that people are allowed to worship any religion.

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ReadabilityThought provokingReligionValue for money
17 customers mention ‘Readability’15 positive2 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and appreciate it as an intellectual work, with one customer noting it as one of the greatest works of any era.

"...Amazing reading and highly influential." Read more

"great book" Read more

"...:D a great, intellectual read! would highly recommend!!" Read more

"good read" Read more

7 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’6 positive1 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, throwing up interesting concepts and being highly influential.

"...Amazing reading and highly influential." Read more

"...There is an equality of men and woman and the opportunity to educate themselves, People are allowed to worship any religion, all of them are equal..." Read more

"...to read, to get to know times it was written and gives you material to think about. In the and we all have our own private worlds ... we call Utopia." Read more

"...Did I enjoy it? No. But it threw up some interesting concepts which with tweaking could prove useful in improving how we all live today." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Religion’4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the religious aspects of the book, with one noting that all religions are welcome in Utopia, while another highlights its humanitarianism.

"...and woman and the opportunity to educate themselves, People are allowed to worship any religion, all of them are equal in Utopia...." Read more

"...By creating a supposedly perfect world, More holds up a mirror to our own society...." Read more

"...In Utopia all religions are welcome provided they accept an overall god, atheism is viewed as only practiced by idiots!..." Read more

"...Although Utopia was rich with More's humanitarianism and hope for a new world, he had obviously been very cautious not to mention Europe's then..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Value for money’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money, with one customer specifically noting the absence of private wealth in Utopia.

"...There is no private wealth, and everything is shared, so all men and woman capable of working, must contribute to the community, by doing their..." Read more

"...Work is done by all and is very farming focussed as the Utopians do not use money, wear the same clothes and do not believe that gold, silver etc..." Read more

"...is cheap edition - mediocre quality paper, but still represents good value for money." Read more

"nice price and it was sent very fast, thank you" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • homeport_uk
    5.0 out of 5 stars Utopia Classic and Free
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2012
    Verified Purchase
    New to Kindle App on my laptop, I started off with free books, to see how it worked for me. Utopia written by Thomas Moore in 1516, is really a critque of people of his own time, a book that has influenced much of society. The tale is based around a imaginery character called Raphael Hythloday, whom Moore meets and who tells him about his travels to a distant place called Utopia, and it is this that Moore bases his book on.

    The community of Utopia is based on the idea that everything is shared, both social and political. There is no private wealth, and everything is shared, so all men and woman capable of working, must contribute to the community, by doing their fair share of work. Those that will not work, yet are capable are punished. The idea is one of sharing and exchanging items to make sure everyone has what they need to live simply. There is no money within Utopia.
    There is an equality of men and woman and the opportunity to educate themselves, People are allowed to worship any religion, all of them are equal in Utopia. Utopia is a democratic and equal society, where everyone can grow, both mentally and as a community, working together.
    In many ways the book Utopia opened peoples eyes to new ideas and ways of working together.

    This book deserves to be read, I defiantly reccomend it....
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Simon Shepherd
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2021
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    I've read several books from the Penguin Great Ideas series and this is one of my favourites. Even though it was written in the 16th century, the modern translation (from the Latin original) is easy to read and More's Utopia is as pertinent today as it ever was. By creating a supposedly perfect world, More holds up a mirror to our own society. However it is not without its flaws and even in Utopia, women are submissive to men. The superiority of men was so ingrained into More's mind that it was impossible for him to conceive of a society where it was otherwise. Which shows that even the greatest minds are bound by their time and place. However we shouldn't forget that More was a product of 16th century England and Utopia is still one of the greatest works of any era.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Mr Ty
    4.0 out of 5 stars Idle World
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 November 2024
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    Very Interesting
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  • biker1
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gift
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 April 2023
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    A gift for a relative who had requested it and was very pleased to read this book
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  • Barry Avis
    3.0 out of 5 stars Thomas Mores flawed version of a socialist ideal
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2024
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    Thomas More’s Utopia follows More’s fictional meeting with Peter Giles and Raphael to discuss the land of Utopia, a fictional land that Raphael visited. This land is managed in a way that was completely new to the way countries and regions were managed when this book was written in the early 1500s. There are no private possessions with all land, food, drink etc owned by the whole community. Work is done by all and is very farming focussed as the Utopians do not use money, wear the same clothes and do not believe that gold, silver etc have any intrinsic value above how it can be used externally for example to purchase mercenaries to fight their wars which they do their upmost to avoid.
    This book is one of a handful that are quoted as having a fundamental impact on Karl Marx and his philosophies. It describes a country organised on an almost socialist basis building on the work of Platos’ “Republic”. It describes how the community work towards the single goal of improvement for all and frown on anyone who puts themselves forward as being above the community. They have good relations with surrounding countries and often expand by taking on poor land because their focus on hard work and their high working numbers (because no one is involved with work that has no value such as banking, law, property etc)
    So far this sound like Utopia however there are a few things that raise large red flags for many. Firstly, women are seen as inferior and subservient to men who are allowed to punish them. Divorce seems very biased in favour of the husband and much of the work is seen as women’s work. There is also very strict rules over religion (although More does not see this but he was a very strict Catholic ending up being martyred). In Utopia all religions are welcome provided they accept an overall god, atheism is viewed as only practiced by idiots! The biggest issue for me though is the use of slaves who are often made slaves simply because they disagreed with the leading doctrine and so are seen as criminals. Many crimes are punished by execution and this includes slaves who do not work hard enough.
    A good book showing some of the earlier thoughts on what would become the philosophy of socialism. This is recommended for anyone interested in that history.
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  • Simon rubin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book to have in a private library
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2014
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    It's book to have, pleasure to read, to get to know times it was written and gives you material to think about. In the and we all have our own private worlds ... we call Utopia.
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  • Martin Richard Sanders
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing reading and highly influential
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2018
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    Thomas More actually invented his own language and alphabet for the imaginary land of Utopia. Amazing reading and highly influential.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • DiamondAries
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good clean version of the text
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2012
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    I read this for a class and it was a very good read. If you make it to the second half it gets quite fascinating - although I decided I'd rather not live in "Utopia". (The first half is pretty dull and half the time I couldn't tell who was speaking.)
    This version of the text is nice and clean, not a scholarly edition, I suppose, because of its lack of footnotes. I regretted the lack of footnotes eventually, but whilst reading it, their absence made the page less distracting.
    It's a thin, light copy - good to carry around!
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Tiako
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un livre de référence, dans un anglais accessible
    Reviewed in France on 26 February 2012
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    Que dire... J'avais déjà lu la version française d'Utopia, et j'avais été marqué par l'athmosphère qu'arrivait à nous peindre More, malgré les siècles qui nous séparent de lui. L'invention du terme d'utopie n'est que le commencement de son travail, et il est très intéressant de découvrir son utopie, qui permet aussi, de changer notre regard sur le monde.

    Concernant la version anglaise, je suis très satisfait : le texte est on ne peut plus agréable, et relativement accessible (je parviens à le lire, sans grande difficulté), même après une formation de générale scientifique comme la mienne. Je le recommande donc à tous ceux qui désireraient améliorer leur anglais, tout en découvrant un texte intéressant et utile pour la culture générale.

    Attention cependant, le faible prix de ce livre s'explique par l'absence de commentaires et d'annotations. Pour ceux qui voudraient une lecture plus approfondie avec des clés de lecture, mieux vaut vous orienter vers des versions un peu plus chères.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Sir Duncan The Tall
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kitap biraz küçük
    Reviewed in Turkey on 3 February 2024
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    Ing okumak isteyenler alsın
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  • Sharmin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book at a great price
    Reviewed in Australia on 24 April 2019
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    Great book at a great price
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  • s.s.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Klassiker!
    Reviewed in Germany on 26 December 2020
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    Tolles Buch und ein muss für jeden Literaturliebhaber!
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  • Cliente Kindle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Um excelente exemplo do que poderia ter sido
    Reviewed in Brazil on 13 September 2023
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    O livro é um excelente exemplo de como poderia ter se desenvolvido a humanidade, como poderíamos ter construído uma sociedade baseada em cooperação, harmonia e solidariedade. Ainda que no estágio atual não tenhamos a mínima condição de aspirar tal nível de desenvolvimento humanitário, que pelo menos essa bela história nos sirva de inspiração para sermos um pouco melhores.
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