Books (AU-First Pricing and Links) 📘¶
Use this page to find strong editions quickly without overpaying. Priority is AU stores first, then imported options when landed cost is better.
Buying Rules 🛒¶
- AU-first: QBD, Booktopia, Dymocks, local independent stores.
- Compare on total landed cost (book + shipping), not sticker price only.
- If imported option is cheaper after FX conversion, mark as priority fallback.
Price Snapshot 📌¶
- Captured: 2026-02-28
- Currency baseline: AUD
- USD conversion used for quick compare: 1 USD ~= 1.58 AUD
- Important: prices and stock move; re-check before purchase.
AU Priority Picks (Verified Subset) 🇦🇺¶
This table is a curated subset of high-availability picks, not the full author list.
| Thinker | Book | AU Link | AUD | Stock Note | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plato | The Republic (Collins Classics) | QBD | 9.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Aristotle | The Nicomachean Ethics (Penguin Classics) | QBD | 17.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Confucius | The Analects (Collins Classics) | QBD | 9.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Marcus Aurelius | Meditations (standard edition) | QBD | 22.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Plotinus | The Enneads (Penguin Classics) | QBD | 32.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Augustine | Confessions (Collins Classics) | QBD | 9.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Descartes | Discourse on Method and Meditations | QBD | 10.95 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Hobbes | Leviathan (Penguin Classics) | QBD | 29.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Spinoza | Ethics | QBD | 19.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Locke | Essay Concerning Human Understanding | QBD | 19.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Hume | An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding | QBD | 32.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Rousseau | The Social Contract (Penguin Classics) | QBD | 26.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Kant | Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals | QBD | 34.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Hegel | Phenomenology of Spirit | QBD | 56.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Kierkegaard | Fear and Trembling (Penguin Classics) | QBD | 26.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Marx | The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics) | QBD | 14.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Nietzsche | Beyond Good and Evil | QBD | 12.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Russell | The Problems of Philosophy | QBD | 31.99 | Add to Cart | Note |
| Wittgenstein | Philosophical Investigations (4th Ed) | QBD | 53.95 | Add to Cart | Note |
Imported Fallbacks (Use When AU Stock Fails) 🌍¶
| Thinker | Book | Source | USD + Shipping | Approx AUD | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epictetus | Discourses and Selected Writings (Penguin) | AbeBooks | 15.08 + 2.20 | 27.30 | High fallback |
| Epicurus | Principal Doctrines and Letter to Menoeceus | AbeBooks | 16.02 + 5.39 | 33.83 | Medium |
| Frege | Begriffsschrift | AbeBooks | 17.50 + 5.39 | 36.17 | High (rare in AU) |
| Maimonides | Guide for the Perplexed (various editions) | AbeBooks | price varies | varies | Use compare mode |
| Avicenna | Book of Healing / selections | AbeBooks | 25.19 + 19.99 | 71.38 | Low (expensive landed cost) |
Full Author-to-Book Catalog 🧾¶
Use this as the all-authors index. If a direct AU listing was not found, use the search link.
| Author | Primary Text | Suggested Link |
|---|---|---|
| Plato | Republic | QBD search |
| Aristotle | Nicomachean Ethics | QBD listing |
| Confucius | Analects | QBD listing |
| Epicurus | Letter to Menoeceus | AbeBooks search |
| Epictetus | Enchiridion / Discourses | AbeBooks search |
| Marcus Aurelius | Meditations | QBD search |
| Plotinus | Enneads | QBD listing |
| Augustine | Confessions | QBD listing |
| Avicenna | Book of Healing (selections) | AbeBooks search |
| Maimonides | Guide for the Perplexed | AbeBooks search |
| Aquinas | Summa Theologiae | QBD search |
| Descartes | Discourse and Meditations | QBD listing |
| Hobbes | Leviathan | QBD listing |
| Spinoza | Ethics | QBD listing |
| Locke | Essay Concerning Human Understanding | QBD listing |
| Hume | Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding | QBD listing |
| Rousseau | Social Contract | QBD listing |
| Kant | Groundwork | QBD listing |
| Hegel | Phenomenology of Spirit | QBD listing |
| Kierkegaard | Fear and Trembling | QBD listing |
| Mill | On Liberty | QBD search |
| Marx | Communist Manifesto | QBD listing |
| Nietzsche | Beyond Good and Evil | QBD listing |
| Frege | Begriffsschrift | AbeBooks search |
| Russell | Problems of Philosophy | QBD listing |
| Wittgenstein | Philosophical Investigations | QBD listing |
| Arendt | The Human Condition | QBD search |
| Beauvoir | The Ethics of Ambiguity | QBD search |
| Fanon | Black Skin, White Masks | QBD search |
| Rawls | A Theory of Justice | QBD search |
| Foucault | Discipline and Punish | QBD search |
| Nussbaum | Creating Capabilities | QBD search |
Modern and Contemporary Starter Shelf 🌐¶
Use this shelf if you want a fast route into current debates on justice, identity, institutions, and global ethics.
| Thinker | Starter Text | Access Link | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Arendt | The Human Condition | QBD search | Public action, freedom, and responsibility in mass society. |
| Simone de Beauvoir | The Ethics of Ambiguity | QBD search | Clear bridge from existentialism to modern feminist ethics. |
| Frantz Fanon | Black Skin, White Masks | QBD search | Foundational anti-colonial analysis of race and identity. |
| John Rawls | A Theory of Justice | QBD search | Core framework for fairness, institutions, and legitimacy. |
| Michel Foucault | Discipline and Punish | QBD search | Power, surveillance, and modern institutions. |
| Martha Nussbaum | Creating Capabilities | QBD search | Practical justice model used in policy and development. |
Reviews and Reading Notes ✍️¶
- Go to
docs/reviews/core-book-reviews.mdfor quick review notes and what to look for in each text. - Pair this with
docs/plan/study-plans.mdfor sequencing.
Pricing Refresh Workflow 🔁¶
- Refresh cadence: review AU listings monthly and after major sale periods.
- Source notes: record the store page used for each update and keep the capture date in
Price Snapshot. - FX policy: when imported options are listed, use the RBA daily rate (or explicit fallback estimate) and record the assumption used.