GREAT BOOKS GREAT DISCUSSIONS
Seminar Program
Do you have books on your shelf that you will never read?
We all have those books we aspire to read, but probably never will. And that isn’t your fault.
That’s why we formed a community that helps you read and discuss the big ideas – while fitting into your lifestyle and availability.
GREAT BOOKS GREAT DISCUSSIONS
Seminar Program
Do you have books on your shelf that you will never read?
We all have those books we aspire to read, but probably never will. And that isn’t your fault.
That’s why we formed a community that helps you read and discuss the big ideas – while fitting into your lifestyle and availability.
The Wisdom of The Ages
Just 10 Daily Pages
10-30
Pages Per Day
1
Monthly Seminar
2
Hour Seminar
The Wisdom of The Ages
Just 10 Daily Pages
10-30
Pages Per Day
1
Monthly Seminar
2
Hour Seminar
What To Expect
Each month, we read through some of the most important books that have ever been written – and you only have to read 10-30 pages a day. The more challenging the material, the less you need to read each day.
The important thing is that you are working toward reading those books you ALWAYS wanted to read, but never did.
Our next round of Year 1 seminars begin in February of 2024, and there are limited seminar seats remaining, so, if you’re ready to sign up, please do so ASAP!
What To Expect
Each month, we read through some of the most important books that have ever been written – and you only have to read 10-30 pages a day. The more challenging the material, the less you need to read each day.
The important thing is that you are working toward reading those books you ALWAYS wanted to read, but never did.
Our next round of Year 1 seminars begin in February of 2024, and there are limited seminar seats remaining, so, if you’re ready to sign up, please do so ASAP!
Reading Calendar
“The Journey of 100 Miles Begins with a Single Step.” Here is what you’ll be reading and when you’ll be reading it when you join our seminar program.
Core Monthly Seminars (Year 1)
- The Epic of Gilgamesh
- Homer, Iliad I
- Homer, Iliad II
- Homeric Hymns to Demeter, Aphrodite
- Homer, Odyssey I
- Homer, Odyssey II
- Sappho, Poems and fragments
- Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
- Confucius, Analects
- Old Testament, Book of Genesis
- Aeschylus, Agamemnon
- Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers and Eumenides
Core Monthly Seminars (Year 2)
- Plato, Meno
- Plato, Gorgias
- Herodotus I: Books 1-6
- Herodotus II: Books 7-9
- Plato, Symposium
- Old Testament, Exodus and Leviticus
- Plato, Apology + Sophocles, Oedipus the King
- Plato, Crito + Sophocles, Antigone
- Plato, Phaedo + Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
- Thucydides I
- Thucydides II
- Plato, Phaedrus
Core Monthly Seminars (Year 3)
- Euripides, Medea, The Bacchae
- Plato, Republic I
- Plato, Republic II
- Old Testament: Ecclesiastes and Job
- Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics I
- Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics II
- The Bhagavad Gita
- Aristotle, Politics I
- Aristotle, Politics II
- Livy, Early History of Rome
- Plutarch, Lives of Greeks and Romans (selection)
- The Stoics: Seneca, Epictetus, Aurelius
Core Monthly Seminars (Year 4)
- Caesar, The Gallic War
- Aristotle, Physics
- Lucretius, On the Nature of Things
- Aristotle, Rhetoric
- Tacitus, Annals
- Vergil, Aeneid I
- Vergil, Aeneid II
- Horace: Odes and Epodes
- Gospels of Mark and John
- Ovid, Metamorphoses I
- Ovid, Metamorphoses II
- Plotinus, Enneads
Core Monthly Seminars (Year 5)
- Augustine, Confessions I
- Augustine, Confessions II
- Augustine, City of God I
- Augustine, City of God II
- Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
- Beowulf
- Anselm, Monologion and Proslogion
- The Song of Roland
- The Saga of the People of Laxardal
- Dante, Inferno I
- Dante, Inferno II
- Aquinas, Summa Theologica I
Core Monthly Seminars (Year 6)
- Dante, Purgatorio I
- Dante, Purgatorio II
- Aquinas, Summa Theologica II
- Dante, Paradiso I
- Dante, Paradiso II
- Aquinas, Summa Theologica III
- Chaucer, Canterbury Tales I
- Chaucer, Canterbury Tales II
- Christine de Pizan, Book of the City of ladies
- Erasmus, The Praise of Folly + More, Utopia
- Machiavelli, The Prince
- Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy (selected)
Next Cohort of Year 1 Seminars
Welcome, and congratulations on your commitment to reading and discussing the big ideas!
You’re about to join a community of people that are pursuing truth and beauty in an unpretentious way, and becoming more confident readers, thinkers, speakers, and listeners along the way.
Year 1 seminars will begin the first week of February, 2024., and will be held on the first and second week of each month!
Over half of the seats are already filled, so reserve your seat ASAP:
7 Seats Remaining
6 Seats Remaining
Closed - Full
Closed - Full
1st Thursday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Beginning February 8, 2024
Email us at [email protected] to join the waitlist.
1st Monday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Beginning February 5, 2024
Email us at [email protected] to join the waitlist.
7 Seats Remaining
6 Seats Remaining
Closed - Full
Closed - Full
1st Thursday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Beginning February 8, 2024
Email us at [email protected] to join the waitlist.
1st Monday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Beginning February 5, 2024
Email us at [email protected] to join the waitlist.
7 Seats Remaining
6 Seats Remaining
Closed - Full
1st Thursday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Beginning February 8, 2024
Email us at [email protected] to join the waitlist.
Closed - Full
1st Monday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Beginning February 5, 2024
Email us at [email protected] to join the waitlist.
After You Sign Up:
Within 24hrs of registration, you will receive a confirmation email from GBGD with translation/edition details of your first reading, along with a link to join the GBGD Slack.
Additionally, before you officially begin, Year 1 participants will have two free seminar opportunities:
- A revisit of Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book, and
- A close read session on the opening of The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Ready to get reading? Click one of the available time slots above to get started.
If none of these options will work for you, please contact us at [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Reading the great books can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we created a community where you can:
Who can read the great books?
Anyone can read these books. Even if you aren’t the strongest reader, even if you haven’t read in years.
These books are for everyone, and we read them in an unpretentious way. Most of our members are not academics, and many of them don’t have college educations.
However, these books will challenge you. They can sound a little different, and have big ideas.
It’s our mission to make these books approachable. Our experienced guides know how to guide you through challenging readings to help anyone get the most out of them.
When and where are we meeting?
We meet online and have members all over the world. This is the best way for us to bring together like minded individuals on a schedule that works for busy people. The online format also enables us to use note taking and small group organization that just aren’t possible in person.
The frequency of meetings depends on how you choose to get involved. Our seminar program is a once monthly meeting, and our special seminars come in weekly and monthly formats. These meetings are all typically in the evenings in the U.S. time zones, but, if you want to get involved, and these times don’t work for you, please contact [email protected]
Will I feel stupid when we read and discuss these books?
Yes, and no.
These books are for everyone, and we read them in an unpretentious way. Most of our members are not academics, and many of them don’t have college educations.
However, these books will challenge you. They can sound a little different, and have big ideas.
It’s our mission to make these books approachable. Our experienced guides know how to guide you through challenging readings to help anyone get the most out of them.
What are the other members like?
Most of our members are not academics, and many of them don’t have college educations. The live all over the world, and have a variety of hobbies, interests, faiths, professions, and backgrounds.
The thing that brings all of us together is our common goal to discuss the big ideas together in an honest and inquisitive way.
Will I do more than just read?
Our members often say that they “came for the books, but stay for the people.”
The thing that they enjoy most about our community is our discussions. They love that we have a cultivated community where people can comfortably discuss the big ideas – even if they are touchy subjects in your everyday life.