I made a post in /r/Stoicism a while ago when someone asked about books for Epicureanism. I’ll just repost it here (maybe we could make a reading list for the sidebar?):
The influences of Epicurus spread through much of the writings of other philosophers and major historical figures. Prominent examples include Isaac Newton, Karl Marx, and Thomas Jefferson. In fact, the pursuit of happiness part from Jefferson’s Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was likely heavily influenced by Epicurus.
Essential reading material
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On the Nature of Things by Lucretius (c. 55 BCE). Here’s the translation I have. Most of Epicurus’ writings have unfortunately not survived. As a result, this remains the best primary resource for those wishing to study Epicureanism.
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The fragments of Epicurus (c. 270 BCE). Best of all, these are free! I put them together into a PDF here that you can easily download to view on your computer or print out for a physical copy.
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Letter to Menoeceus from Epicurus (c. 270 BCE). A great introductory text whereby Epicurus essentially summarizes his philosophical teachings.
Recommended Reading of Classical Sources
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The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism, ed. James Warren (2009). A much more academic text, but extremely well put together and well sourced.
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The Cambridge Companion to Lucretius, ed. Stuart Gillespie and Philip Hardie (2007).
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On the Nature of the Gods (De Natura Deorum) by Cicero (c. 45 BCE). This one is a dialogue laid out in three books, each of which discuss the theology of different Roman and Greek philosophers. The dialogue uses a discussion of Stoic, Epicurean, and skeptical theories to examine fundamental questions of theology. Cicero is particularly hard on the Epicureans, though he does his best to remain impartial.
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On the Ends of Good and Evil (De finibus bonorum et malorum) by Cicero (c. 45 BCE). Cicero explains the philosophical views of Epicureanism, Stoicism, and the Platonism of Antiochus of Ascalon.
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The Epicurean Inscription by Diogenes of Oinoanda (c. 200 CE). An Epicurean Greek from the 2nd century AD who carved a summary of the philosophy of Epicurus onto a portico wall in the ancient city of Oenoanda in Lycia (modern day southwest Turkey). The surviving fragments of the wall, which originally extended about 80 meters, form an important source of Epicurean philosophy. The inscription sets out Epicurus’ teachings on physics, epistemology, and ethics. It was originally about 25 000 words long and filled 260 square meters of wall space. Less than a third of it has been recovered.
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Lives of Eminent Philosophers, book X by Diogenes Laërtius (c. 215 CE). A biographer of many great philosophers, including Epicurus.
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The Art of Happiness by Epicurus and others (c. 270 BCE - 2012 CE). This is a collection of Epicurean writings, including Epicurus’ fragments. It also includes some of Lucretius’ writings from the above work, plus other stuff that you can read in the Amazon description, so keep that in mind when considering buying.
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The Protagoras dialogue by Plato (c. 380 BCE). A discussion on the relationship between pleasure, knowledge, and the good.
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The Apology dialogue by Plato (c. 399 BCE). Plato’s version of the speech given by Socrates as he defended himself in 399 BC against the charges of “corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel” (24b).
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Odes and Epodes by Horace (23 BCE). The poetry of Horace (born 65 BCE) is richly varied, its focus moving between public and private concerns, urban and rural settings, Stoic and Epicurean thought.
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The Essential Epicurus by Epicurus (1993), trans. Eugene O’Connor—all of Epicurus’ fragments (all of which would be in either the fragments link above, or in The Art of Happiness).
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Epicureanism by Tim O’Keefe (2009). Part of the Ancient Philosophies series of books.
Books to Avoid
- The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt (2011). This book has been oft-criticized as having a Dan Brown-esque reading style. My biggest complaint however would be that it doesn’t properly portray Epicureanism in a well researched way. Not only that, the author makes it clear in his writing that he has a problem with mainstream religion (namely Christianity). This directly contradicts with Epicurean teaches, with the philosophical school being more inclined towards accepting the beliefs of others. If you aren’t convinced yet, my last complaint is that the writing is very unfocused, constantly shifting between the 15^th century and a rough sketch of Epicurus in ancient Greece.
Edit: Post other recommendations here for others to see! I’ll update the list since this is making up the sidebar at present.