We spend most of our lives at work - yet it is amazing how few things have been written about what makes work one of the most exciting and at the same time painful activities of all our activities.

"The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work" explores the joys and dangers of the modern work environment, bringing to life what people do all day - and all night - in order to make our frenzied daily lives function smoothly. With a philosophical perspective and the characteristic combination of humor and knowledge, Alain de Botton takes us on a journey that includes a deliberately eclectic variety of professions, from rocket construction to cookie baking, from accounting to art - in an effort to explore what makes some jobs satisfying and others soul-destroying.

The book is a celebration and an investigation of something that plays as central a role in our lives as love - although we usually struggle too much to analyze it properly. As De Botton points out, most of us continue to do the work that our sixteen-year-old selves chose for us. So here we have the perfect guide to some of the most extravagant anxieties and tempting hopes that arise from our journey in the workplace.

"De Botton's gift is that he encourages us to think about our way of life and how we could change things."
(The Times)

"If it makes sense to say that an already famous, well-read author has created something revolutionary, then we are certainly talking about this book. Without losing any of the clarity and lightness that characterize him, Alain de Botton manages to reach a deeper, well-intentioned humor and a higher level of melancholic acuity. Among other things, this book is a triumph of stylized, unorthodox journalism."
(Geoff Dyer)