The Right Honourable John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury PC FRS DCL LLD (30 April 1834 - 28 May 1913), known as Sir John Lubbock, 4th Baronet from 1865 until 1900, was a banker, Liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist and polymath.He was a banker and worked with his family's company, but also made significant contributions in archaeology, ethnography, and several branches of biology. He helped establish archaeology as a scientific discipline, and was also influential in nineteenth-century debates concerning evolutionary theory.In addition to his work at his father's bank, Lubbock took a keen interest in archaeology and evolutionary theory. He spoke in support of the evolutionist Thomas Henry Huxley at the famous 1860 Oxford evolution debate. During the 1860s, he published many articles in which he used archaeological evidence to support Darwin's theory. In 1864, he became one of the founding members (along with Thomas Henry Huxley and others) of the elite X Club, a dining club composed of nine gentlemen to promote the theories of natural selection and academic liberalism. In 1865 he succeeded to the baronetcy. During the 1860s he held a number of influential academic positions, including President of the Ethnological Society from 1864-65, Vice-President of Linnean Society in 1865, and President of the International Congress of Prehistoric Archaeology in 1868. In 1865 he published Pre-Historic Times, which became a standard archaeology textbook for the remainder of the century, with the seventh and final edition published in 1913.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Pleasures of Life" by John Sir Lubbock. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

A practical guide to Mindfulness and Happiness. In this book, Sir John Lubbock, shares his personal philosophy for living. Topics covered are: the duty of happiness, the blessing of friends, the choice of books, the value of time, the pleasure of travel, ambition, health, the beauties of Nature, labor and rest, the troubles of life, love, the destiny of man, ... A must-read for everyone trying to excel in a world of increasing workloads, stress, and negativity, The Pleasures of Life isn't only about how to become happier. It's about how to reap the benefits of a happier and more positive mind-set to achieve the extraordinary in our lives. Excerpt: "Each day is a little life. All other good gifts depend on time for their value. What are friends, books, or health, the interest of travel or the delights of home, if we have not time for their enjoyment? Time is often said to be money, but it is more-it is life; and yet many who would cling desperately to life, think nothing of wasting time. Ask of the wise, says Schiller in Lord Sherbrooke's translation, "The moments we forego Eternity itself cannot retrieve." And, in the words of Dante, "For who knows most, him loss of time most grieves." Not that a life of drudgery should be our ideal. Far from it. Time spent in innocent and rational enjoyments, in healthy games, in social and family intercourse, is well and wisely spent. Games not only keep the body in health, but give a command over the muscles and limbs which cannot be overvalued. Moreover, there are temptations which strong exercise best enables us to resist. It is the idle who complain they cannot find time to do that which they fancy they wish. In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is wanting: and the advantage of leisure is mainly that we may have the power of choosing our own work, not certainly that it confers any privilege of idleness."