Old age is not what it used to be. For most of human history, only a small number of people lived long enough to experience a long, active, and meaningful later life. Today, millions do. Humanity is entering one of the greatest transformations in its history: the rise of the third age, a new stage of life after work and child-rearing, filled with purpose, contribution, discovery, and wisdom.

A Brief History of Old Age tells the fascinating story of how human beings have understood aging across cultures, centuries, and scientific revolutions. From Cicero’s defense of old age and Confucian respect for elders to modern gerontology, the Blue Zones, retirement, dementia, ageism, longevity science, and the search for meaning, this book explores why growing old has become one of the central questions of modern life.

This is not a book about decline. It is a book about transformation. Isaac Volpe examines the biology of aging, the psychology of wisdom, the myths that diminish older people, and the social conditions that allow human beings to grow old with health, dignity, intimacy, independence, memory, and purpose.

Clear, thoughtful, and deeply humane, A Brief History of Old Age is for listeners interested in longevity, psychology, philosophy, health, retirement, family, elder care, and the future of society.

Discover why old age may not be the end of life’s story, but one of its richest and most meaningful chapters. Buy A Brief History of Old Age today and rethink what it means to grow old.