[{"_1":2,"_238":-5,"_239":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_161":162},"root",{"_5":6,"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":12,"_60":61,"_141":142,"_144":-5,"_145":146,"_147":148,"_13":149,"_150":151},"cart",["P",6],"isLoggedIn",["P",8],"footer",["P",10],"header",{"_13":14,"_27":28},"shop",{"_15":16,"_17":18,"_19":-5,"_20":21,"_24":25},"id","gid://shopify/Shop/93967024393","name","39-BC","description","primaryDomain",{"_22":23},"url","https://39bc.myshopify.com","brand",{"_26":-5},"logo","menu",{"_15":29,"_30":31},"gid://shopify/Menu/294888833289","items",[32,44,52],{"_15":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_22":42,"_30":43},"gid://shopify/MenuItem/751799730441","resourceId","gid://shopify/Collection/673581596937","tags",[],"title","SHOP","type","COLLECTION","https://39bc.myshopify.com/collections/vol-1-alexandria",[],{"_15":45,"_34":46,"_36":47,"_38":48,"_40":49,"_22":50,"_30":51},"gid://shopify/MenuItem/751799763209","gid://shopify/Page/696271405321",[],"OUR STORY","PAGE","https://39bc.myshopify.com/pages/our-story",[],{"_15":53,"_34":54,"_36":55,"_38":56,"_40":57,"_22":58,"_30":59},"gid://shopify/MenuItem/751799795977","gid://shopify/Blog/116762411273",[],"JOURNAL","BLOG","https://39bc.myshopify.com/blogs/letters",[],"newsletterData",{"_62":63},"data",{"_64":65,"_76":77,"_137":138,"_139":140},"banner",{"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":75},"backgroundColor","#000","enabled",true,"link","https://39-bc.com/shop","text","SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%","textColor","#fff","newsletterPopup",{"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":83,"_68":69,"_84":85,"_86":87,"_107":108,"_116":117,"_124":125,"_72":126,"_127":128},"buttonText","Subscribe now","closeButtonText","No, thank you","emailPlaceholder","Your Email","headline","Sign up and receive 10% off your first order.","image",{"_88":89,"_105":-5,"_106":-5},"asset",{"_90":91,"_92":93,"_22":104},"_id","image-62258c16fd1812e8f20e6fffc0b01596b76495a4-1000x1333-webp","metadata",{"_94":95},"dimensions",{"_96":97,"_98":99,"_100":101,"_102":103},"_type","sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio",0.7501875468867217,"height",1333,"width",1000,"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/w6t8blum/production/62258c16fd1812e8f20e6fffc0b01596b76495a4-1000x1333.webp","crop","hotspot","miniPopup",{"_66":109,"_68":69,"_110":69,"_111":69,"_112":113,"_72":114,"_74":115},"#2E090A","hideOnScroll","miniPopupOnly","position","bottom-left","10% Discount","#ffffff","styling",{"_66":109,"_118":69,"_119":120,"_112":121,"_122":123,"_74":115},"backgroundOverlay","borderRadius","none","center","size","large","successMessage","Thank you! You will get 10%.","Scent stories, history lessons and new releases.","triggerOptions",{"_129":130,"_131":132,"_133":134,"_135":136},"delaySeconds",8,"frequency","session","scrollPercentage",10,"triggerType","scroll","newsletterText","ACCESS STORIES, LOVE NOTES AND MEMORIES VIA OUR NEWSLETTER","subscribeButtonText","Join the journey","cartSettings",{"_143":69},"showCartNote","customerMatchData","publicStoreDomain","ne17du-ma.myshopify.com","currentCountry","US",["P",149],"consent",{"_152":153,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_158":148,"_159":160},"checkoutDomain","39bc.myshopify.com","storefrontAccessToken","b4481c8f4cece83eb89d3e33a4693729","withPrivacyBanner",false,"country","language","EN","routes/blogs.$blogHandle._index",{"_163":164},"blog",{"_38":165,"_166":167,"_168":169},"Letters","seo",{"_38":-5,"_19":-5},"articles",{"_170":171,"_230":231},"nodes",[172,192,205,217],{"_173":174,"_176":177,"_178":179,"_15":180,"_86":181,"_187":188,"_38":189,"_163":190},"author",{"_17":175},"Bhavesh Dewangan","contentHtml","\n $\"One$ \n\n\n

\n\n

\n One of life's simple pleasures\n

\n\n

I love how a glass of wine rewrites the tempo.

Light catches on the rim, the first sip sharp and bright. Then comes the slow unfurling — warmth spreading from the inside out.

The day’s hard lines start to loosen. Not into oblivion, but into a gentler, more forgiving kind of softness.

Conversation stretches.

Your shoulders drop.

For a moment, everything feels just a shade easier.

\n\n\n

\n\n $\"Best$ \n\n\n

\n\n

\n Best shared with friends\n

\n\n

","handle","the-pleasure-of-a-glass-of-wine","gid://shopify/Article/618268426505",{"_15":182,"_183":-5,"_22":184,"_102":185,"_100":186},"gid://shopify/ArticleImage/237076939017","altText","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0939/6702/4393/articles/one-of-life-s-simple-pleasures.jpg?v=1780183316",1080,1334,"publishedAt","2026-05-30T23:21:53Z","The Pleasure of a Glass of Wine",{"_178":191},"letters",{"_173":193,"_176":194,"_178":195,"_15":196,"_86":197,"_187":202,"_38":203,"_163":204},{"_17":175},"

Mark Antony lived his life like a bestselling novel: love affairs that toppled empires, military campaigns that read like adventure stories, political scandals that gossip columnists could only dream of covering. He was a Roman general who could share wineskins with common soldiers at dawn and sail into Alexandria as Dionysus incarnate by sunset, trailing perfume and international incident.

He was simultaneously husband to Rome's most virtuous woman and lover to its most dangerous enemy. The loyal lieutenant who became a revolutionary avenger. The disciplined soldier who threw away three legions chasing impossible love.

\n $\"Death$ \n

Death of Mark Antony pencil drawing in progress, Alicia Smith

But everything we know about him survived through Roman filters, sharpened by propaganda and shaped by winners writing history. Was he a tragic hero undone by authentic passion? Or a reckless hedonist who mistook theatre for statecraft? Or something far more complex — a man attempting to bridge Roman discipline and Greek imagination, remembered primarily for the bridge collapsing beneath him?

If you want to follow his ghost through Senate debates, Parthian deserts, and Cleopatra's perfumed chambers, these five books are your essential companions. Consider them archaeological tools for excavating a life buried beneath centuries of conflicting interpretations.

\n $\"One$ \n

One of many editions of Plutarch's Lives

1. Plutarch: Life of Antony

Why this matters: The ancient biography that shaped every subsequent telling of Antony's story. Written by a Greek philosopher with access to sources we've lost — military dispatches, personal letters, palace gossip from people who'd actually met the principals.

Read it to really understand the psychological complexity beneath the political surface. Plutarch doesn't just chronicle events; he dissects character. His Antony emerges as a man of genuine contradictions — capable of extraordinary hardship and extraordinary indulgence, inspiring fanatical loyalty while making catastrophically poor choices.

Highlights include a deep dive into the fishing prank with Cleopatra (pure domestic comedy), the Dionysiac festivals in Athens (political theatre as religious experience), the final suicide scene (love story disguised as military history).

Our favourite Edition: Plutarch: The Makers of Rome (Penguin Classics, 2004) contextualises Marc Antony in a lineage of Rome's greatest statesmen.

\n $\"Cassius$ \n

Cassius Dio: Roman History

2. Cassius Dio: Roman History (Books 47–51)

A Roman senator writing from inside the system, this unique book offers rare establishment perspective on Antony's trajectory from loyalty to treason. Essential for understanding how his choices looked to people actually voting on whether to declare war.

Read it for: The propaganda war between Antony and Octavian, told by someone who understood exactly how Roman politics weaponised personal scandal. Dio shows you the machine that transformed love story into constitutional crisis.

It gives us the ultimate understanding that Antony wasn't just choosing between women, but between entire civilisational models — Roman republic versus Hellenistic monarchy, western discipline versus eastern magnificence.

\n $\"Patricia$ \n

Patricia Southern: Mark Antony: A Life

3. Patricia Southern: Mark Antony: A Life

A modern historian with archaeological training, Southern cuts through romantic mythology to examine actual evidence, and treats Antony as serious politician rather than just passionate fool.

Read it for a balanced assessment that takes his eastern policies seriously as attempts at imperial reorganisation, not just romantic gestures. She argues convincingly that many of his \"failures\" were calculated risks that might have succeeded in different circumstances.

The revelation: Antony as an innovative administrator attempting to create sustainable eastern empire, whose methods threatened Roman tradition precisely because they might have worked.

\n $\"Adrian$ \n

Adrian Goldsworthy: Antony and Cleopatra

4. Adrian Goldsworthy: Antony and Cleopatra

Goldsworthy is a military historian who understands how personal relationships intersected with strategic necessities, and places Antony & Cleopatra's romance within wider context of civil wars that were reshaping Mediterranean world.

Read it for a clear explanation of why Antony needed Cleopatra (money, grain, legitimacy) and why she needed him (protection, Roman recognition, survival). Love story that was also business partnership.

The insight: Their relationship wasn't distraction from politics — it was politics, and an attempt to create new model of power that combined Roman military strength with eastern wealth and cultural sophistication.

\n $\"Barry$ \n

Barry Strauss: The War That Made The Roman Empire

5. Barry Strauss: Barry Strauss: The War That Made The Roman Empire

While primarily focused on naval battle that ended everything, Strauss examines how Antony's strategic thinking evolved (or devolved) under pressure of choosing between Roman identity and eastern ambitions.

Read it for a gripping account of a final gamble — the moment when love, politics, and military strategy collided in single disastrous afternoon that reshaped ancient world.

The tragedy is understanding how close Antony came to succeeding, how narrow the margin between legendary love story and successful imperial reorganisation.

Start with Plutarch for the psychology, move to Dio for the politics, then use the modern historians to excavate the man beneath the mythology. By the end, you'll understand why Antony remains fascinating: he was attempting something genuinely revolutionary — and came closer to success than his enemies ever admitted. Some lives are too large for single interpretation. This one requires multiple lenses to catch all the light.

","antony-annotated","gid://shopify/Article/618268459273",{"_15":198,"_183":-5,"_22":199,"_102":200,"_100":201},"gid://shopify/ArticleImage/237077135625","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0939/6702/4393/articles/anotony_annotated_bb37ff66-ab9c-4770-b9f2-dd3f087c018d.jpg?v=1780184007",538,806,"2026-05-30T23:25:01Z","Antony, Annotated",{"_178":191},{"_173":206,"_176":207,"_178":208,"_15":209,"_86":210,"_187":214,"_38":215,"_163":216},{"_17":175}," $\"Le$ \n\n

\n\n

\n Le Croquette\n

\n\n

A chair.

A lamp.

A page turning.

That’s all. And yet it is everything.

A book is the only thing that slows me completely. No noise. No screen. No updates crawling across my periphery. Just me, the paper, and a world opening in my hands.

It begins with placement. The way the spine falls open. The scent of ink and pulp. The faint drag of a finger along the margin — the way your body quietly adjusts to the rhythm of another voice entering your own.

There is no performance here. No audience. Just me, giving presence to my own imagination.

Reading, like bathing, is a ceremony of return. It pulls us back to ourselves, our unique point of view meaning every word read is totally your own. Pleasure here is not a climax — it is a simmer. Lingering over a sentence. Re-reading a paragraph that struck.

This is not escape. This is embodiment.

A book does not demand. It invites. It waits for you, unchanged, patient, kind.

In a world that thrives on reaction, reading reminds you how to absorb.

The pleasure is not just in the story. It’s in the stillness. The weight of the book in your lap. The low hum of the lamp. The quiet arrogance of carving out time to be alone, with nothing to show for it but a turned page and a softened heart.

So yes — a chair. A lamp. A book.

And you. Alone, but not lonely. Surrounded by words written long ago, waiting only for your breath to make them live again.

This, too, is luxury.

","the-pleasure-of-reading-alone","gid://shopify/Article/618268492041",{"_15":211,"_183":-5,"_22":212,"_102":185,"_100":213},"gid://shopify/ArticleImage/237077168393","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0939/6702/4393/articles/le-croquette.png?v=1780184160",1350,"2026-05-30T23:34:51Z","The Pleasure of Reading Alone",{"_178":191},{"_173":218,"_176":219,"_178":220,"_15":221,"_86":222,"_187":227,"_38":228,"_163":229},{"_17":175},"

Many approach the bathroom as a place for cleansing alone, forgetting that it is also a chamber of pleasure – a room of sensation.

What your feet feel.

What the steam holds.

How the drip, drip, drip slides down the walls.

Marble remembers everything, but not all marbles are created equal. Some cling to warmth like a lover. Others stay cold, no matter how the room burns.

Here is our guide to the best marbles for building the private bathroom of your dreams (plus one to avoid like a toxic ex).

\n\n\n\n $\"Calacatta$ \n\n\n

\n\n

\n Calacatta Viola Bathroom at Villa Morrill, Florence\n\n

\n\n

Calacatta Viola – A Timeless Beauty

Calacatta Viola brings instant drama to a space, its rich burgundy veining forming a natural artwork that evokes old-world luxury. Warm and romantic in tone, it softens even the most minimal interiors while pairing beautifully with both contemporary and classical design. The stone’s inherent variation means it ages with grace, developing a patina that only deepens its character over time.

Travertine — The Ancient Companion

Rome swore by it. Soft, porous, alive with memory. It heats quickly, holds it gently. Matte, earthy, pitted — it breathes. Best for floors, benches, the places where skin lingers longest.

Soapstone — The Quiet Keeper

Not marble, but worth breaking the rules for. Deep grey, talc-smooth, powdered skinlike to touch. Soapstone drinks heat and doesn’t let go. Perfect for hammams, wet rooms, anywhere steam is currency.

\n\n

\n\n $\"Rosso$ \n\n\n

\n\n

\n Rosso Levanto in the home of friend of 39BC, Paloma Elsesser\n

Rosso Levanto – Instant Drama, Timeless Luxury

Rosso Levanto is marble at its most theatrical — a deep, wine-red stone electrified with bright white veining. It brings instant drama to a bathroom, the kind of saturated, cinematic richness that makes even everyday rituals feel heightened. Bold, confident, and unmistakably decadent, it’s a marble that defies 'quiet luxury'.

Emperador — Spanish Heat, Dark Vein

Dense, rich, threaded with caramel and chocolate. Compact enough to trap warmth, decadent enough to seduce the eyes. A marble for alcoves and surrounds, where intimacy matters.

Crema Marfil — Soft Light, Subtle Heat

Beige, balanced, quietly regal. It warms a room visually even before the water runs. Pair it with brass or aged bronze for effect. It doesn’t shout. It glows.

\n\n $\"Calacatta$ \n\n\n

\n\n

\n Calacatta Gold Bathroom in an Edwardian Home in London\n\n

Calacatta Gold – Domesticated, but Dramatic

Calacatta Gold elevates a bathroom with its warm, quietly glamorous presence. The creamy base and soft gold veining brighten the space, creating an inviting, uplifting atmosphere. Its balanced pattern adds interest without overpowering, making it suitable for both minimal and classical designs.

Carrara — Cool Beauty, Cold Heart

The icon, yes. But cold, dense, aloof. Better for walls than skin. Carrara belongs in galleries, not hammams. Elegant, pristine, emotionally unavailable.

Choose stone not just for look, but for heat. For history. For the hush it holds after water runs. Let travertine line the bench where you sit dripping. Let soapstone press warmth into your back. Choose marble like you would choose a lover. How does it make you feel in the heat?

\n\n\n

\n\n

\n\n","stone-and-steam","gid://shopify/Article/618268524809",{"_15":223,"_183":-5,"_22":224,"_102":225,"_100":226},"gid://shopify/ArticleImage/237077266697","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0939/6702/4393/articles/rosso-levanto_3b31a208-3757-418d-8857-3a89b60c3425.jpg?v=1780184545",1600,1049,"2026-05-30T23:40:17Z","Stone and Steam",{"_178":191},"pageInfo",{"_232":69,"_233":69,"_234":235,"_236":237},"hasPreviousPage","hasNextPage","endCursor","eyJsYXN0X2lkIjo2MTgyNjg1MjQ4MDksImxhc3RfdmFsdWUiOjYxODI2ODUyNDgwOSwib2Zmc2V0Ijo2N30=","startCursor","eyJsYXN0X2lkIjo2MTgyNjg0MjY1MDUsImxhc3RfdmFsdWUiOjYxODI2ODQyNjUwNSwib2Zmc2V0Ijo2NH0=","actionData","errors"]