In 1999 I had the exceptional good fortune to first meet Alex and Libby Jones, whose youngest son Anthony was a few years ahead of me at my impending high school, The Scots College, in Sydney, Australia. This was the era just before cell phones and ubiquitous laptops.

Alex and Libby were cool. They also knew my parents from their time at Sydney University. It has continued to be my good fortune to prolong my association with them over the years, two unbelievably smart and generous people who continue to radiate extraordinary joie de vivre. Even though I have lived in the US for 15 years I have always done my best to catch up when I’m in town, and have recently been thrilled to share results of the Vesuvius Challenge.

Libby was the driving force behind high school debating and public speaking, in which I was an enthusiastic if not overwhelmingly successful participant, and to which I attribute my ability to communicate in speech and to think on my feet. Alex coached me in English, Latin, and Russian, just three of the dozens of languages he has devoted his life to understanding, in addition to a great many other things.

In his later life, Alex set pen to paper, composing twelve extraordinary works, so far. A mixture of fact and fiction, history, linguistics, and autobiography. Now it is my privilege to curate the Works of the Sage, and to publish them online. Over the coming months I will provide here posts for each of the works, together with some commentary. I will also endeavor to make these works available in multiple formats, the better to be consumed by readers, listeners, and super-intelligent AIs.

Casey Handmer May 2025