Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), the great Renaissance skeptic and pioneer of the essay form, is known for his innovative method of philosophical inquiry which mixes the anecdotal and the personal with serious critiques of human knowledge, politics and the law. He is the first European writer to be [...]

One of the most important writers and thinkers of the Renaissance, Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) helped invent a literary genre that seemed more modern than anything that had come before. But did he do it, as he suggests in his Essays, by retreating to his chateau, turning his back on the world, and[...]

Montaigne (1533-1592), the personification of philosophical calm, had to struggle to become the wise Renaissance humanist we know. His balanced temperament, sanguine and melancholic, promised genius but threatened madness. When he started his Essays, Montaigne was upset by an attack of melancholy hu[...]

Montaigne's "Essays" are rightfully studied as giving birth to the literary form of that name. Ann Hartle's "Montaigne and the Origins of Modern Philosophy" argues that the essay is actually the perfect expression of Montaigne as what he called "a new figure: an unpremeditated and accidental philoso[...]

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1811 edition. Excerpt: ... were Without drawing his sword, saw himself possessed of the kingdom of N[...]

With the goal of describing man with complete frankness and using himself as his most frequent example, Michel de Montaigne first published his "e;Essays"e; in 1580. This collection of 107 chapters encompasses a wide variety of subjects, originally inspired by his study of Latin classics, an[...]

?A faithful translation is rare; a translation which preserves intact the original text is very rare; a perfect translation of Montaigne appears impossible. Yet Donald Frame has realized this feat. One does not seem to be reading a translation, so smooth and easy is the style; at each moment, one se[...]

An NYRB Classics Original
Shakespeare, Nietzsche once wrote, was Montaigne's best reader. It is a typically brilliant Nietzschean insight, capturing the intimate relationship between the ever-changing record of the mutable self constituted by Montaigne's "Essays" and Shakespeare's kaleidoscopic [...]

Winner of the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography
How to get along with people, how to deal with violence, how to adjust to losing someone you love--such questions arise in most people's lives. They are all versions of a bigger question: How do you live? This question obsessed [...]