Essays by Montaigne

An essential companion to the most relevant works of Michel de Montaigne

Essays: The Philosophy Classic delivers a carefully curated collection of thought-provoking works by sixteenth-century thinker Michel De Montaigne. Exploring topics as diverse as politics, poetry, love, friendship and the purpose of philosophy, this latest entry in the celebrated Capstone Classics series is accessible and intuitively organized.

Follow the thoughts of the person who created the essay genre in literature as he expresses his philosophy, interests, and learning. Throughout, you’ll be guided by an expansive introduction by leading Montaigne scholar Philippe Desan and the comments of series editor Tom Butler-Bowdon, placing the work of Montaigne in its historical and philosophical context.

You’ll also find:

• Celebrated and famous works by Montaigne, including noted classics like “That to Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die”
• Lesser-known works that have taken on increased importance in the unique context of the 21st-century
• A version of the popular Charles Cotton translation first published in 1685: a simple, faithful, and clear adaptation of the French original

An invaluable resource for anyone interested in the insightful and illuminating work of one of the most enduring thinkers of the 16th-century, Essays: The Philosophy Classic is an essential addition to the libraries of philosophers, historians, and laypeople seeking an eye-opening and fascinating exploration of life itself.

To the Reader xliii

Book I 1

8 On Idleness 3

9 On Liars 5

14 That the Way We See Good and Evil Depends on the Opinion We Have of Them 13

20 To Study Philosophy Is to Learn How to Die 39

21 On the Power of Imagination 63

23 On Custom, and That We Should Not Easily Change an Established Law 77

26 On the Education of Children 99

28 On Friendship 147

30 On Moderation 165

31 On Cannibals 175

39 On Solitude 193

Book II 209

1 On the Inconstancy of Our Actions 211

6 Use Makes Perfect 221

10 On Books 235

11 On Cruelty 251

18 On Giving the Lie 271

30 On a Monstrous Child 277

35 On Three Good Women 281

Book III 291

1 On Profit and Honesty 293

2 On Repentance 313

5 On Some Verses of Virgil 331

6 On Coaches 411

8 On the Art of Conversation 435

9 On Vanity 465

13 On Experience 541

Michel de Montaigne was a sixteenth century French philosopher and a key figure of the French Renaissance. His initial career was as a politician and statesman, and he had connections to the French monarchy. Upon inheriting his father’s country estate he settled down to a life of reading, writing, and introspection. In 1580 he published his extensive Essais, whose uniquely personal perspective on subjects, including himself, established the modern form of the essay.

Philippe Desan is the Howard L. Willett Professor Emeritus of History of Culture at the University of Chicago. He specializes in the history of ideas in the Renaissance and is a leading Montaigne scholar. His biography, Montaigne. A Life, was published in 2018.

Tom Butler-Bowdon is series editor of the Capstone Classics series and has written introductions for Plato’s Republic, Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Marx’ & Engels’ The Communist Manifesto. A graduate of the London School of Economics, he is also the author of 50 Philosophy Classics, 50 Politics Classics, and 50 Psychology Classics

www.butler-bowdon.com

OTHER TITLES AVAILABLE IN THE CAPSTONE CLASSICS SERIES INCLUDE

A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf
978-0-857-08882-6

Beyond Good and Evil, Friedrich Nietzsche
978-0-857-08848-2

Letters From a Stoic, Seneca
978-1-119-75135-9

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
978-0-857-08846-8

On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
978-0-857-08847-5

The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
978-0-857-08876-5

The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah Equiano
978-0-857-08913-7

The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud
978-0-857-08844-4

The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass
978-0-857-08910-6

The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles
978-0-857-08008-0

The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith
978-0-857-08077-6

Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
978-1-906-46559-9

Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup
978-0-857-08906-9

Utopia, Thomas More
978-1-119-75438-1

For the full list of titles in the series, please see
www.thisiscapstone.com

THE ORIGINAL MASTERPIECE OF PERSONAL REFLECTION

At the time Michel de Montaigne was writing, most books were about great people or events, or works of academic theology or philosophy. He instead aimed to relay, with total honesty, his habits, doubts, and weaknesses, and any modest wisdom he had gained as a son, husband, politician, and reader. This very subjective approach to knowledge established the modern form of the essay. Montaigne’s vast range of topics include human nature, books, cannibals, smells, sex, household management, education, politics, and happiness.

This selected edition, based on the popular Charles Cotton translation, includes many of the classic essays along with some lesser-known ones. It includes an insightful Introduction by Montaigne scholar Philippe Desan which reveals how the Essays transformed literature by elevating the familiar over the abstract. In the process, Montaigne created a template for the modern, questioning self.