Michel De Montaigne, The EssaysIt was with a certain amount of apprehension that I awaited the delivery of my Classic, but I was relieved to find that my book was only 'a selection' of De Montaigne's essays; however, I realise now that to have the complete writings would indeed have been a welcome read!
De Montaigne withdrew to his estates towards the end of his life, to allow himself to think, and to read from his impressive library, noting his thoughts and opinions as he went along. He writes on a wide variety of topics, from Cannibals to childcare, from drunkenness to prayer. It is a very personal account, so much that it feels like a part of De Montaigne still lives through the book, and you understand him better as you read deeper into his work.
This is a book that could otherwise be dismissed as the ramblings of an old man, were it not for De Montaigne's extensive knowledge. He is erudite, intelligent, very well-read, and at times even witty, so it is a pleasure to listen to his thoughts and ruminations. There are some delightful diversions into anecdote, and many period details also - the contemporary understanding of pregnancy certainly had some creepy issues.
I have not read this book but Alain De Botton cites him as a great philoshopher and devotes a lot of time to him in Consolations of Philosophy, he seems lke a wise old bird and I will if I can pick up one of his books when I come across him.
Posted at 20:23 - 08.12.07 by dougal
I had seen the complete essays in my local bookshop, and after reading your review I went and got the book, thanks for your review.
Posted at 18:51 - 16.12.07 by martin
Well I've been reading through the Complete Essays, and what a read. Montaigne gives us his opinion on so many things and really makes you think about stuff that you wouldn't normally. This is a really good book which you can come back to time and time again.
Posted at 14:17 - 10.05.08 by martin
This book comes in two flavours, The complete Essays at 1269 pages or The Essays - A selection at 480 pages. I recommend the shorter work as most of the pleasure of reading Montaigne is about his honesty and style of rambling writing where he strays way off subject before coming round to it again. So that it's not necessary to read all of his output to get the point. He's often funny, full of bon mots and insightful but he's also capricious, which to my mind weakens his credentials as a philosopher.
Posted at 13:46 - 06.02.10 by Brownbear101
I've been reading Montaigne by fits over the years, and set about looking for a complete edition by Frame or Screech that was complete, but in relatively small volumes. I ended up getting a 1960 paperback in 3 volumes on Anchor. It is a delight, a tactile pleasure for sitting with for hours and hours, quite apart from the laughs and long thoughts caused by Montaigne... I'm sorry, but a 1200 page paperback is a clumsy and unlovely thing. A 3 volume edition of Screech's translation in a nice slipcover would be just wonderful, if Penguin could figure out how to market it.
Posted at 16:42 - 28.03.10 by freemancrouch
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Thanks. I've had the Complete Essays sitting on my shelf for some years and have never really though to dip in. Perhaps I shall.
Posted at 16:17 - 15.09.07 by Stewart