A superb new edition of the essays of one of the greatest prose writers in English
David Hume reshaped, redirected, and re-energised the English essay. His sceptical, rational, self-questioning persona created what amounted to a new intellectual arena, in which it was possible to think afresh about the world and the self. When he famously wrote that 'the life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster', something had changed.
David Womersley has spent a lifetime studying the literature of the eighteenth century. This definitive new two-volume edition of the essays follows Hume's division of his essays into two parts, and allows the modern reader to enjoy this extraordinary writer in all his moods, from benign optimism to gloomy foreboding. The editorial apparatus supplies indispensable intellectual and bibliographical context for these rewarding, humane, and yet also subtly provocative writings.
Volume 1 is published simultaneously.
| ISBN: | 9780241730867 |
| Publication date: | 28th May 2026 |
| Author: | David Hume |
| Publisher: | Penguin Classics an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 608 pages |
| Genres: |
Literary essays Analytical philosophy and Logical Positivism Ethics and moral philosophy Popular philosophy: Meaning of life / finding sense in life |
A superb new edition of the essays of one of the greatest prose writers in English
David Hume reshaped, redirected, and re-energised the English essay. His sceptical, rational, self-questioning persona created what amounted to a new intellectual arena, in which it was possible to think afresh about the world and the self. When he famously wrote that 'the life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster', something had changed.
David Womersley has spent a lifetime studying the literature of the eighteenth century. This definitive new two-volume edition of the essays follows Hume's division of his essays into two parts, and allows the modern reader to enjoy this extraordinary writer in all his moods, from benign optimism to gloomy foreboding. The editorial apparatus supplies indispensable intellectual and bibliographical context for these rewarding, humane, and yet also subtly provocative writings.
Volume 1 is published simultaneously.
Complete Essays. Volume 2 features in the following genres: Literary essays, Analytical philosophy and Logical Positivism, Ethics and moral philosophy, Popular philosophy: Meaning of life / finding sense in life
Complete Essays. Volume 2 is available in Hardback
Complete Essays. Volume 2 was written by David Hume and published by Penguin Classics an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd
Complete Essays. Volume 2 has 608 pages
£36.00