Essays (Everyman Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Francis Bacon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1962 | Series: Everyman Paperbacks

One of the major political figures of his time, Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) served in the court of Elizabeth I and ultimately became Lord Chancellor under James I in 1617. A scholar, wit, lawyer and statesman, he wrote widely on politics, philosophy and science - declaring early in his career that 'I have taken all knowledge as my province'. In this, his most famous work, he considers a diverse range of subjects, such as death and marriage, ambition and atheism, in prose that is vibrant and rich in Renaissance learning. Bacon believed that rhetoric - the force of eloquence and persuasion - could lead the mind to the pure light of reason, and his own rhetorical genius is nowhere better expressed than in these vivid essays.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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From the Publisher

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About the Author

Francis Bacon, philosopher, essayist, lawyer and statesman, was born in London in 1561. He studied at Cambridge and was enrolled at Gray’s Inn in 1576. In 1584 he entered Parliament as the member for Melcombe Regis, subsequently representing other constituencies. Bacon made the acquaintance of the Earl of Essex, who endeavored to advance him in his career. Nevertheless, having been appointed to investigate the causes of Essex’s revolt in 1601, Bacon was largely responsible for the earl’s conviction. Bacon was appointed Solicitor-General in 1607 and was successively Attorney-General (1613), Lord Keeper (1617) and Lord Chancellor (1618). He was created Baron Verulam in 1618 and Viscount St. Albans in 1621. Later in that year he was charged with bribery and confessed that he had been guilty of ‘corruption and neglect’ but denied that he had ever perverted justice. He was deprived of the Great Seal, fined, imprisoned in the Tower and disabled from sitting in Parliament. Following his release, he retired to the family home at Gorhambury, Hertfordshire, and his remaining years were spent in literary and philosophical work. It was Bacon’s ambition to create a new system of philosophy to replace that of Aristotle, and he has been justly acclaimed as an inspiration to later scientists, rationalists and materialists. Of his philosophical works, the principal and best known are The Advancement of Learning, Novum Organum and De Augmentis. He also wrote several professional works including Maxims of the Law and Reading on the Statue of Uses. Of his literary writings the most important are the Essays (1597; issued in final form in 1625), De Sapientia Veterum, Apophthegms New and Old and a History of Henry VII. Francis Bacon died in 1626

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd (December 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0460010107
• ISBN-13: 978-0460010108
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,007,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a timeless classic, June 20, 2000

By 

John Fleming - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essays (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Along with Shakespeare's works, Bacon's "Essays" is the supreme achievement of the English Renaissance. Philosopher, statesman, author, Bacon made all knowledge his province, and in the "Essays" is to be found more worldly wisdom than in any other book. "My essays come home, to men's business and bosoms." And Pope penned the epitaph, "If parts allure thee think how Bacon shined, The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind." These essays, though, need a gloss for the modern reader to understand Bacon's cramped yet erudite prose and Latin quotations, as is provided in Pitcher's edition.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Renaissance Socrates, July 29, 2002

By 

Chosroes III (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

It's useless to dig for just one or two epigrams to stand in for the totality of Bacon's penetrating genius in the "Essays." Though it is perhaps fashionable today to detract from him in order to praise Montaigne, it should be clear that Bacon is at least as indispensable. As terse as Emerson is expansive, Bacon's "Essays" are perhaps the most truly Classical (in spirit) prose in the English language. Fans of the Leo Strauss school should have a fieldday reading between the lines of the essays "On Atheism" and "On Superstition"; for the rest of us, nobody can come away from even one of these essays without gaining invaluable insights. Though Bacon is rightly heralded for the radical newness of his pragmatic methods, he is ensteeped in history-- those mindful of Napoleon's dictum that history is the only true philosophy will certainly respond enthusiastically to Bacon's approach. From the post-Machiavellian insights of "Of Empire" to the pre-Enlightenment ethics of "Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature", one will find in reading Bacon's prose what the youth of Athens must have found in following Socrates: the presence of a benevolent, worldly-wise, supremely rational mind determined to show you the order of the world.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless gems, August 21, 2000

By 

W.Khan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays - Bacon (Everyman's Library (Paper)) (Paperback)

A collection of 59 essays by one of the shrewdest bipeds (some would say a brilliant rogue!) that ever walked this stale promontory of ours . Sir Francis Bacon offers his views on a whole smorgasbord of topics ranging from Truth,Death,'Adversitie',Marriage & the single life,Love,Boldness,Superstition,Friendship ,Health,Ambition,Youth,Beauty to Anger & Fame.These are short pieces (usually a couple of pages) but packed full of wit & timeless wisdom ____you can dip into them one at a time & chew them at your leisure .These essays are the quintessence of wholesome English common sense .Read them leisurely over a cup of tea(or coffee) on a crisp autumn afternoon (as the trees turn color) to savor their distinctly English flavor. I happen to have a Morroco-bound ,gilt-edged collection of these essays which was an added treat!