The Essential Anatomy of Melancholy (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) [Paperback]

Robert Burton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Books on Literature & Drama | Publication Date: May 7, 2002

One of the richest, most inexhaustible books in the English language,

The Anatomy of Melancholy is an elaborately systematized medical treatise dealing with various morbid mental states — their causes, symptoms, and cures — as well as a compendium of memorable utterances on the human condition in general, compiled from classical, scholastic, and contemporary sources.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486421163
• ISBN-13: 978-0486421162
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #807,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brief Anatomy, November 17, 2007

By 

Page Hudson (Williston, VT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Anatomy of Melancholy (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)

This is a nice, truncated version of a book many find unreadable today. If you wish a taste of Burton, an idea of his odd brilliance, this will do. The editors choose some nice portions. Unfortunately, reading a brief version is a bit like a Reader's Digest version of 'War and Peace' or some other novel where detail, conversation, the finely drawn characters are the story. You may have the plot and the highlights, but not the story itself. That said, the whole "Anatomy of Melancholy" is a long project and a little is better than none. Give this a go. You may be drawn into the long version, but your time will not be wasted by sipping at this cup.