The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

"The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche" covers both wider and lesser known areas of Friedrich Nietzsche's life and philosophy, and is notable for its impressive detail. Mencken prepared for writing the book by reading all of Nietzsche's published philosophy, including several works in the original German.


It seems entirely appropriate that the topic of one of the earliest books by the foremost iconoclastic journalist of the first half of the twentieth century was the foremost iconoclastic philosopher of the latter half of the nineteenth century. Indeed, this seems a natural match given the many similarities between the two.


Mencken, however, was originally reluctant to write this book, and did so only at the urging of his then-publisher, John W. Luce. But once he had begun writing, Mencken dove into the project with characteristic energy. He read Nietzsche's entire works, mostly in the original German, and wrote this book in under a year, all the while working full time for The Baltimore Sun. 


A brief biographical sketch is followed by clear and thorough explanations of Nietzsche's basic concepts and attitudes. Analyzed are Nietzsche's much-misunderstood concept of the superman, his concept of eternal recurrence, his rejection of Christianity, and his basic rationalism and materialism.