What Bacon's Essays is about
Short, searching essays on judgement, ambition, friendship, money and public life. Francis Bacon wrote it in 1625. It sits in the society shelf of the library.
The edition you read
The original text is the Francis Bacon, 1625, a public domain edition. The text is complete and keeps its own chapter structure, so every reading points back to the same place in the book.
Where to start
The book opens with these readings, in order. The first one is free in the app.
- I., of truth
- Ii., of death
- Iii., of unity in religion
- Iv., of revenge
How the readings are split
The 58 readings follow the book's own divisions. Each reading is a sitting of a few minutes, and the reader remembers the paragraph where you stopped.
Reading it in plain English
Every reading has a plain English draft written paragraph by paragraph, and a short guide with context, an explanation, takeaways and a question to think about. The drafts are labeled Unreviewed plain English draft. Drafts, guides and the readings after the first one need Athenaeum Membership.
Questions about Bacon's Essays
Is Bacon's Essays free to read?
The Francis Bacon, 1625 is in the public domain. In Athenaeum the first of its 58 readings is free, and Athenaeum Membership opens the rest.
How long is Bacon's Essays?
Athenaeum splits it into 58 readings. Short books take a week of evenings, and long ones work best a reading or two at a time.
Read Bacon's Essays in Athenaeum
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