Books by William M. (Professor of English Hamlin

The French author Michel de Montaigne is widely regarded as the founder and greatest practitioner of the personal essay. His extraordinary curiosity and discernment, combined with his ability to mix thoughtful judgment with revealing anecdote, make him one of the most readable of all writers. In 1580 and then again in 1588 he published his Essays, a vast collection of meditations on topics ranging from love and sexuality to freedom, learning, doubt,self-scrutiny, and peace of mind. One of the most original books ever to emerge from Europe, Montaigne's masterpiece has been enormously influential among writers and philosophers from its first appearance down to the present day. In Montaigne: A Very Short Introduction, William M. Hamlin introduces readers to thelife, thought, and published work of this unforgettable figure from Renaissance Europe.

Montaigne's English Journey provides a vivid account of the ways in which English readers made sense of Montaigne's Essays during the seventeenth century and how it influenced their own writing.