Main Character Reads

Nietzsche

Beyond the 'God is dead' quote cards.

editorial path The book selection is our own; sources show demand only.

Guide: Nietzsche: where to start (and not Zarathustra)?

  1. Twilight of the Idols

    Friedrich Nietzsche

    Short, punchy, aphoristic: a good sampler.

    210 pp≈5 h●●○ Steady

    Read this first: Start with 'Maxims and Arrows', then 'The Problem of Socrates'.

    Edition: Penguin Books · ISBN 9780140445145

    Get it at Bookshop.org (affiliate link)

  2. Beyond Good and Evil

    Friedrich Nietzsche

    His attack on moral dogma.

    240 pp≈6 h●●● Demanding

    Read this first: Preface, then Parts 1, 5 and 9 (Brian Leiter's suggestion).

    Edition: Penguin Books · ISBN 9780140449235

    Get it at Bookshop.org (affiliate link)

  3. On the Genealogy of Morality

    Friedrich Nietzsche

    Where our values came from (also on r/askphilosophy lists).

    367 pp≈9 h●●● Demanding

    Read this first: Read the First Essay first; it stands alone.

    Edition: Vintage Books · ISBN 9780679724629

    Get it at Bookshop.org (affiliate link)

  4. Thus Spoke Zarathustra

    Friedrich Nietzsche

    The Übermensch, once you've got your bearings.

    342 pp≈9 h●●● Demanding

    Read this first: Save it for last; most guides warn against starting here.

    Edition: Penguin Books · ISBN 9780140441185

    Get it at Bookshop.org (affiliate link)

Sources: nie