Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy’s Greatest Pessimist
by David Bather Woods
Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy’s Greatest Pessimist is a wonderful book. It’s a beautifully written biography of Arthur Schopenhauer that is reminiscent in style of Sarah Bakewell’s How to Live: A Life of Montaigne. It’s highly readable and highly recommended.
Recommendations from our site
“Bather Woods has an elegance of style and is a good storyteller too. He’s really immersed in the world of Schopenhauer—he’s an academic expert on him— but he’s never boring or pedantic. This is a very readable book that also combines biography and ideas. And it does it very well. This would make an excellent Christmas present for people who enjoy reading about philosophy and philosophers. It has plenty of anecdotes and interesting insights that make it a pleasure to engage with in addition to the philosophical discussion.” Read more...
The Best Philosophy Books of 2025
Nigel Warburton, Philosopher
