Great introduction
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Michael Tanner presents Nietzsche in an engaging, accessible way for the complete beginner (which is no mean feat!) The book is more of a primer than an introduction and really supplemented by reading the works presented simultaneously or shortly after to get a real feel for him but Tanner presents Nietzsche and his work in such a way that you'll want to read him anyway. On the other hand if you just want a better idea of what Nietzsche was on about, this book will provide you with an explanation of Nietzsche's main theories. Sometimes it does get a little dense and difficult to read but less so than some other so called introductions to philosophers and philosophic ideas. A great introduction into one of the most influential modern thinkers.
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An excellent book
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Sometimes we approach books like this because we want a 'taster' but have no intention of going any further with the subject. May I suggest that this book is not likely to fit the bill here or excuse us from reading Nietzsche? The reason being that Nietzsche is a philosopher who is particularly difficult to systematise and, as such, there don't appear to be any convenient shortcuts which will allow us to bypass tackling his work directly.
Having said this, for anyone who has read any Nietzsche, this is a superb book. Michael Tanner has organised things following a roughly chronological order and clearly has an outstanding feel for his subject.
Having read most of Nietzsche's published work and numerous other books about Nietzsche, this is a book which I consider to be a 'must read' for any enthusiast. It would surprise me if anyone read this book and found that their appreciation of Nietzsche wasn't enhanced in the process.
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insightful, clear, and engaging
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the author brilliantly covers all the issues you would expect to be explained about nietzsche, and the text became strangely engaging.
as the synopsis explains what the text deals with i will not venture to say anything more, except i will repeat what is already said by saying you couldn't find a better introduction to nietzsche, think of it as a bachelors degree module, all in one book .
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A great overview of Nietzsche's work
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This book, one of a series of 'Very Short Introductions' presents Nietzsche from a broadly chronological viewpoint, mainly covering his work, but also extending into his life. It is written by someone with an obviously extensive knowledge of his subject, and an authoritative, gratifyingly honest approach. Possibly more importantly, Tanner seems to have a very good 'feel' for Nietzsche's intentions, something crucially important to studies of the idiosyncratic, often challenging approach of this particular philosopher. Speaking as an undergraduate student embarking on a dissertation study of Nietzsche, I found this book to be an extremely good introduction to the depth of the man's work, and would heartily recommend it to anyone with any interest in modern philosophy.
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