Essais vs The Story of Philosophy: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Philosophers, Philosophy, Biography & Memoir, History

Cover of Essais

Essais Montaigne, Michel de · 1600 ★★★★☆ 4.1 329 pages · ≈ 6 h 06 m · Demanding

The complete essays of Michel de Montaigne, 1533-1592.

French essays Great_books Great_books_of_the_western_world Christianity

Find on Amazon More like this →

vs

Cover of The Story of Philosophy

The Story of Philosophy Will Durant · 1926 ★★★★☆ 4.1 578 pages · ≈ 10 h 42 m · Demanding

Includes chapters on Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, and Nietzsche.

Philosophes Philosophie Classics Nonfiction

Find on Amazon More like this →

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Essais is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 10 for The Story of Philosophy.
Essais has the widest readership — 1246 ratings behind its score.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Essais ≈ 6h vs 10h for The Story of Philosophy

Scores by source

	Essais	The Story of Philosophy
Goodreads	4.1 (1246)	—
Hardcover	—	4.2 (33)
Apple Books	—	4.0 (38)

Reception

	Essais	The Story of Philosophy
Ratings	1246	38
Editions	294	150
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	2126	—
Pages	329	578

Side by side