Essays vs Maximes: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Aphorisms and apothegms, Early works to 1800, Philosophy, Fiction
Essays
"Bacon's Essays have attracted an eager readership since their publication in 1625. They sum up a lifetime's observations on the whole range of human activity, by one of the keenest minds of the Renaissance. In their…
vs
Maximes
"The translation of this bilingual edition of La Rochefoucauld's Reflexions ou sentences et maximes morales (long known in English simply as the Maxims) is the first to appear in forty years. It is completely new and…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Essays has the widest readership — 4629 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Essays | Maximes | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (4629) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.2 (4) | — |
Reception
| Essays | Maximes | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 4629 | 1 |
| Editions | 188 | 75 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 21 | — |
| Written reviews | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 9688 | 4244 |
| Pages | 172 | 158 |