Rating: 
Summary: A Good Place to Start
Review: The first work of Philosophy I slogged through was Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, in a standalone edition translated by Kaufman. I suppose that is as good a place to start as any. The most important thing that this volume highlights is how easily anything Niezsche said can be so easily taken out of context and abused by anyone who so chooses. For example, his "blond beast" is quite literally a lion, and not an Aryan Superman.Work by work analysis: The Birth of Tragedy -- Only attempt this as your first Nietzsche book if you already have a good understanding of how Greek Tragedy works. At the very least, you should have read Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, Sophocles' Theban Plays, some Euripides, Aristophanes' The Clouds, Plato's Apology, and if possible, Aristotle's Poetics. Also, as Kaufman makes clear, the last ten sections, about Wagner, should be taken with a shakerful of salt. The Aphorisms -- It is very easy to take these gems especially out of context. However tempting it is to browse them for a few good quotes, I strongly urge you against it. They are, however, very helpful when Nietzsche refers to them. Beyond Good and Evil -- This is as good a place as any to start your exploration of Nietzsche. The problem is, even though it is supposed to be a more straightforward approach at communicating the message found in Zarathustra, this is still written very pithily. The prose is very joyful, poetic, and requires thought. Then again, if you weren't willing to commit some thought to Nietzsche, then it's not worth picking up Nietzsche. On The Geneology of Morals -- A sequel to BG&E. I don't suggest starting here. The prose is more straightforward than BG&E, he is attemting polemic in essay form. Yet still, it is still a voice in your head, consipring with you, coaxing you toward understanding. Here, the prose style of BG&E becomes apparent. The Case of Wagner -- This is a good shakerful of thought to take the last ten sections of Birth of Tragedy. In fact, this is a good shakerful of thought to take all of Nietzsche's work. I read this with only the very barest background on Wagner, that is I've heard one Aria from The Ring (Three minutes of Brunhilde), The Flight of the Valkeries (I still see tanks), and I know somewhere, Vahalla burns down. Still, the work makes sense. Stylistically, this work is absolutely amazing. It's very relaxed and informal, again, conversational. Nietzsche doesn't even sound angry, but just wants to clear the air a litte, almost naively. Ecce Homo -- This would seem like a very pretentious work. It is not. He comes off almost modestly here. This too, clears the air of all that is rotten about what has been said about him. It is as if he had guessed what evil things would be said about him. Oh yes, and if it seems like I wrote this assuming that you already ordered the work, I have.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthless
Review: The worst part about Nietzche is the dumbass pseudointellectuals who always want to quote him. His philosophy is a bunch of self indulgent nonsense. If you want to know about the greatman or power, read the Brothers Karamazov or look at the the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: The meaning of Power
Review: There is a common view that Nietzsche was an atheist. He certainly encourages this view, but as Walter Kaufmann says, he commonly attacked what he valued. There is no doubt that Nietzsche opposed the Jewish and Christian Gods. He said he opposed the Jewish religion because it gave rise, in his view, to Christianity. The view of Paul Tillich that he opposed the god who deprives the individual of subjectivity is beyond much doubt. Kaufmann puts it in terms of Nietzsche's struggle for creativity. He opposed the god which is identified with natural law and causality. To understand this opposition one must understand the God whom Tillich says Nietzsche says must be destroyed, which is natural law, spacial relationships and most of all the mechanistic nature of causality. To understand this one must visualize the balance, the principal characterisktic of God in the Old Testament of the Bible. To grasp this takes more than a little doing. It is hidden in texts. If, however, you try a little experiment, you will be able to actually see the God whom Nietzsche thought had to be destroyed. Take a pencil and hold it at the center between your fingers and move one end up and the other down. Notice that if one end goes up the other goes down. This is IF and THEN; between them is the shaft of the pencil, which is AND. The movement of the pencil is a moving syllogism. It is the beginning of the infinity of causal relationships which Spinoza considers. It is also a lever, the fundamental machine, the basis of the mechanical nature of the universe. It is also the principal of economics; let yourself think of the balance for trade and you will see. Money on one side and goods on the other. If the fulcrum is in the center, the match is even; if the fulcrum is nearer one end, mechanical advantage and economic advantage can be seen and understood. It is also the principle of justice.
It is the breaking of the balance, the breaking of the visualized relationship between cause and effect which is the essence of Christianity. Nietzsche opposed Christianity not because it anulled visualizing the mechanical relationship between cause and effect, but rather because it changes the meaning of the word "meek" to be what it has come to mean in the expressionin "The meek shall enherit the earth" rather than the Old Testament meaning of "logical". Moses, the author of logic in the Bible was said to be the meekest man who ever lived. "Meek" in Judaism meant subordinate to God, not subordinate to other humans. God in the Old Testament shows himself in balance, so Moses is the lawgiver of logic, not humility before other men and his people before other peoples. Nietzsche says "Fight! Do not work" and he means create from nothing, do not move around things already created. "I love that which creates something greater than itself and dies," says Nietzsche. The human mind independent of the rule that governs the universe and not timid before others--this is what Nietzsche meens by "The Will to Power". It is also what Nietzsche means by "God is dead." As Kaufmann points out, it is more than the Protestant "invention" of the individual, it is the knowing self, aware of the governing power of the universe, creating in spite of this knowledge, refusing to be timid before other men whom Nietzsche calls the "Ubermench" or Superman.
The "Ubermench" KNOWS, but he and CREATES rather than simply moving about "dead ideas", he acts knowing that the LAW of the universe may destroy him. But the "Ubermench" will CREATE before he is destroyed by the world whose governing law he understands. The "Ubermench" is not an ignorant man not seeing the order of the universe, whose mind and spirit are where "Ignorant armies clash by night." Nietzsche knows that pain is part of his creativity. He accepts that pain. He knows that the mockery of the crowd who do not know as he knows may come, but he is willing to suffer that. If this interests you, see my review of Paul Tillich's "Courage to Be". Historian Will Durant in his book "The Story of Philosophy" has a very different and unflattering view of Nietzsche. Durant thought Nietzsche was simply a neurotic who had nothing wrong with him which could not have been cured by the love of a good woman.
Rating:
Summary: The meaning of Power
Review: There is a common view that Nietzsche was an atheist. He certainly encourages this view, but as Walter Kaufmann says, he commonly attacked what he valued. There is no doubt that Nietzsche opposed the Jewish and Christian Gods. He said he opposed the Jewish religion because it gave rise, in his view, to Christianity. The view of Paul Tillich that he opposed the god who deprives the individual of subjectivity is beyond much doubt. Kaufmann puts it in terms of Nietzsche's struggle for creativity. He opposed the god which is identified with natural law and causality. To understand this opposition one must understand the God whom Tillich says Nietzsche says must be destroyed, which is natural law, spacial relationships and most of all the mechanistic nature of causality. To understand this one must visualize the balance, the principal characterisktic of God in the Old Testament of the Bible. To grasp this takes more than a little doing. It is hidden in texts. If, however, you try a little experiment, you will be able to actually see the God whom Nietzsche thought had to be destroyed. Take a pencil and hold it at the center between your fingers and move one end up and the other down. Notice that if one end goes up the other goes down. This is IF and THEN; between them is the shaft of the pencil, which is AND. The movement of the pencil is a moving syllogism. It is the beginning of the infinity of causal relationships which Spinoza considers. It is also a lever, the fundamental machine, the basis of the mechanical nature of the universe. It is also the principal of economics; let yourself think of the balance for trade and you will see. Money on one side and goods on the other. If the fulcrum is in the center, the match is even; if the fulcrum is nearer one end, mechanical advantage and economic advantage can be seen and understood. It is also the principle of justice.
It is the breaking of the balance, the breaking of the visualized relationship between cause and effect which is the essence of Christianity. Nietzsche opposed Christianity not because it anulled visualizing the mechanical relationship between cause and effect, but rather because it changes the meaning of the word "meek" to be what it has come to mean in the expressionin "The meek shall enherit the earth" rather than the Old Testament meaning of "logical". Moses, the author of logic in the Bible was said to be the meekest man who ever lived. "Meek" in Judaism meant subordinate to God, not subordinate to other humans. God in the Old Testament shows himself in balance, so Moses is the lawgiver of logic, not humility before other men and his people before other peoples. Nietzsche says "Fight! Do not work" and he means create from nothing, do not move around things already created. "I love that which creates something greater than itself and dies," says Nietzsche. The human mind independent of the rule that governs the universe and not timid before others--this is what Nietzsche meens by "The Will to Power". It is also what Nietzsche means by "God is dead." As Kaufmann points out, it is more than the Protestant "invention" of the individual, it is the knowing self, aware of the governing power of the universe, creating in spite of this knowledge, refusing to be timid before other men whom Nietzsche calls the "Ubermench" or Superman.
The "Ubermench" KNOWS, but he and CREATES rather than simply moving about "dead ideas", he acts knowing that the LAW of the universe may destroy him. But the "Ubermench" will CREATE before he is destroyed by the world whose governing law he understands. The "Ubermench" is not an ignorant man not seeing the order of the universe, whose mind and spirit are where "Ignorant armies clash by night." Nietzsche knows that pain is part of his creativity. He accepts that pain. He knows that the mockery of the crowd who do not know as he knows may come, but he is willing to suffer that. If this interests you, see my review of Paul Tillich's "Courage to Be". Historian Will Durant in his book "The Story of Philosophy" has a very different and unflattering view of Nietzsche. Durant thought Nietzsche was simply a neurotic who had nothing wrong with him which could not have been cured by the love of a good woman.
Rating:
Summary: the greatest
Review: there're few books in the history of mankind that are more important than this collection of nietzsche's main writings. just read it in kaufmann's remarkable translation.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction to Nietzsche.
Review: This book contains three unmissable works: Beyond Good and Evil, On the Geneology o Morals, and Ecce Homo. All are brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Great Starter
Review: This book helped me understand the basic, elemental criticisms and beliefs of Nietzsche. It contained several of his works and allowed me to deeply understand other, more complex philological writings later on.
Rating:
Summary: Great Starter
Review: This book helped me understand the basic, elemental criticisms and beliefs of Nietzsche. It contained several of his works and allowed me to deeply understand other, more complex philological writings later on.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensible collection of Nietzsche's Writings
Review: This book is the best collection of Nietzsche's writings. Kaufmann's translation is incomparable; it has energy, wit; its language is a delight. In other translations Nietzsche comes off as much more ponderous. The Birth of Tragedy is a good place to start for knowledge of the early Nietzsche and is an indispensible book for understanding what came later. The Genelogy of Morals is the least aphoristic of Nietzsche's writings and provides an extended treatment of Nietzsche's famous and infamous views on morality, especially Christian morality. Beyond Good and Evil is aphoristic brilliance containing many of Nietzsche's most famous ideas. The one thing that would make this book perfect is the addition of Kaufmann's translation of the Gay Science. For those interested in Nietzsche there is no better place to start than this book. Nietzsche like Plato and unlike most philosophers really knew how to write. His writing is brilliant, original, and his style has no peer. Kaufmann produces English that is without peer in his translation of Nietzsche's works. Whether you love him or hate him, exposure to Nietzsche can be a life-changing experience.
Rating:
Summary: Break glass and grab Nietzsche in case of emergency.
Review: This collection of Nietzsche's writings are completely enjoyable, the life and muscle only brings grins to the face of those who dare to experience it. Especially good language in the translation is something to note.
Every book, or snippet in this chronicle of sorts is indispensable, but THE BOT is really a great place to embark. The way that all the books tackle/attack Christianity and problematic ideals of morality - and the traps that mankind finds itself within these self made pits - makes Nietzsche something of a superman even by todays standards.. but just think, he was doing this way back in the mid 1800s.
This is where everyone should start to learn and enjoy the wonderful writings of what could really be considered one of the last great philosophical thinkers... with only exception might be B. Russell.
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