Robert Miner attends closely to the rhymes and aphorisms that make up The Gay Science - and make it so quotable yet so frequently misunderstood. Tracking Nietzsche's mixture of subtle argumentation, memorable images and provocative rhetoric, he opens up multiple ways of interpreting the text and applying it to our own circumstances.

A guide to Nietzsche's most personal book Robert Miner attends closely to the rhymes and aphorisms that comprise Nietzsche's Gay Science - a text more often quoted than understood. Tracking Nietzsche's mixture of subtle argumentation, memorable images and provocative rhetoric, Miner opens up multiple ways of interpreting the text and applying it to our own circumstances. Presupposing no prior knowledge of Nietzsche, Miner begins with the 1882 edition - the first to announce the 'death of God', amor fati and eternal recurrence. He also illuminates the significance of Nietzsche's decision to publish in 1887 a second edition of Gay Science with a fifth Book, 40 aphorisms composed after Zarathustra, a new Preface and an Appendix of Songs. While the primary text is emphasised, you'll also become familiar with scholarly debates about Nietzsche's intentions in the Gay Science. New and seasoned readers alike will benefit from the book. Robert Miner is Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University, Texas.