Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1597

Essays

Francis Bacon · 1597

Bacon's first published book and most widely read work, a collection of short aphoristic essays on moral and political topics.

Bacon's own first published book, showing his practical and literary side beyond his scientific philosophy.

Ask Francis Bacon about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Title page of a 1696 London edition of Sir Francis Bacon's Essays, Or Councils, Civil and Moral, with a table of the colours of good and evil and a discourse on the wisdom of the ancients. Printed for H. Herringman, R. Scot, R. Chiswell, A. Swalle, and R. Bentley.
Francis Bacon, Essays, Or Councils, Civil and Moral, 1696 London edition.

About this source

What it is

The Essays were written by Francis Bacon and first published in 1597 with ten essays. He expanded the collection over the years, reaching fifty-eight essays by 1625, covering subjects from truth and death to friendship and gardens.

Why it matters

The Essays show Bacon's practical, worldly side rather than his scientific theories. Contemporaries praised him highly, and some even credited him with inventing the essay form in English. Many of his phrases, such as 'hostages to fortune', became lasting parts of the English language, showing how influential his writing style was.

Look closer

  • Why might Bacon have kept returning to rewrite and expand these essays over nearly thirty years?
  • What do the topics he chose to write about tell you about the concerns of his time?
  • Bacon called these essays 'recreation' from his other studies — does that change how you read them?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francis Bacon on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Francis Bacon sources

Meet the AI Francis Bacon →
Engraved title page of Novum Organum Scientiarum by Francis Bacon, Leiden 1645, showing two classical columns, ships on the sea, and the Latin motto Multi pertransibunt & augebitur scientia.Book

Primary source

Novum Organum

Francis Bacon · 1620

Black and white engraving of a bearded man in 17th-century dress: a tall black hat, a large white lace ruff, and a dark cloak with patterned trim. He stands before a draped curtain with his right hand resting on a draped table.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait Engraving of Francis Bacon, Proof Impression

Black and white engraved portrait of a bearded man with curly hair, wearing a wide-brimmed dark hat, a large white lace collar, and a dark embroidered doublet, against a shaded background. The caption below reads 'LORD BACON'.Painting

Secondary source

Francis Bacon, Engraving by C. Cook after Houbraken

C. Cook after Jacobus Houbraken · 1738

Title page of New Atlantis, printed in old-style typeface: 'NEVV ATLANTIS. A Vvorke vnfinished. Vvritten by the Right Honourable, Francis Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban.' Below the text is a small ornate woodcut frame with a figure and a winged creature.Book

Primary source

New Atlantis

Francis Bacon · 1627

Engraved title page of a 1640 Oxford edition of Bacon's work. Two obelisks flank a central banner reading 'Of the Advancement and Proficience of Learning or the Partitions of Science'. Globes, a ship, owls, and Latin inscriptions appear, with the imprint 'Oxford, Printed by Leon Lichfield'.Book

Primary source

The Advancement of Learning

Francis Bacon · 1605

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Francis Bacon now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions