The Anatomy of MelancholyThe Anatomy of Melancholy
Score Classic
What it's about
Robert Burton's vast 17th-century compendium surveys melancholy in all its forms: its causes, symptoms and cures, drawing on everything from medicine and philosophy to religion and literature. It's a sprawling, learned and often funny book about the human mind.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time. Samuel Johnson said it was the only book that made him rise early to read it.
You'll love it if you liked
Essays of Michel De Montaigne
Meditations
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of DepressionGood to know
It's enormous and full of Latin quotations. It's a book to dip into rather than read straight through.
By the numbers
- Readers61 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller8 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is The Anatomy of Melancholy worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time. It ranks #1,154 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 71.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Anatomy of Melancholy about?
Robert Burton's vast 17th-century compendium surveys melancholy in all its forms: its causes, symptoms and cures, drawing on everything from medicine and philosophy to religion and literature. It's a sprawling, learned and often funny book about the human mind.
How long does it take to read The Anatomy of Melancholy?
About 36 hours (1424 pages), or about 10 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Anatomy of Melancholy?
If you liked it, try Essays of Michel De Montaigne by Michel de Montaigne, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius or The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon.