People search: nietzsche where to start reading, nietzsche reading order for beginners, what is the best translation of nietzsche, is nietzsche easy to read, what nietzsche book should i read first
Reading order
Twilight of the Idols · Friedrich Nietzsche Written as a primer to his own thought; short. Buy on Bookshop.org
Beyond Good and Evil · Friedrich Nietzsche His most famous book. Start with the Preface and Parts 1, 5 and 9 (Leiter's advice). Buy on Bookshop.org
On the Genealogy of Morality · Friedrich Nietzsche Three essays: his most structured argument. Buy on Bookshop.org
The Gay Science · Friedrich Nietzsche Where 'God is dead' actually appears. Buy on Bookshop.org
Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Friedrich Nietzsche Last, not first: everyone warns it's confusing without context. Buy on Bookshop.org
Which translation / edition
Our pick: Walter Kaufmann (The Portable Nietzsche + Basic Writings of Nietzsche cover most of the path), or Hollingdale / Cambridge editions. Readers on r/askphilosophy say these are all fine; an r/booksuggestions comment calls Thomas Common's translation 'horrible'.
Public-domain sample (Ludovici translation, 1911, Twilight, 'Maxims and Missiles' 8):
From the military school of life.—That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.
Source: Project Gutenberg #52263. Kaufmann is in copyright.
Where people get stuck
Starting with Zarathustra and bouncing off: the most common warning.
Sarcasm and irony don't come across well in translation; check a commentary after each section.
Kaufmann's own book about Nietzsche is debated; Brian Leiter calls it 'extremely unreliable'.
FAQ
Is Nietzsche easy to read?
The sentences are easy; the meaning isn't. Short aphorisms make Twilight a good test.
Was he a Nazi?
No, though his sister edited his work to suit them. Good editions explain this.