David Hume

"A Dissertation on the Passions and The Natural History of Religion were first published in 1757 in a volume entitled Four Dissertations, the last philosophical work written by Hume. The Natural History is an original work on religion as a natural phenomenon. It discusses ways in which human nature gives rise to religious belief and devotion. It is the only major work devoted exclusively to the subject of religion that Hume lived to see through the press himself. In his Dissertation on the Passions, Hume revisits his theory of the passions first presented in Book 2 of A Treatise of Human Nature. He identifies the issues of chief importance to him and clarifies and revises many passages in the Treatise." "The last edition of both works seen through the press by Hume appeared in 1772. It provides the copy-text for the present edition, but all substantive changes to the text planned by Hume before his death are taken into account. The editor's historical introduction discusses the genesis, revision, publishing history, and reception of these works, which went into nine editions at the author's hand. Annotations provide information about Hume's sources, allusions, citations, and terminology. Biographical sketches of all of the individuals mentioned by Hume in the work are supplied in a separate appendix. Two bibliographies list the works cited by Hume and by the editor, and a bibliographical history of work on the passions is provided. Hume's original index to these texts is reproduced, and a separate, comprehensive index is provided by the editor. The critical apparatus charts all substantive variations between editions and reports all editorial revisions."--Jacket.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Philosophy, Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.