The Works of Francis Bacon, Volume 1

Francis Bacon

World Bank Publications, Nov 24, 2011 - Literary Collections - 876 pages

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the English philosopher, statesman and jurist, is best known for developing the empiricist method which forms the basis of modern science. Bacon's writings concentrated on philosophy and judicial reform. His most significant work is the Instauratio Magna comprising two parts - The Advancement of Learning and the Novum Organum. The first part is noteworthy as the first major philosophical work published in English (1605). James Spedding (1808-81) and his co-editors arranged this fourteen-volume edition, published in London between 1857 and 1874, not in chronological order but by subject matter, so that different volumes would appeal to different audiences. The material is divided into three parts: philosophy and general literature; legal works; and letters, speeches and tracts relating to politics. Volume 1, published 1857, contains the biography by Bacon's secretary, William Rawley (c.1588-1667), and part 1 of the philosophical works included in the Instauratio Magna.

Contents

• Section 1: 36
• Section 2: 37
• Section 3: 38

About the author

Francis Bacon was born on October 28, 1909. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, to parents of British decent but lived with his nanny, Jessie Lightfoot, for many of his formative years. Bacon began painting in his early 20s and worked only sporadically until his mid-30s. He lived between England and Ireland for many years, earning his money by becoming an interior decorator and a designer of furniture and rugs. In 1944 he created his breakthrough oil painting entitled, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of the Crucifixion. The work is said to have been competed within the timeframe of two weeks. The painting was immediately seen as a sensation and established him as an important post-war artist. Bacon himself insisted that no retrospective of his work should include anything produced prior to 1944. Bacon was plagued with chronic asthma which developed into a respiratory condition. He died of cardiac arrest on April 28, 1992. He left his entire estate to his companion, John Edwards, who then donated the contents of Bacon's studio to the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Works of Francis Bacon, Volume 1; Volume 1 of Cambridge Library Collection - Philosophy; Cambridge Library Collection; Volume 1 of The Works of Francis Bacon 14 Volume Paperback Set; The Works of Francis Bacon, James Spedding, ISBN 1108040764, 9781108040761
• Author: Francis Bacon
• Editors: James Spedding, Robert Leslie Ellis, Douglas Denon Heath
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: World Bank Publications, 2011
• ISBN: 1108040640, 9781108040648
• Length: 876 pages
• Subjects: Literary Collections / General; Philosophy / History & Surveys / Modern