# One book by Kierkegaard?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 16, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602 "2017-12-16T02:35:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Plutonium\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Plutonium\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Plutonium_Kid)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602/1 "2017-12-16T02:35:10Z")

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Suppose you have a friend who’s tolerably well educated and well read. He has a BA, and he’s got several undergrad courses in philosophy under his belt, but he’s far from being broadly educated in the subject of philosophy. He wants to read some Kierkegaard. What one book by Kierkegaard would you recommend to this guy?

( … uh … just asking for a friend … )

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**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602/2 "2017-12-16T08:29:18Z")

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Fear and Trembling?

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602/3 "2017-12-16T11:30:31Z")

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I have not read any Kierkegaard - philosophers writing in their native state scare me with their precise obfuscation. However, I can suggest the highly regarded Oxford Very Short Introduction on him: [https://www.amazon.com/Kierkegaard-Short-Introduction-Patrick-Gardiner/dp/0192802569](https://www.amazon.com/Kierkegaard-Short-Introduction-Patrick-Gardiner/dp/0192802569)

I haven’t read this one but have ones on Spinoza and Schopenhauer that are very thoughtful and concise.

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**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602/4 "2017-12-16T18:47:04Z")

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I’d suggest _The Essential Kierkegaard_. It’s an anthology; it represents his major works and some minor; it’s well-translated.

> **[The Essential Kierkegaard: Søren Kierkegaard, Howard V. Hong, Edna H. Hong:...](https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Kierkegaard-S%C3%B8ren/dp/0691019401)**
>
> The Essential Kierkegaard \[Søren Kierkegaard, Howard V. Hong, Edna H. Hong\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Essential Kierkegaard

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**Author:** ![Graymalkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@Graymalkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graymalkin)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-book-by-kierkegaard/804602/5 "2017-12-18T04:08:11Z")

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