This is a classic account of Nietzsche's thought, first published in 1957. It traces the development of Nietzsche's thought through all its principal phases, and stresses its relevance to our times. Squarely based on original literary and biographical sources, it avoids technicalities and obscure comparison. It is intended for the general reader rather than the specialist - above all for the reader who desires, as Nietzsche did, to "clear his mind of cant".