Hume was born in Edinburgh and attended the university there. At first he considered a career in law, but came to have, in his words, "an insurmountable aversion to everthing but the pursuits of philosophy and general learning."
Did some self-study in France, where he completed _A Treatise of Human Nature_ at the age of 26. When published in England (1739-40) it received next to no attention. The quote from Hume is that it "fell dead-born from the press."
After a few years of service to various political and military figures, Hume returned to his studies. He decided that the problem with the Treatise was style not content. So he reworked some of the material for more popular consumption in _An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding_. It was not much of a success either.
Probably due to charges of atheism he was turned down for chairs of philosophy in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
However, between philosophical pursuits, Hume did achieve literary fame as an essayist and historian. Attention of him grew when ImmanuelKant? credited Hume with awakening him from "dogmatic slumber."
Book 1: "Of the Understanding" His treatment of everything from the origin of our ideas to how they are to be divided. Important statements of SkepticIsm?.
Book 2: "Of the Passions" Treatment of emotions.
Book 3: "Of Morals" Moral ideas, justice, obligations, benevolence.
He intended to complete the Treatise (if it met with success) with books devoted to Politics and Criticism.
Contains reworking of the main points of Treatise, Book 1, with the addition of material on free will, miracles, and the argument from design.
Another reworking of material from the Treatise for more popular appeal.
Discussions between fictional characters Cleanthes, Philo, and Demea. They discuss proofs of the existance of god and other fun stuff.
A lot of Essays, revised a few times during his life. The history of which essays were added or removed when doen't seem that interesting. "Of the Middle Station of Life," "That Politics may be Reduced to a Science," "Of the Origin of Government," "Of Civil Liberty," "Of Commerse," "Of the Populousness of Ancient Nations," and "On Suicide" (posthumous) to name a few in a modern collection.
More a catagoy of books than a single work.
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