I expected this to be more centered in Montaigne's life philosophy and less biographical but naturally and especially with someone like Montaigne the biography always goes hand in hand with what they left behind in writing. Montaigne was truly ahead of his time. I enjoyed the historical context and the specific life habits of the 16th century as well as the more abstract and philosophical ideas. The book goes to a lot of detail about editions, translations and the influence Montaigne had on contemporaries and future generations.