Foreseeing his imminent death, David Hume wrote a short autobiographical essay in April 1776 entitledMy Own Life(My Own Life), intended for publication in the next editionEssays and Treatises on Several Subjects . He wrote about it to his friend, Adam Smith, asking that the text be given to his publishers. After the philosopher's death (August 25, 1776), Smith gave this short essay to one of them, William Strahan, adding his own letter in which he described the last four months of Hume's life. In March 1777, a booklet containing Hume's text and Smith's letter was published under the titleThe Life of David Hume, Esq. Written by Himself .
Our edition is based on this first edition of 1777, preserving its language and the minor errors of the original.
The book was published in an edition of 25 copies on Fabriano Tiepolo cotton paper and set with the Monotype Bell font.
