In Nietzsche's Search for Philosophy: On the Middle Writings Keith Ansell-Pearson makes a novel and thought-provoking contribution to our appreciation of Nietzsche's neglected middle writings. These are the texts Human, all too Human (1878-80), Dawn (1881), and The Gay Science (1882). There is a truth in the observation of Havelock Ellis that the works Nietzsche produced between 1878 and 1882 represent the maturity of his genius. In this study he explores key aspects of Nietzsche's philosophical activity in his middle writings, including his conceptions of philosophy, his commitment to various enlightenments, his critique of fanaticism, his search for the heroic-idyllic, his philosophy of modesty and his conception of ethics, and his search for joy and happiness. The book will appeal to readers across philosophy and the humanities, especially to those with an interest in Nietzsche and anyone who has a concern with the fate of philosophy in the modern world. In this series of beautifully crafted, accessible and informative essays on Human, All Too Human, Dawn and The Gay Science, Ansell-Pearson rediscovers a philosophical persona not usually associated with the name of Nietzsche: Epicurean, pro-Enlightenment, anti-fanatical, dedicated to the passion for knowledge and to the cultivation of humanity by means of a calm and modest cultivation of the self. These essays make a compelling case for the richness and importance of the middle period works and call for a re-evaluation of what we take to be 'Nietzsche's philosophy.