Literary reception
Following its publication, The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche quickly became a popular resource to scholars and lay audiences alike, though this is likely due to the fact that few such publications existed at that time. Mencken personally translated The Antichrist for use in his compendium.Despite the best available information at the time, some of the particulars of Nietzsche's life that Mencken described are now known to be false. Additionally, Mencken often - albeit unintentionally - permitted his personal biases (especially his own views on social Darwinism and, potentially, Anti-semitism) to influence his interpretations of Nietzsche. Mencken, for instance, erroneously equated Nietzsche's "will to power" with Schopenauer's "will to live", and at times omitted explanations of Nietzsche's philosophies due to his confusing writing style. Nevertheless, some of his analyses are still considered cogent, especially regarding Nietzsche's theory of drama and views on Christianity. Due to this broad and close style of examination,and enthusiasm for such, The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche may very well be where "Nietzsche Studies" earnestly began in America.