Lange and Nietzsche? That there is an intimate relationship between the reflections, observations, and theoretical orientations of the now obscure philosophical historian of materialism, economist, and social scientist, F. A. Lange, and the philosophy of Nietzsche may come as a surprise to those who have been, or are, interested in the thought of Nietzsche. In English studies of Nietzsche, Lange is scarcely mentioned. Even though R . J . Hollingdale, an excellent biographer of Nietzsche, shows that he understands and appreciates the relation between Lange's phenomenalism-cum-agnosticism and Nietzsche's philosophical standpoint, he devotes only a few paragraphs to the influence of Lange on Nietzsche. Neglect of an understanding of the nature and extent of this influence has typically affected otherwise valuable or excellent interpretations of Nietzsche's thought that treat it as if it were anomalous in Western thought or as if it arose out of no discernible background.