Masterpieces of World Philosophy in Summary Form

by Frank N. Magill (Editor)

Contains concise summaries of 200 major works of philosophy arranged chronologically

Genres: Philosophy, Reference, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1961

About the author

Dr. Frank Northen Magill (1907-1997) was a writer and editor of distinguished reference works for over forty years.

Magill also founded the Salem Press in 1949. Magill’s expertise became so recognizable in the hundreds of volumes of reference works published by Salem Press that librarians sometimes referred to the publications as “Magill books.”

Born in Smyrna, Ga., Magill earned an undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in engineering at Columbia University. He began working as an engineer, then served as a major in the Army Air Corps during World War II. While stationed in the Panama Canal Zone, Magill read widely and conceived of a book that he titled “Masterplots.” That was the first book to be published by Salem Press, in 1949.

Eventually the company branched into history, humanities, social science and sciences. Operating offices in New York and Los Angeles, Magill earned a doctorate and taught a popular reference course at USC.

Reviews

[Bonnie Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is nothing more or less than what it presumes to be: a survey of philosophies, a reference book, a curated collection of ideas from influencers through the ages. One does not get a feel for the persons of any of the originators of these different schools of thought because all is filtered through the lens of one thinker and all is reduced to ideas. I'm probably more independent than most and prefer to read primary sources and there is no original material here other than the editor's evaluations. Still, it's a useful survey and if you are the type of person who can digest ideas in this way it will be very useful for you. I was hoping to remember more, to be more skilled in the differentiation between Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, to tease apart in my own mind Aristotle and Plato, the Buddha and Confucius. Somehow it doesn't work for me to have someone else tell me how they are different - it becomes so much flat memorization. I learned something vital: I have to have the discovery moment in order to remember. Good to know. I'll read primary sources in future.

[Dennis Merimsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

200 summaries of classic philosophical works from ancient history to modern times, edited by Frank Magill. A wonderful big book which gives you an excellent 5 to 6 page (densely packed with about 1000 words per page) ,coherent bird's eye description of each work of philosophy, making it intelligible and laying out substantial ideas without skimping or oversimplifying. Since 1961, when the book was published, no book has come anywhere near to these brilliant essay-reviews written by prominent philosophical scholars in American universities.
I recently tested the quality of the summary by reading the chapter on Whitehead's "Process and Reality", which is an extremely difficult work to summarize and can only describe the summary in Magill's book as brilliant. Another chapter I tested was on Parmenides and I concluded that it was quite comprehensive.
You can't expect any book of philosophers to include everybody e.g no Schelling, Merleau-Ponty or Popper , but a more recent version of this book with only 100 summaries does include the last 2 philosophers. The advantage of the newer version is that it is still on sale but I preferred to buy the 1961 version second-hand because its far more comprehensive.
This is a must have book for any amateur student of philosophy.

[Hazel Rainfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent compilation of great works in philosophy. This is a great starter book if you are simply looking for basic ideas that different philosophers had, which will lead the reader to a more refined search on a specific list of philosophical ideas.

[Bruce Leeds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a masterpiece of clarity.

[Pamela Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

When in grammar school we read on the great Philosophers such as Aristotle and Aquinas, Plato and John Locke, it is such a vast topic it would take a life time to understand their concepts and principles. Though most people do live out their lives with their own philosophical views without realizing that their teachings were handed down from previous generations. These are essays that will give more of a concise understanding and their views are given alternately of important critical works.
They are truly master pieces...Like the author of I and Thou by Martin Buber epistemology first published in 1923 by one of the greatest Jewish minds in centuries.
His influences were of Soren Kierkegaard's work would be insistence on total involvement and absolute commitment, on the priority of subjective thinking, on truth as existential or lived truth, and his stress on the centrality of the individual-all these elements made immediate contact with Buber's new found religious devotion. I have to say it has had an impact on my Spiritual life as well.

[William Schram · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays describes in some detail the eponymous Masterpieces of World Philosophy. Starting with the Bhagavad-Gita, it goes on through the ages approximating the ones that predate history and stuff. Starting with an essay on the contents of the work, it continues on with pertinent literature that applies to the work. It could be a translation, or it could be a work referring to that work. Finally, it has a final list of works that talk about the idea or book or essay or whatever it may be.

I really enjoyed this book. It seems like a Philosophy 101 course, and it helps that it explains some of the works that it does. It really helps to shed a new light on it. The print is rather tiny, and the ideas are rather dense.

[stephen rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book for anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the philosophical ideas and theories that have shaped and changed Western society. With insights and analysis by the author that he!p to further your understanding of the text.

This book also includes some hidden gems such as Freud's paper on society in response to the weight of expectation placed on his analysis to understand society.

A classic book in its own right.

[Colin McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good reference book

[Jonathan]

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