The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy

by Jonathan Rée (editor), J.O. Urmson (Editor)

On its first appearance in 1960, the Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy established itself as a classic; this third edition builds on its original strengths but brings it completely up to date. The Concise Encyclopedia offers a lively, readable, comprehensive and authoritative treatment of Western philosophy as a whole, incorporating scintillating articles by many leading philosophical authors. It serves not only as a convenient reference work, but also as an engaging introduction to philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Reference, Nonfiction, Research

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Jonathan Rée is a freelance philosopher who used to teach at Middlesex University in London, but gave up lecturing in order to "have more time to think," and was for many years associated with the magazine Radical Philosophy. His work has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, the London Review of Books and elsewhere.

Reviews

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you review an encyclopedia? Well, here's my crack at it.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy and Philosophers is shorter than I thought it would be, but still manages to work as a coffee table book. It covers Western Philosophy and Philosophers as stated on the cover. The entries are alphabetical, so it's better to look up information rather than read through the entire volume. I found the book at the library, and it has all of the entries I thought it would have.

Alongside those entries, the book has photographs and other images to demonstrate who is important. The book smells musty due to age. It is the 1960 edition, after all. I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Western Philosophy as intended!