Fifty Major Philosophers: A Reference Guide

This is a book about Western philosophers and not about world - philosophy. It is a popular guide and has good descriptions of the individual philosophers work. It is in my judgment a bit slanted in the direction of the British, and I think has far too many early Greek philosophers, eleven out of the total of fifty. On the whole though it includes the major figures of Western philosophy, and gives a real sense of the major questions that have been at the heart of the Western tradition.

If you just want a quick summary of the major contributors to philosophy, this is the book for you. But if you happen to be a college student, this is REALLY the book for you. I referred to this book often in graduate school as I compared counseling theories to major theories of philosophy. Great for humanities, psychology, literature and other liberal arts students!

Collinson's guide is great fun. It is well written and quite handy. Each essay on a major philosopher is incisive, and is immediately followed by suggestions for further reading of primary texts and of secondary literature. Undergraduate students should find this book to be especially useful. Highly recommended.