About this title: Bertrand Russell was born in 1872 and died in 1970. An influential figure of the 20th century, he transformed philosophy and can lay claim to being one of the greatest philosophers of all time. He was a Nobel Prize winner for Literature and was imprisoned several times as a result of his pacifism. His views on religion, education, sex, politics and many other topics made him one of the most read and revered writers of the age. This edition contains an introduction by the politician and scholar, Michael Foot, which explores the status of this book nearly 30 years after the publication ofthe ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: [1st American ed. ]
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown, Boston
Date Published: 1967
Description: Very good in good dust jacket. Very Good, In good dust jacket. v. illus., facsim., ports. 24 cm. "An Atlantic Monthly Press book. " Previous Owner's Inscription. read more
Edition: [1st American ed. ]
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown, Boston
Date Published: 1967
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. v. illus., facsim., ports. 24 cm. "An Atlantic Monthly Press book. " read more
Edition: [1st American ed. ]
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown, Boston
Date Published: 1967
Description: Very good in good dust jacket. Very Good, In good dust jacket. v. illus., facsim., ports. 24 cm. "An Atlantic Monthly Press book. " read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown, Boston
Date Published: 1967
Description: Very good in good dust jacket. v. illus., facsim., ports. 24 cm. Includes: Illustrations, Portraits, Facsimiles. "An Atlantic Monthly Press book. " [1] 1872-1914. --[2] 1914-1944. read more
"I became interested in Russell as a peace activist while still in high school. Later my best friend spent a college year abroad at the University of Kent in Canterbury, dating Lucy, one of Russell's grand-daughters while there. Returned, he read The History of Western Philosophy, highly recommending it. By then I'd become exposed to the philosopher/mathematician's reputation and intended to study him. Years later, having read a bit, espying the autobiography on sale at a used bookstore, I purchased the three volumes and got to carrying them regularly to the local cafe. Their contents surprised me.
I had expected a lot about The Principia, more about his philosophical beliefs. But most of the books concerned his family, his personal life, his romances, politics and educational beliefs."
"There were parts that I didn't like so much, and I skipped some pieces of the text and many of the letters written, but overall I liked this book very much. Russell is a clear and a delightful writer; I wish there were more like him."
"The most memorable sentence is definitely "I went out bicycling one afternoon and, suddenly, as I was riding along a country road, I realized that I no longer loved Alys". He immediately went home and told her about his unexpected discovery.
I can't imagine anyone writing this who wasn't a mathematician. (I know a lot of mathematicians). As Tom Stoppard comments in The Real Thing: "He's cycling along, and what happens? He falls off the bike? No, he realizes he no longer loves his wife!"
I was going to finish the review here, but I just made a realization myself. I was given this book as a present, when I was 19 years old, by a fairly well-known mathematician. I'd been dating his daughter, and we had broken up a few weeks earlier. It had been quite a serious thing for both of us. Now I wonder whether he meant anything in particular by giving me the book. He's a very deep guy. I see him occasionally (I am still good friends with my one-time girlfriend), but I don't think I'd dare ask him.
I'm surprised I didn't think about this until now."
"Great for BR fans. At times hilarious and at others intimate, BR's first-hand observations of those around him are priceless, and his ruminations on religion, philosophy, and mathematics are penetrating and absorbing. In marked contrast, I found some of his letters - especially the love letters - to be tedious and stilted."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
