Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

I am what may be considered as a philosophy layperson- I have no background knowledge of philosophy. I was interested in learning more about it. That being said, I struggled with this book. I'm not sure if it was because I attempted to read it in a digital format (knowing full well that I do better with physical books) or if it was because my brain did not want to cooperate.
If I were in a different mindset, and perhaps had a physical copy of this book, I may be more interested.
I did appreciate the format of this book.

This is a great book for the beginning philosopher, or those who are interested the great classical philosophers themselves. From this introductory book, you will get a good idea of which philosophers believed what, what they were responsible for and the main ideas of their philosophy.


I liked this book because it didn't waste space talking about things that weren't integral, but rather got straight to the point and delivered the basics without a lot of terminology that is basically impossible for the beginner to understand. This would be a good choice for younger students who want to learn about ancient philosophers, because it puts things in term that are easier to understand than most books do.


There is a brief refresher at the end of every chapter that goes over the main points and helps you to remember what you just read, very useful for those who wish to take notes. Overall, I thought this was a really useful book, with enough information to make it worth the time to read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publishers, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is the perfect companion guide to the enlightenment philosophy book. While not as directly related to KS5 education, it would be an ideal recommendation for higher level thibkers within a class who wish to understand philosophy in a broader scope than what the exam board requires. This book is the ideal within education and is for those students who don’t ask ‘how do I get a better grade?’ But instead ask ‘where do I go to learn more?’