History

General Histories | Ancient Greece and Roman | Middle Ages | Renaissance | Modern Philosophy

General Histories

Brehier, Emile, History of philosophy, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963-69), 7 vols.
*R-YAC 00-5994, Rose Main Reading Room
A standard work for the history of European philosophy since it was first published in France in the 20s and the 30s.

Copleston, Frederick, A history of philosophy, (Westminister, MD: Newman Press, 1963), 8 vols.
*R-YAC 75-592, Rose Main Reading Room
A clear, concise, and reliable survey of the whole of western philosophy.

Russell, Bertrand, A history of Western philosophy, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1945)
*R-YBX (Russell) 99-11621, Rose Main Reading Room
A lively, one-volume introduction to the history of philosophy. Although popular and well-written, it is not highly regarded by philosophers.

Scharfstein, Ben-Ami. A Comparative History of World Philosophy: From the Upanishads to Kant. (Albany: State University of New York, 1998)
*R-YAC 03-564, Rose Main Reading Room
An excellent, comparative history of the European, Indian, and Chinese philosophical traditions. In almost every chapter, Scharfstein examines a philosophical theme and traces how it is developed in each tradition.

Ancient Greece and Rome

Armstrong, A.H., ed., The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy, (London: Cambridge University Press, 1967)
*R-YAC (Armstrong, A.H.), Rose Main Reading Room
A survey of later Greek and early Christian thought from the fourth century B.C. to the twelfth century A.D.

Gomperz, Theodor, Greek thinkers: A history of ancient philosophy, (London: J. Murray, 1914[31]), 4 vols.
*RR-YAE (Gomperz, T. Greek Thinkers. 1914), Rose Main Reading Room
Published in Germany between 1893 and 1909, this remains an important work on the history of Greek philosophy.

Guthrie, W.K.C., A history of Greek philosophy, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1962-1981), 6 vols.
*RR-YAE (Guthrie, W.K.C.), Rose Main Reading Room
The standard work, in English, on Greek philosophy. Begins with the pre-Socratics and ends with Aristotle.

Middle Ages

Cambridge history of later medieval philosophy, edited by Norman Kretzmann et.al., (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982)
*R-YAG 82-2009, Rose Main Reading Room
Essays ranging from the rediscovery of Aristotle in the 11th century to the end of scholasticism in the 16th.

Gilson, Etienne, History of Christian philosophy in the Middle Ages, (New York: Random House, 1955)
*R-YAG 00-4652, Rose Main Reading Room
A superb introduction to philosophy in the Middle Ages by a renowned scholar, with an extensive bibliography.

Renaissance

Cambridge history of Renaissance philosophy, edited by Charles B. Schmitt et.al., (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988)
*R-YAM 88-3038, Rose Main Reading Room
An examination of philosophical thought from the middle of the 14th to the 17th century, and the beginning of modern philosophy.

Modern Philosophy

Lowith, Karl, From Hegel to Nietzsche: The revolution in nineteenth century thought, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991)
*R-YBXD 00-5986, Rose Main Reading Room
Lowith's work is considered by many to be the best study of 19th century German philosophy.

Passmore, John, A hundred years of philosophy, 2nd edition, ( London: Duckworth, 1966)
*R-YAC (Passmore) 00-4779, Rose Main Reading Room
An important and influential book that examines the major philosophical movements of the last hundred years.