Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy

This book is a remarkable one-man achievement by the professor of philosophy at Cambridge. The new edition contains over 500 new entries (just think of the amount of work involved) with 500 biographies and a chronology of philosophical events from 10,000 BCE to the present day. In addtion, there is a comprehensive explanation of key philosophical terms with extensive cross-references. And it is impressive to find such names as Steiner and Swedenborg included, along with an awareness of the interest of such philosophers as C.D. Broad, H.H. Price and Henry Sidgwick in psychical research. These are normally blind spots in such volumes, as in the Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy reviewed elsewhere in this issue. Anyone with a serious interest in philosophy should have this book on their shelves.