Great Books of the Western World [Hardcover]

Mortimer J. Adler (Author, Editor), Clifton Fadiman (Editor), Philip W. Goetz (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0852295316 | ISBN-13: 978-0852295311 | Publication Date: March 1, 1994 | Edition: 2nd

There is no better way to own and appreciate the world's greatest written works. Great Books of the Western World is one of the most acclaimed publishing feats of our time. Authoritative, accurate, and complete, this collection represents the essential core of the Western literary canon, compiling 517 of the most significant achievements in literature, history, philosophy, and science into a color-coded set as handsome as it is affordable. From the ancient classics to the newest masterpieces of the 20th century, Great Books traces the ideas, stories, and discoveries that have shaped modern civilization. Volumes 1 and 2 of this collection is the Syntopicon, a unique two-volume guide (not sold separately) that enables you to investigate a particular idea and compare what different authors have to say about it. The Syntopicon comprises a new kind of reference work -- accomplishing for ideas what the dictionary accomplishes for words and the encyclopaedia accomplishes for facts. Also included is the Great Conversation, featuring fascinating background information, extensive timelines, photos, and quotes from the classic works and their authors. 60 volumes Individual Volume Size: 9 1/2" H x 1"-2" W (Across Spine) x 6 1/2" D Overall Width of Set: 65"(5'5") Special colors on the Great Books' spines guide you quickly to the four subject areas -

Product Details

• Hardcover: 37000 pages
• Publisher: Encyclopedia Britannica, Incorporated; 2nd edition (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0852295316
• ISBN-13: 978-0852295311
• Product Dimensions: 33.2 x 14 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 101.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Medical
  • #56 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Literature

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent investment for the past, present and future, August 20, 2004

By 

Empedocles (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Books of the Western World (Hardcover)

Well, how does one start with an introduction to what the title already says - 'The Great Books of the Western World?' The 'GBBWW' (as they are called) more or less form what Mortimer Adler and his editorial team believed were the core of Western learning and culture, and I pretty much agree. Virtually every book in this collection is required reading in the Liberal Arts, and the ideas and issues discussed by these authors still dominates and influences debate today. Here we see the finest works of Art, Science, Philosophy, Poetry, Prose and History from the time of the Greeks until the early 20th century.

I have noticed other collections of great books often include mediocre and more obscure works which, while important in their historical context, are not part of what Adler described as the 'timeless conversation of ideas' that undergirds Western civilisation. Other collections of 'great books' more often reflect the compiler's or editor's cultural prejudices (though I know the same could be said for Adler, a 'Dead White Male') and frankly, a lot of chaff is in with the wheat. In one list for example, over 50% of the books were novels from the 20th century. The good thing about the 'Great Books' in this collection is that they are 'battle-tested' - Adler went to experts in the respective fields and asked them which works had survived the test of time, and which had not, and those that had 'made the grade.'

The other excellent thing is Adler's 'syntopicon of Great Ideas' and his extensive Bibliography at the end. The syntopicon and Bibliography together are almost a liberal education in themselves. The key ideas that have shaped western thought since its inception are cited and then Adler writes a 5,000 or so word essay explaining how they are discussed by the authors in the series, from Plato to Freud. Works that are highly relevant but not included in the collection but which also discuss these issues are included, such as Cicero, Schopenhauer, Lombard, Paine, Voltaire, etc.

In my view the collection is excellently priced. Considering a university education even in the liberal arts these days costs somewhere between $30,000 and $100,000, a book set costing only 1/30th or 1/100th of that but providing the core for a 'liberal education' as Adler puts it, is in my view a 'no-brainer.' Many people at my university have degrees in Law or the Arts but have not read a single book from this collection, and do not have any sense of where ideas like postmodernism have their actual origin; few have actually read the works of Plato or Plotinus (who Derrida refers back to a great deal in his most important works), Marx (many 'Marxists' have not actually read Marx's works aside from the 'Communist Manifesto') or Freud. Schopenhauer once said 'We need to read the primary texts (of an author of genius), for they will be far more enlightening than the mediocre mind who tries to fit him within his three pounds of grey matter.' Although Schopenhauer had Plato and Kant in mind when writing this, the same applies to the rest of these books. They are the finest of thinking the West has to offer the rest, and for better or worse, have framed 3,000 or so years of our intellectual history.

This set will be an excellent investment for anyone who seeks to learn about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Despite the price and the effort required to master these texts, the journey in the end is well worth it.

92 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great books!, April 1, 2004

By 

Roberto Roose (Mexico City, Mexico Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Books of the Western World (Hardcover)

Some 15 years ago, I bought the 54 volume version of the great books of the western civilization -and spent ten years reading them (aside from making a living and raising two children). These books have affected my life in various ways, all very positive I believe. If my comment can at least encourage one person in the world to go ahead and read this extraordinary collection, I would be very happy. The publishers have been wise in avoiding footnotes and erudite biographical notes, and of course, in the selection of the works. R Roose from Mexico City

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An investment for future generations, August 16, 2005

By 

cataract (Spring Lake, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Books of the Western World (Hardcover)

My in-laws bought this set for the family, but they never really got past Plato. The books sat on the shelf holding up an ideal. Recently, my mother-in-law decided to pass them on to us. I've begun studying them, and I found the set accessible and intriguing. The first book, The Great Conversation, encourages the late bloomer. I am determined that my children will make good use of grandma and grandpa's old books, sometimes good ideas just need time and good faith.