A History of Western Political Thought [Paperback]

J. S. McClelland (Author), Dr J S Mcclelland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0415119626 | ISBN-13: 978-0415119627 | Edition: New edition

A History of Western Political Thought is an energetic and lucid account of the most important political thinkers and the enduring themes of the last two and a half millennia. Written with students of the history of political thought in mind, the book:
* traces the development of political thought from Ancient Greece to the late twentieth century
* focuses on individual thinkers and texts
* includes 40 biographies of key political thinkers
* offers original views of theorists and highlights those which may have been unjustly neglected
* develops the wider themes of political thought and the relations between thinkers over time.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This self-avowedly "old-fashioned...ac-count of great texts" begins with the Greeks and closes with modern reactions to liberalism; Hegel and Marx; "irrationalists" Pareto, Michels, LeBon, Freud, and the Fascists; and "anti-rationalists" Maurras and Oakeshotte. In a brief epilog, McClelland (politics, Univ. of Nottingham, England) comments on the collapse of dialog in our Nietzschean age. The author intentionally skimps on scholarly apparatus: there are few notes, bibliographies are brief, and citations from original texts are few and far between. And therein lies the rub. Although McClelland's insights are often good, at times even original, he fails to call in the thinkers' words to support his own arguments about their ideas and intent. Not until Chapter 11 (on Hobbes) does he even quote a thinker he discusses; half of the chapters are devoid of citation. The book reads like a set of lectures waiting for the illustrations that would flesh it out. Without these illustrations, the book is fatally flawed. Not recommended.?David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

McClelland presents a comprehensive study, discussing and in some cases attempting to revise the canon of Western political thought from ancient Greece through the modern world. - Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences, Vol 36(3), 303-306, Summer 2000.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 824 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New edition edition (March 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415119626
• ISBN-13: 978-0415119627
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Written with clarity and grace--a remarkable achievement, April 8, 2000

By 

Richard L. King - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Western Political Thought (Hardcover)

Non-specialists often shun political philosophy because the primary texts can be unbearably dull. Is there anyone, save the Marxian fanatic, who would argue that Karl Marx wrote with clarity and grace? English speaking readers often find even the great English political philosophers, such as John Stuart Mill, to be somniferous. Thus, a well-written history of Western political philosophy is not only welcome, but it is a relief. McClelland's "A History of Western Political Thought" is such a book. McClelland not only writes well, but he presents the story of political philosophy in an interesting and enjoyable way. Both the specialist and the general reader will profit from this book.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of Western Political Thought (Paperback)

This history of political thought (broadly understood) in the west from the classical greeks to today is superb. Using plain language, McClelland surveys the different ideas about society that has occurred in the west for the last 2500 years, why these ideas were developed in the first place, against what they were reacting, etc. In a way, this book is much more a history of culture and civilization than a history of politics.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT!, December 21, 2006

By 

D. Granados - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Western Political Thought (Paperback)

This is a great book to gain a better understanding of the various concepts of western politcal thought...its sparknotes for any poli sci major, but on an intellectual level...its a great book.