Customer Reviews

Introducing Enlightenment

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3 star:		(1)
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This little gem of a book is chock full of facts, personages, and events contained within the marvellous phenomenon known as The Enlightenment. It could rightfully be considered an encyclopedia of sorts.

The book begins with the first stirrings of the Enlightenment (17th century), and ends with the French Revolution. In between is a treasure trove of information, with all subjects brought into discussion adequately addressed.

If you are curious about the Enlightenment, if you have a scholastic assignment pertaining to same, or if you (like myself) need a solid yet entertaining beginner's stepping-stone to further Enlightenment studies then THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

By far the best in the "Introducing" series published by Icon/Totem. The author made only one mistake in the book: A section entitled "The End of the Enlightenment." To the contrary -- the Enlightenment is still alive!

Long live the Enlightenment!

One of the benefits of this series of books is that the illustrations give you an idea of what the protagonists looked like. From Krauze's drawings we learn that the thinkers of the Enlightenment were all misshapen freaks with a strong family resemblance.

The text, on the other hand, is very good. It gives the bare facts necessary for a framework for further study, plus some valuable insights such as placing the roots of the movement in England's Glorious Revolution of 1688. Names, dates and book titles are all here to give you a concise, solid introduction to the movement. There may well be better books out there at the price, covering similar ground, but this is a painless introduction, with enough facts to be worth keeping for reference. It would have been so much better if the illustrations had contributed rather than detracted.

For a book that contains equal parts text and illustration, INTRODUCING THE ENLIGHTENMENT is surprisingly helpful. There is perhaps no better place to look for a better initial orientation to the main figures and ideas of the Enlightenment. One will definitely want to read other, deeper books about the era after this one, but this is an excellent starting point.

This book is too boring that I have nothing to say