The Selected Letters of Bertrand Russell, Volume 2: The Public Years 1914-1970 (Vol 2) [Paperback]

Nicholas Griffin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415260124 | ISBN-13: 978-0415260121 | Publication Date: October 27, 2002 | Edition: New edition

This long-awaited second volume of Russell's best letters reveals the inner workings of a philosophical genius and an impassioned campaigner for peace and social reform. The letters, only three of which have been published before, cover most of Russell's adult life, a period in which he wrote over thirty books, including his famous History of Western Philosophy. Richly illustrated with photographs from Russell's life, the collection includes letters to Ho Chi Minh, Tito, Jawaharlal Nehru and Albert Einstein.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'These are not mere selection of letters; they are letters expertly chosen and brillantly annotated, with a running commentary situating each one in the complex circumstances of Russell's life...nothing else written about Russell's life, including recent biographies, comes near it in value...a remarkable document about a remarkable life.' - Literary Review, April 2001

'Pray silence for the sage of Plas Penrhyn - possibly the most celebrated English intellectual of the 20th century. At times one feels that if Russell had not existed, Nancy Mitford or Evelyn Waugh would have had to invent him.' - The Times

With the publication of the second volume of The Selected Letters of Bertrand Russell, Nicholas Griffin has completed a work of impressive scholarship. - Russell: The Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies

About the Author

Bertrand Russellwas one of the most famous philosophers of the twentieth century. Nicholas Griffin is Professor of Philosophy at McMaster University. He is editor of two volumes of Russell's Collected Papers (Vol 1 1988; Vol 2 1990), published by Routledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 680 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New edition edition (October 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415260124
• ISBN-13: 978-0415260121
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,214,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970). Philosopher, mathematician, educational and sexual reformer, pacifist, prolific letter writer, author and columnist, Bertrand Russell was one of the most influential and widely known intellectual figures of the twentieth century. In 1950 he was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1950 for his extensive contributions to world literature and for his "rationality and humanity, as a fearless champion of free speech and free thought in the West."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN OUTSTANDING SELECTION, March 5, 2002

By 

Luciano Lupini (Caracas Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Selected Letters of Bertrand Russell: The Public Years, 1914-1970 (Vol 2) (Hardcover)

This book is recommended reading for anyone interested in a fresh approach to the workings of the mind one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century.
It is a selection of 338 letters written by Bertrand Russell between 1914 and 1970. Sifting though more than 40,000 letters is no simple feat. Fortunately the editor is Nicholas Griffin, director of the Bertrand Russel Research Center at McMaster University in Ontario. As editor of Russell's "Collected Papers", he is in an enviable position to provide us with the juiciest tidbits of Russell's dry humour, as well as a portrait of a passionate man.
The editor commentaries to the letters are useful in order to better understand and put in perspective some events and people mentioned by this very extraordinary thinker. One that you have to know well, if you are to understand how could he write in 1967
that "a great deal of work has come upon me, neglect of which might jeopardise the continuation of the human being......" Kudos to the editor.