Spinoza: Complete Works [Hardcover]

Benedictus de Spinoza (Author), Michael L. Morgan (Editor), Samuel Shirley (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872206203 | ISBN-13: 978-0872206205 | Publication Date: November 2002 | Edition: First Edition

The only single edition of the Spinoza corpus available in English, this volume features Samuel Shirley's pre-eminent translations of Ethics; Theological-Political Treatise; Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect; Metaphysical Thoughts; The Letters; Principles of Cartesian Philosophy; and Political Treatise. Also includes The Short Treatise on God, Man, and His Well-Being, and Hebrew Grammar. Michael Morgan provides a general Introduction that places Spinoza in Western philosophy and culture, and sketches the philosophical, scientific, and religious moral and political dimensions of Spinoza's thought. Brief introductions to each work give succinct historical and philosophical overviews. A bibliography and index are also included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A truly marvelous accomplishment. . . . Shirley is undoubtedly the most significant translator of Spinoza’s writings into English. -- Douglas Den Uyl, Bellarmine College

Samuel Shirley’s translations are fluent, eminently readable, and responsive to current research. -- Lee Rice, Marquette University

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch, Latin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1008 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc; First Edition edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872206203
• ISBN-13: 978-0872206205
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bargain for the Price, March 3, 2003

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Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spinoza: Complete Works (Hardcover)

Scholars, students and those who just plain love philosophy should be overjoyed at the release of this volume of Spinoza's collected works, the first in English. The Shirley translation is excellent, easy to follow, and much smoother in general than E.M. Curley's Cartesian-anchored exposition. Until this volume came along I was using three different editions of his collected works. I cannot describe the pleasure of having all Spinoza's works at my fingertips. It pays to be able to consolidate.

The Hackett edition is study, the pages quite thick considering such a lengthy volume, and sewn with thread, ensuring a lasting product, especially comforting considering the price asked. Still, it is a bargain when compared with the Curley edition published by Princeton. Volume Two of that edition has not even been published, though Volume One has been out for quite some time. If you love Spinoza and want to consolidate your collection into one volume, you can't go wrong with the Shirley translation.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars marvelous edition, December 14, 2004

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H. F. Gibbard "Noir Guy" (Dark City, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spinoza: Complete Works (Hardcover)

I heartily recommend this edition to every true Spinozist, for several reasons. First, it contains every significant work by Spinoza, even his Hebrew grammar and his study of Descartes' philosophy. Second, it is a surprisingly compact book, considering that it is nearly 1,000 pages long. Finally, and most important, Samuel Shirley's translations are delightfully readable. The book is ably annotated, with a short introduction.

The paper flyleaf is fragile, so if you are going to carry the book around with you, I suggest investing in a cover for it. (This book is not cheap, after all, and you must protect your investment.)

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'To see with the eyes of Eternity', February 16, 2006

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spinoza: Complete Works (Hardcover)

Another Amazon reviewer has commented on the excellence of this edition, and the great convenience of having all of Spinoza's work in one volume.
Spinoza is generally acknowledged to be one of the major Western philosophers. Will Durant said of him that he was the only great philosopher who actually lived in accordance with his teaching.
My own somewhat mixed feelings in regard to him relate to the fact that he was the first great Biblical critic, the one who seemingly showed so many contradictions in the text. And that he too was driven from the Jewish community of Amsterdam.
My theological quarrel with him is based on my own belief in the Biblical personal conception of G-d. This conception was of course denied by Spinoza who saw the Divine as in some sense the Nature of Nature itself. Spinoza was God- intoxicated in the way that a latter day student of his , Einstein was, in that he saw in the very structure and laws of Nature, the Divine itself.
Most complete works of great intellectual and literary figures contain much which no one will ever read except perhaps scholars in the field. Spinoza does not have a vast opus, but most of his readers will know him through only one small work, the work which gives the essence of his philosophical thought, "The Ethics' My guess is that few read the theological work today, or even Spinoza's political thought.
Nonetheless a complete works is a wonderful opportunity for any reader. One can find little corners of insight all one's own. One can skim through and come upon hidden treasures in ideas. This is especially so with Spinoza.
A ' complete works ' of this kind is thus likely to be a very valuable edition to the library of anyone concerned with philosophy , wisdom and the understanding of the history of human thought.