A History of Western Philosophy

History of Western Philosophy

Cover of the first edition
Author	Bertrand Russell
Language	English
Subject	Western philosophy
Publisher	Simon & Schuster (US) George Allen & Unwin Ltd (UK)
Publication date	1947 (US) 1946 (UK)
Media type	Print
ISBN	0-415-32505-6

History of Western Philosophy^[a] is a 1946 book by British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872–1970). A survey of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratic philosophers to the early 20th century, each major division of the book is prefaced by an account of the historical background necessary to understand the currents of thought it describes.^[1] When Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, A History of Western Philosophy was cited as one of the books that won him the award. Its success provided Russell with financial security for the last part of his life. The book was criticised, however, for over-generalizations and omissions, particularly from the post-Cartesian period, but nevertheless became a popular and commercial success, and has remained in print from its first publication.

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