Book description
A wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds,
and greatest books of all time -- listed in accessible and succinct form
-- by one of the world's greatest scholars.
From the "Hundred Best Books" to the "Ten Greatest
Thinkers" to the "Ten Greatest Poets," here is a
concise collection of the world's most significant knowledge. For the
better part of a century, Will Durant dwelled upon -- and wrote about
-- the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human
history. His selections have finally been brought together in a
single, compact volume. Durant eloquently defends his choices of the
greatest minds and ideas, but he also stimulates readers into forming
their own opinions, encouraging them to shed their surroundings and
biases and enter "The Country of the Mind," a timeless realm
where the heroes of our species dwell.
From a thinker who always chose to exalt the positive in the human
species, The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time stays true to
Durant's optimism. This is a book containing the absolute best of our
heritage, passed on for the benefit of future generations. Filled with
Durant's renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events
and ideas in simple and exciting terms, this is a pocket-size liberal
arts and humanist curriculum in one volume.
WILL DURANT (1885-1981) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize
(1968) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977). He spent over
fifty years writing his critically acclaimed eleven-volume series, The
Story of Civilization (the later volumes written in conjunction with
his wife, Ariel). A champion of human rights issues such as the
brotherhood of man and social reform long before such issues were
popular, Durant, through his writings, continues to educate and
entertain readers the world over.
