Ray Monk is a lecturer in philosophy at Southampton University and the acclaimed biographer of Russell and Wittgenstein. Frederic Raphael took a degree in philosophy from Cambridge and is the author of numerous novels, screenplays and translations.

"This little series of biographical summaries of the thoughts of 24 Western philosophers from Democritus to Derrida is admirable not only for its reasonable price but even more for the intelligence and clarity of the writing. Each volume has been prepared by an expert in the subject, and the result is a series of well-drawn and exceptionally useful pocket-size (4.5 x 7 inches) sketches of major figures in the history of Western thought...Ultimately, this set should be in every academic and public library as well as many school libraries." -- Library Journal