This was a very good introduction into many different philosophers. It was very accessible, and I will definitely recommend it to people looking for a simple primer that isn't too technical!

I wanted to understand a lot more about philosophy. Although this is a good
read, it isn't exactly what I was looking for.
It is a good introduction to philosophy. I am glad it differed from the typical textbook style
in explaining the subject.

I enjoyed this overview. It helps set a useful context for understanding the spectrum and world of philosophy. In our confusing time it was refreshing to have this presentation as a basis on which to think about life and our world

This book would be a helpful addition to any high school or university philosophy class. It breaks down the history of Western Philosophy in a way that's easy to digest. In a way, it reminds me of the way Wikipedia or Sparknotes gives highlights of specific literary pieces. Instead, it builds on that idea and gives a quick summary of various philosophers works. Really well done and easy to understand!

Very interesting book that focuses on the relationship between logic, rational scientific thought and the development of philosophy.

A Short History of Philosophy is a short summary of western philosophy over time. For readers looking for a brief outline of major philosophers and ideas, this book might be a useful addition to their libraries. For readers hoping for an opportunity to engage with philosophical ideas and critical analysis of the ways different thinkers frame understandings of what it means to be human, this book will be less appropriate.

Well this is certainly an ambitious book! Each of the most prominent Western figures and their key beliefs are covered in chronological order providing an overview of how the subject of philosophy has developed over the ages.

Gibson does a good job of narrowing the field down to the basics and presenting it in easy, digestible chunks. This does mean that a lot is left out and I do think the book would have benefited with a little more time focusing on certain theories, particularly the ones that are later referred back to.

I should also mention that this book is very much a history of Western, in particular European, philosophy. It may have been a lot to ask for it to cover every corner of the globe but I would have liked a mention of the field existing beyond Europe.

I would recommend going into this novel with a basic understanding of philosophy and terminology, the speed of which things are covered means there’s little time to fully expand on points. But if you have a beginners interest in the topic then this is an ideal book to expand on that and launch further research from.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Are you using this time at home to improve your mind?  Would you like to learn a bit about philosophy?  If so, this book provides a brief overview of the subject.  Those who become intrigued will not doubt want to read further but, if you just want a sense of the important thinkers, this book will provide exactly that.


This title starts in 585 BCE and works its way up to philosophy since 1960.  Thus, it is very comprehensive.  I enjoyed this book.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

My apologies to Netgalley and Arcturus Publishing, who sent me a free electronic copy of this book. I cannot give this book an enthusiastic review.

Before commenting on the contents of this book, I want to say that the Goodreads page of this book is in error. The author of this book is listed, as of this writing, as Jane O'Grady. The author of the book I got from Netgalley was Peter Gibson. This is the book's cover:

https://images.gr-assets.com/photos/1593036868p8/3917282.jpg

It is identical to the image of the book currently on the page, except the author is changed.

I did a little Google research. O'Grady is a professor of philosophy in England. So is Gibson. My theory is: O'Grady was originally slated to write this book, but for some reason did not complete the task. Gibson wrote it instead.

I sent this information to Goodreads librarians, but my post was not answered and this entry remains unchanged. Goodreads librarians, I understand, are volunteers. I do not wish to antagonize Goodreads librarians by being a pest about it.

About the book itself …..

Positive: Short and clearly written.

However, I still didn't understand a lot of it. I'm interested in philosophy but don't know any more about it than the average person. I couldn't hold the abstract concepts straight in my head and understand how Philosopher A's conception of Being differed from Philosopher B's. Perhaps this book might work well as an accompaniment to an undergraduate introduction to philosophy class, but reading it alone didn't help make philosophy any clearer.

Perhaps I should have informed myself more about philosophy before attempting to read this book, but do the publishers really think that someone who is already well acquainted with the concepts is going to read a book named A Short History of Philosophy?

I have always wanted to know more about Philosophy but had no idea where to even start. I was intimidated by the books I did see. They always ended up to be more like textbooks and extremely detailed but I am open to trying new books on the subject so when I saw this one I wanted to give it a try. I am so glad I did decide to read it as it is exactly what I have been looking for.
"A Short History of Philosophy" gives a simple timeline to the major philosophers and how they connect to one another in sequence. It is short and concise without going into too much detail and provides a clear but complete synopsis of their concepts and the schools they followed.
The book is a wonderful introduction to Philosophy and I was fascinated to learn how Philosophy is so integral to the World we live in today including Democracy to Mathematics to Physics and much more.
If you are interested in learning about Philosophy but just want a brief introduction to start with then I highly recommend this one.

Interesting but rather frustrating overview of the history of philosophy. Yes it’s short and meant to be but the subject, if one thinks back to Bertrand Russell, can be explored in short chapter. This one feels skimmed.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Did a minor on philosophy ten years ago but forgot most of the details. It's a very accessible, funny and poignant book. Would recommend it, if you want to dive into the major thinkers and schools of thought.

Exactly what it says it is – a short history of philosophy. An ideal introduction for anyone not already conversant with the subject, a broad overview of philosophy and philosophers through the ages. Concise, accessibly written and an ideal volume to have around when you need an introduction to a particular thinker.

I enjoyed this as a new student to philosophy. I have a science background, but felt welcomed to the world by this book. It was good without being too much of a textbook

this book was done in such a way which made it easy to follow the progress of man's philosophy from the Greeks to modern day. the author made it insightful and interesting that even a beginner can understand and pick up the theories listed

A Short History of Philosophy – From Ancient Greece to the Post-Modernist Era by Peter Gibson takes the reader on a voyage covering the great thinkers throughout history from 585 BCE to the modern era. The book covers what seems all of the great European thinkers – well a lot of them anyway.

I arrived at this book with very much a lay person’s knowledge of this wonderful and interesting topic. Previously, my only real exposure and reading has covered two philosophers from antiquity, namely Seneca the Younger and the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. I particularly enjoyed Seneca’s <i>On the Shortness of Life</i>, in fact, I keep a copy of it in my Man Bag. Yes, Man Bag.

This book takes us through countless philosophers through 14 chapters, each covering a specific time period. Therefore, it describes the works of a lot of thinkers. Personally, I found it a tricky read because each Philosopher and their work was flung at me at breakneck speed, I lost track, and sometimes was overwhelmed and confused by the content. Maybe it was just over my head.

I believe this work would be ideal for a new student to philosophical studies, as it certainly would provide the reader with a snapshot of various Philosopher’s works and where they fit in the chronological order of things. A good basic reference.

This book was an interesting read but maybe a bit too much for me.

3 Stars

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A Short History of Philosophy gives a simple and concise timeline of the main philosophers and a quick historical context of the time they lived. It showed how the ideas from different philosophers connected with their predecessors; which concepts they agreed or disagreed and how they contributed with the discussions of the period. It never goes too deep into any of them - which it is to be expected - giving a general idea of the most famous insights of each philosopher or school.

Overall, it was good introduction on the subject and an enjoyable read. I don't have a lot of knowledge about it, but the language was simple enough to follow - though I have to confess that some concepts went a bit over my head. It made me interested in reading more about some philosophers whose ideas compelled me, and I might try reading more about their work in the future.

I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is exactly what it says it is and thats fantastic! Its a quick read and very easy to understand. Understand its the basics and not a deep-dive but it is very enjoyable and i feel like I learned a lot!

This is similar to another short philosophy overview book I've read before and it was exactly what i expected. The history was precise enough that i learnt a bit more about certain figures and it expanded what i knew of others. I really liked this and thought that this was enjoyable and accessible by all.

Good overview, but I’m not convinced that organizing by people was a better approach to understanding the field than organizing by theory. I enjoyed the read but came away wanting to know much more about the questions these men (why no women?) grappled with than about the individuals themselves. A worthy starting point, though, in a philosophical journey.