Brian McGuinness

Ludwig Wittgenstein is universally recognized as one of the most original and influential philosophers of his age and as a personality of great magnetism and power. Not all who recognize his importance admire him or approve of it; his life and work are both surrounded by controversy. In this welcome reissue of his classic biographical study, complete with a brand-new Preface, Brian McGuinness traces the early years of this fascinating figure and examines the formative influences which shaped his extraordinary life. The first life of the philosopher to be worthy of its subject ... It must have been an intensely difficult task, which has been magnificently accomplished. Michael Dummett, The Tablet Will obviously become the standard biography in English ... a vivid picture of an extraordinarily interesting human being. Anthony Storr, The Listener `Review from previous edition His account of the mutual impact of Wittgenstein and his Cambridge friends and mentors, particularly Russell, is uniformly brilliant ... McGuinness''s book is indispensable reading.'' A. J. Ayer, Sunday Times `Outstanding ... McGuinness''s assessment of Wittgenstein''s psychological nature semms in many ways profound.'''' Galen Strawson, Observer