I study the Hebrew of the Bible often, very often and for years, translating words and looking to get the right shade of meaning. Holladay is the first lexicon I reach for. I can literally straighten my elbow right now and pull it off my shelf of hundreds of books and dozens of Hebrew books and aids. This is because not only is all that was mentioned in the other review but it is compact and readable. Only then, after checking Holladay, do I turn to Gesenius, the others and the multivolumes.

If you are a student, a minister who has to keep looking up 'alma (give it up! ;-), or need a quick reminder of a word meaning, I can't believe you don't already have this book!!! Act like "somebody" and get this NOW.

Binding wise, I have to add, that this book has held up very well to constant use without its dustjacket. One minor casuality is the gold ink on the cover---it has faded some and looks more light green than gold. So what!? I should look so good after 20 years!

Her work is, on its face, an attack against neo-cartesianism in the behavioral and neurosciences, but its scope is actually far wider than that. She takes on a range of currently fashionable positions in philosophy and logic with a deft and professional style which makes her a unique contributor to the debates in which she engages so powerfully.

I recommend this book to all serious philosophers and students of mind, psychology, social sciences and biology.

You will encounter in this text a truly original voice in the contemporary intellectual scene.

This unhackneyed, interesting book surveys Beethoven's music via representative, sometimes little known works, arrayed in a loose biographical framework. Kinderman concentrates on Beethoven's characteristic traits, many of which are clearly audible already in the composer's childhood and teenage works. The book is aimed at a general audience, though a little familiarity with Beethoven's music and basic musical terminogy is useful (sonata, recapitulation, key).

The book conveys an idea of some of Beethoven's compositional techniques (the analyses are relatively brief, and often only cover aspects of given works, but many are extremely insightful). In more descriptive passages, Kinderman hones in on the essential in the music, without wasting time with the usual sturm+drang+fate baggage too often equated with Beethoven. Typical Beethovenish features, such as the mischievous sense of humor, and the sensory and emotional effects achieved without a trace of sentimentality, get their due too.

To be sure, there are some flaws. The segments on certain philosophical tendencies of the time were not interesting (for me), but Kinderman does clearly label these optional. Fortunately, the reader can easily separate out subjective interpretations from the first rate analyses, since Kinderman doesn't disguise his views in pretend academic authority. I do somewhat cringe at the musicological cliche of calling Beethoven's middle period "heroic". To me, this baffling label puts a false programmatic spin on what is really extremely varied music. In the same vein, the one composition really nicknamed "heroic" may get the only really overblown interpretation in the book (what is known about Beethoven's original sketch plans for the Eroica doesn't to me seem to support Kinderman's view). Fortunately, I never got the feeling that Kinderman tried to cram his views down anyone else's throat.

Otherwise, the book remains on solid ground. I upgraded my original four stars to five, since I think this book is very useful to those who love the music and want to understand some of it a little better. Currently nothing else (that's in print and easily available) does the job as well as Kinderman.

Still, it is a sentimental and lovely book, betraying a golden hearted yet savvy businessman. A must for any drum collectors.

"Goodman is a very acute and sensitive reader of both James and Wittgenstein, and his book will be of great help to students of both philosophers." Richard Rorty

"It is an absolutely fascinating piece of philosophy, intellectual history, and detective work that establishes categorically the influence of William James on Wittgenstein's work. Goodman's prose is lucid and the overall thrust of the argument is entirely plausible. What is perhaps most powerful is that Goodman puts the two protagonists' stories in a sort of conversation which seems perfectly self evident...but is nonetheless quite original."
Simon Critchley, University of Essex

First, let me say that the translation by William H. Brenner and John F. Holley is brilliant. I have been very critical of a sew pieces I've read that were written in different languages (French and German mostly) that make it very clear that whomever is doing the translation doesn't have a clue about English. This is not the case in Schulte's Wittgenstein: An Introduction. The translation is smooth as silk and the English usage is almost always clear and understandable.

Second, the book is indeed manageable, but not too condensed like some other books that aim to do a "fly by" of any given philosopher's main ideas. Schulte goes into well enough detail to make Wittgenstein's thoughts comprehendible and provides just enough substance to make them "stick" in your mind - and does so without dumping too much on you at once.

Third, the comments regarding an acute awareness of contemporary scholarship is very accurate. Schulte presents alternative hypothesis regarding Wittgenstein's ideas frequently and in a way that usually allows the reader to decide for oneself (Schulte's reasonable conclusion always win out in the end, however). I especially enjoyed learning how often Saul Kripke misinterpreted Wittgenstein (assuming that he actually did), because it gave me sense relief to know that some of the most brilliant minds of our time haven't read Wittgenstein correctly.

Finally, I'm not sure where I fit in on the "beginner-experienced student" spectrum, but I've had some Wittgenstein in undergraduate school prior to reading this book. That small exposure doubtless served as a bit of a primer for me, but I am far cry from an "experienced student." As such, I did find the book pretty accessible, but I certainly had to go back and re-read some of the more difficult portions. In sum, I chose to read this book before beginning a graduate-level course on Wittgenstein, and I feel a heck of a lot better about my knowledge of Wittgenstein's ideas after reading Schulte's introduction.

---Megan W.

Isn't Wit's basic premise about language and truth just a slant on Sausseurian linguistics with lots of blather and a critique of his (Wit's) prior incarnation in the Tractatus? (the tractatus being the single most pseudo and naive work in the history of phi in my opinion and Wit's first book.)