Correspondence of Thomas Hobbes V 1

 [NB in publicity materials use short description + first few review quotes if short of space] Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is one of the most important figures in the history of European thought. Although best known for his political theory, he also wrote about theology, metaphysics, physics, optics, mathematics, psychology, and literary criticism. All of these interests are reflected in his correspondence. Some small groups of his letters have been printed in the past (often in inaccurate transcriptions), but this edition is the first complete collection of his correspondence, nearly half of which has never been printed before. All the letters have been transcribed from the original sources, and all materials in Latin, French, and Italian are printed together with translations in clear modern English. The letters are fully annotated, and there are long biographical entries on all of his correspondents, based on extensive original research. These two volumes form one of the most significant and valuable publications of Hobbes scholarship this century, casting a new light on the whole pattern of his intellectual life and personal friendships.

Review: an important literary and philosophical event ... [the letters] open a window onto many aspects of the seventeenth-century world; anyone interested in history, literature, politics, philosophy, and the history of science will find them utterly absorbing. * Financial Times *

No one who hopes to understand the remarkable position which [Hobbes] came to occupy in the history of ideas will be able in future to ignore Malcolm's edition ... a most impressive achievement * Times Higher Education Supplement *

these letters present a striking picture of the milieu of an extraordinary genius ... Noel Malcolm rounds off these two beautifully produced volumes with succinct biographies of Hobbes's correspondents, written with the elegance, modesty and impeccable scholarship that characterise the edition as a whole. * Sunday Telegraph *

The whole range and depth of Dr Noel Malcolm's labours, are beyond praise and almost beyond belief ... The book is essential reading for all serious students of Hobbes's life and thought. * Political Studies *

a meticulous and comprehensive example of scholarship * The Times *

superbly edited * The Independent *

The appearance of these two volumes of correspondence is undoubtedly on of the most significant events of recent years not only in the field of Hobbes studies, but also in the more general area of seventeenth-century philosophical and scientific culture ... [the] rich editorial material contributes to the great scholarly value of the work. * BJHS *