What's Here

The resources covered on this page provide overviews of the entire history of philosophy (primarily Western).  Some of the books are essentially encyclopedias, others are guides.

Several publishers produce one or more series on the history of philosophy, and I have included those as well, even though individual volumes cover only a portion of the history of philosophy.

• All Regions and Periods
• Western: All Periods

For resources on particular periods and regions of the world, see the other pages for the History of Philosophy.

For material on specific philosophers or topics, see also the Guides to Philosophies/Philosophers page.

All Regions and Periods

A companion to the philosophers.  Ed. Robert L. Arrington.  Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1999.

LSF, SML (Philosophy Study Room), B72 C595X 1999

All regions and eras.  Good bibliography.

Western: All Periods

The Blackwell companion to philosophy. Ed. Nicholas Bunnin and E.P. Tsui-James. 2nd. ed. Malden, MA; Oxford: Blackwell, 2003.

SML (Starr and Philosophy Study Room), Divinity Library (Stacks), B21 .B56X 2003

This volume is divided into two main sections. Part I treats areas of philosophy (such as epistemology, philosophy of mind, and aesthetics). Part II covers the history of philosophy in Europe and the UK (almost no discussion of philosophy in the US, and none of non-Western regions).

Cambridge Histories Online

These ten books contain in-depth essays for the more advanced reader, written by leading scholars on selected periods, usually a century or longer.  Most of the volumes are on the history of Western philosophy, but there is one on Islamic philosophy.

Columbia history of Western philosophy.  Ed. Richard H. Popkin.  New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.

Bass, SML (Philosophy Study Room), B72 C593X 1999

Organized chronologically and by tradition.  Good bibliography.

The Continuum encyclopedia of British philosophy. Ed. A.C. Grayling et al. London; New York: Thoemmes Continuum, 2006.

SML (Starr), Divinity Library (Trowbridge), B1111 .C66 2006

Definitive resource on British philosophy, broadly construed; it treats philosophers from the Jacobean divine Lancelot Andrewes to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning to the major figures of the analytic tradition.

Routledge History of Philosophy Series

Mostly in print format only: Search Orbis for the Routledge History of Philosophy Series

This series provides a chronological survey of the history of Western philosophy from the Presocratics to the twentieth century.