The book brings together the greatest minds of Western civilization and their pivotal ideas, from Plato to Hegel, from Augustine to Nietzsche, from Copernicus to Freud. Richard Tarnas achieves a near-miracle of describing profound philosophical concepts with ease, yet without their simplicity. It has become a classic, and only ten years since its publication, The Passion of the Western Mind is a complete liberal library in one volume. "One of the most enlightening books I have ever read: enlightening, persuasive, beautifully written, easily argued, and important." - Keith Thompson "The most exciting account of the West's 30-century odyssey in search of truth-at the fingertips of the wide public, as the writer of these lines knows it. It is a brilliant achievement." - Harrison Shepherd, The Hellenic Journal "The finest history of Western thought I have ever seen, bound together." - Huston Smith, author of World Religions: "This is a superb critical survey, with its inherent respect for both the 'high mainstream culture of the West' and the 'radically changing world' of the 1990s, providing a fresh breakthrough for both general and professional readers... enabling them to grasp the big picture of Western culture, as if for the first time." - Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle: "Powerful, and will continue to sustain us for decades into the new millennium." - John Sculley, president and CEO of a computer company: "This is an excellent, fascinating, and monumental book: as gripping as a detective novel; as exciting as a poem. Tarnas Palliser's writing is brilliant and passionate, and he unravels the great drama of the evolution of the Western mind, chapter by chapter, scene by scene, in concise and researched detail." - Anne Pering, Resurgence Obeikan Publishing