The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, Volume 1

Bertrand Russell

Allen and Unwin, 1971 - Philosophers - 230 pages

Bertrand Russell was born in 1872 and died in 1970. One of the most influential figures of the 20th century, he transformed philosophy and can lay claim to being one of the greatest philosophers of all time. He was a Nobel Prize winner for Literature and was imprisoned several times as a result of his pacifism. His views on religion, education, sex, politics and many other topics made him one of the most read and revered writers of the age. He also wrote this book, one of the most compelling and vivid autobiographies ever written. Now available in a single paperback, this edition of Russell's Autobiography includes an introduction by scholar Michael Foot exploring the status of this classic nearly 30 years after the publication of its last volume.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - fpagan - LibraryThing

(Comments on Volume 1:) My second reading of this first volume (of 3) of Russell's autobio was so long delayed that I had forgotten that many of the chapters end with lengthy collections of letters. E ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - jamclash - LibraryThing

Peak into the world of a true renaissance man. It begins to divert about halfway through towards his relationships and marriage, but his insight is keen and his writing is excellent.

Contents

• PROLOGUE What I have Lived For: 13
• Childhood: 15
• Adolescence: 38

About the author

Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher, logician, essayist and social critic. He was best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. Together with G.E. Moore, Russell is generally recognized as one of the main founders of modern analytic philosophy. Together with Kurt Gödel, he is regularly credited with being one of the most important logicians of the twentieth century. Over the course of a long career, Russell also made contributions to a broad range of subjects, including the history of ideas, ethics, political and educational theory, and religious studies. General readers have benefited from his many popular writings on a wide variety of topics. After a life marked by controversy--including dismissals from both Trinity College, Cambridge, and City College, New York--Russell was awarded the Order of Merit in 1949 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Noted also for his many spirited anti-nuclear protests and for his campaign against western involvement in the Vietnam War, Russell remained a prominent public figure until his death at the age of 97.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, Volume 1; The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, Bertrand Russell
• Author: Bertrand Russell
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Allen and Unwin, 1971
• ISBN: 0049210122, 9780049210127
• Length: 230 pages