Recommend for casual reading or for a class
597233
This is a very well written book. I find it easy to read and understand and conveys essentials quickly. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who either wants to improve their knowledge about Rockets or people who are in an upper division class regarding rocket propulsion
3461661
This book is not the sit down and get ready for a ride sort of book, but for a college class book, it was pretty easy book to get immersed in and read about. It definitely helped me with my courses.
4737157
I used this book for my Church History college class. It provides a good overview of the Christian church, highlighting key figures, councils, and beliefs throughout the various time periods. I appreciated the fact that I was able to read a chapter or two and have a good idea of what would be discussed more in-depth in my other textbooks for the class. Each chapter gave a good preview and quick look at each "era" in Christian history. The chapters are a fast read, and overall the book was enjoyable. Good value for a short summary of Christian history.
901295
Great textbook for school. Nice read, if you are into this stuff
1282444
This book is definitely geared toward the general reader. It is simple, short, organized, and accessible. After presenting a short bio of each philosopher and describing his thought, Johnston poses a few questions for the reader to ponder, interacting with the philosopher and his philosophy. It is a better book for someone with little or no exposure to philosophy than for one with previous study in the area. Overall, though, it's just not that great of an intro to philosophy, in my opinion.

So as not to leave you without recourse however, if I were suggesting an excellent basic summarization of influential western philosophers, I would point folks to The Journey of Discovery by William Lawhead. Since the 3rd edition is much cheaper than the fourth, I'll link to it, but it's only available used:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Voyage-of-Discovery-A-Historical-Introduction-to-Philosophy-Thomson-Advantage-Books/dp/0495127795/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Voyage of Discovery: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy (Thomson Advantage Books)</a>. There's a link to the newer edition on that page. The only difference is that Lawhead's book is a basic textbook-- it's longer and covers many more philosophers. However, I have never encountered anyone or anything that distills robust philosophy down to a few accessible pages and makes more connections among the projects of various philosophers than does Lawhead. Even if you picked the same philosophers from Lawhead's book as Johnston covers, I think your time would be much better spent, and more enjoyably spent as well.

ok, back to Johnston's book. In response to some other reviewers' queries, I can assure you that Marx and Derrida are philosophers and influential ones at that. Yes, Marx has had immeasurable impact on economic and political theory and praxis, which most philosophers have not. However, philosophy has shaped most political thought, and political philosophy is a sub-area. Derrida is certainly a well-known literary critic, famous in what is known as "continental" (often French and German) philosophy. However, because of their far-reaching impact throughout philosophy, both of these men are fine contributions to this book given its scope and purpose.

I'm actually a bit more surprised he chose to include Spinoza, but it's probably due to the unique though of Spinoza and Johnston's attempt at diversity. And of course Hegel is noticeably absent, but he inspired Marx's thought, and perhaps Johnston discusses Hegel some in the chapter on Marx. I don't recall specifically at this point. If Johnston delved more into 20th century philosophy, he would probably begin to include women, but given the history of western philosophy, women are not featured previous to the 20th century. And this very clearly is a history of western philosophy -- perhaps that would have been a more appropriate title.
2539656
THE BOOK IS NICE AND ENTERTAINING FOR UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD HISTORY.A GOOD CASUAL READ......CREATES INTEREST TO READ MORE BOOKS .
3102619
Required reading for a class that I took in college. Very quick and enjoyable read.
2659965
Good book, used it for a college art history course. Lots of pic, very light not in-depth summaries. Easy read. Paperback and portable.
102887
Liberal and interesting ideas which could bring a lot of discussion in a group.  Excellent for class or small group study.  Author has an interesting background.
1654019
Interesting read for casual reading. Proceeds go to a scholarship fund which I found pretty cool. I would give a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
1474437
I read this book for an undergraduate course on Modern British Literature. As we spent the majority of the semester discussing modernism, I felt that this book was appropriate for the class. We were assigned about three-fourths of this book.  I believe that this book functions very well for an undergraduate level literature course.  It was a great companion to the novels and poems that were read, as it provided a deeper understanding of the function of the work in terms of literature as a whole as well as the specific time period we were discussing.  Novels such as Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway and Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier are explained so that they are more accessible to an individual who may not have had experience with the book before or feel as though they do not have a good grasp on the material.  The pictures help expand understanding of how modernism stretched over a number of artistic media (such as poetry and music) and the charts help to present movements such as Realism and Aestheticism in an organized manner.  I found that the writing style was accessible and much more absorbing than other, more dry books I have read.  I would highly recommend this to any individual who is studying this specific time period, whether for a class or not.
4648349
Bought this for a class I was taking.  Worked out as a textbook and reference.  Had interesting stories pertaining to Biblical history. This is not something I would have selected for personal reading, but ended up being quite interesting even as a textbook.
3074516
got it for a class and in time to read the first item
2239898
Good brief history of Egypt and the different rulers.  There are interactive lessons as well.  So it is an enjoyable book to read and would work in a classroom or home schooling atmosphere quite well.
420939
Purchased book for class.  Considering purpose of book it was rather entertaining and a relatively easy read.  Would not recommend for leisurely reading, however provided some entertainment and enjoyment as a necessary scholastic read.
1379458
I think that this book is interesting enough to keep reading, but not the most exciting story.

All the characters are well defined, as one expects from a classic, but I think at times it goes into too much detail.

I read this book as a school reading assignment, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic stories.
3753589
I am using this book for a class I am taking online.  I have enjoyed reading it.  It is easy to follow.  The questions in the back of the chapters do make your brain think some.