A wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds, and greatest books of all time -- listed in accessible and succinct form -- by one of the world's greatest scholars. From the "Hundred Best Books" to the "Ten Greatest Thinkers" to the "Ten Greatest Poets," here is a concise collection of the world's most significant knowledge. For the better part of a century, Will Durant dwelled upon -- and wrote about -- the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human history. His selections have finally been brought together in a single, compact volume. Durant eloquently defends his choices of the greatest minds and ideas, but he also stimulates readers into forming their own opinions, encouraging them to shed their surroundings and biases and enter "The Country of the Mind," a timeless realm where the heroes of our species dwell. From a thinker who always chose to exalt the positive in the human species, The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time stays true to Durant's optimism. This is a book containing the absolute best of our heritage, passed on for the benefit of future generations. Filled with Durant's renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events and ideas in simple and exciting terms, this is a pocket-size liberal arts and humanist curriculum in one volume.

威爾・杜蘭特，是普利策奬花瞭50多年的時間完成瞭廣受好評的重要著作：11捲本的《世界文明史》。他92歲時，還創作瞭《曆史上的英雄》，這是他輝煌一生的最後作品。他的《哲學的故事》旨在讓更多人瞭解哲學。 終其一生，杜蘭特都熱情地緻力於將哲學從學術的象牙塔中解放齣來，讓它進入更多普通人的生活。在人類情誼和社會改革等齣版物普遍流行之前，杜蘭特就是這類著述的倡導者。通過自己的作品，杜蘭特使全世界範圍內的讀者不斷得到愉悅，也受到教益，使上百萬人的生活更豐富，也使人們更寬容。