Reading order
A History of Western Philosophy — reading order
- A History of Western Philosophy (1945)
- A History of Western Philosophy, Part 2: Catholic Philosophy (1946)
- A History of Western Philosophy, Part 3: Modern Philosophy (1945)
8.18.1 / 10
Score out of 10Series ranking →- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 1945–1946
- Published
- Completed
- Status
Quick answer
Start withA History of Western Philosophy
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Publication order
3 volumes1945–1946Completed
- Bertrand Russell’s 1945 survey of Western thought, from the pre-Socratics through the Catholic philosophers to the moderns, in three parts.
- It places every thinker in the politics and society of their time and is written with wit, clarity and strong opinions; specialists find it unfair to some, Hegel and Nietzsche among them, but it remains the most readable one-volume history of philosophy and helped earn Russell the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- Read it straight through or dip in by era.
Every volume in order
Read: 0 of 3
- A History of Western Philosophy, Part 2: Catholic PhilosophyBuyA History of Western Philosophy, Part 2: Catholic Philosophy–Not ranked yet
- A History of Western Philosophy, Part 3: Modern PhilosophyBuyA History of Western Philosophy, Part 3: Modern Philosophy–Not ranked yet
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 11, 2026
Frequently asked questions
What should I read after A History of Western Philosophy?
Other series by Bertrand Russell: Principia Mathematica.