Metaphysical Club : A Story of Ideas in America

from kukulaj

I am not too good on American history; this book did a very nice job of filling in lots of gaps. There is always a lot of talk around about why people fought the Civil War. Well, why did the South fire on Fort Sumter? Anyway, Menand does a very nice job describing how antislavery folks in the Nor...

from gregorybrown

Fascinating book on a subject I wasn't previously familiar with: the major strains of American thought between the Civil War and WWI. Under the banner of Pragmatism, Menand looks at four thinkers from the era: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., William James, Charles Pierce, and John Dewey. It gets off t...

from J.v.d.A.

One of those books you just happen to pick up whilst browsing in a store and get lucky with. Very well written, though a couple of chapters do get a little complicated and would obviously merit a second read - which I look forward to getting around to. Full of interesting stuff.

from neurodrew

24 October 2001 The Metaphysical Club Louis Menand The American intellectual scene in the period between the Civil War and the First World War is the subject of this multiple biography. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charles Pierce, William James and James Dewey are the main protagonists. The book takes ...

from stevrbee

It took me a long time to finish this book. I picked it up in the remainders bin probably a dozen years ago, and put it in the pile of books to get to "someday". When someday finally came in April I wondered why I had picked this book up to begin with. It is A LOT. When people talk about weighty...