This elegant volume has been produced to a very high standard, is easy to handle, affordably priced, and, most importantly, renders Spinoza accurately into clear and graceful English. It will undoubtedly become an indispensable tool for all serious readers of Spinoza. . . . The supporting editorial material of this volume--the work of Michael L. Morgan--is. . . judicious and reliable. His eight-page Introduction offers a succinct interpretive overview of Spinoza's system that will be thought-provoking for specialists, while also basic enough to be accessible to novice Spinozists. Morgan also provides a very useful chronology of Spinoza's life, a brief introduction to each work, and a light apparatus of footnotes. --Adam Sutcliffe, The Jewish Quarterly Review
Samuel Shirley's translations are fluent, eminently readable, and responsive to current research. Where a particular passage is difficult or obscure, Shirley never attempts to interpose himself between the reader and Spinoza, nor to side with one or another competing school of thought or interpretation. That makes his translations not just an ideal introduction for the reader new to Spinoza, but also a trustworthy source of insight for the more advanced reader. --Lee Rice, Marquette University
A truly marvelous accomplishment. . . . Shirley is undoubtedly the most significant translator of Spinoza's writings into English. His translations have the unique ability to integrate accuracy, lucidity, and facility of expression that is unparalleled by other translators of Spinoza. --Douglas Den Uyl, Bellarmine College