The Story of Philosophy was published by Simon & Schuster in 1926. It was one of the first titles issued by the newly founded publishing house, and its spectacular commercial success — it sold millions of copies and was translated into dozens of languages — established both Durant’s reputation and the publisher’s viability. The book surveyed Western philosophy through biographical portraits of major thinkers: Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, and several others.
Durant’s method was to make philosophy concrete by embedding ideas in the lives that produced them. Rather than abstract systematic exposition, he told stories — of Plato’s encounter with Dionysius of Syracuse, of Spinoza’s excommunication, of Voltaire’s exile in England, of Nietzsche’s collapse in Turin. This narrative approach made the book accessible to readers with no philosophical training and established the template for popular intellectual history.
Professional philosophers were often dismissive — the book was too general, too anecdotal, too willing to sacrifice nuance for readability. But Durant understood that his audience was not other philosophers but the general public, and his gift was the ability to convey why philosophical questions mattered without reducing them to slogans.
Collecting The Story of Philosophy
First edition (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1926): Blue cloth with gold lettering.
Market values:
- First edition, fine in dust jacket: $500–$2,000
- First edition, very good without jacket: $50–$150
- Later printings: $5–$20
The book has been continuously in print since 1926. First editions are identified by the Simon & Schuster colophon and the absence of later printing lines. The dust jacket, if present, dramatically increases value.
People Also Ask
Is The Story of Philosophy still worth reading? Yes. While the philosophical landscape has changed enormously since 1926, Durant’s biographical approach remains engaging and his portraits of individual thinkers are vivid and generally reliable. It remains an excellent introduction for readers approaching Western philosophy for the first time.
What is the difference between The Story of Philosophy and The Story of Civilization? The Story of Philosophy (1926) covers Western philosophers through biographical portraits. The Story of Civilization (1935–1975) is an eleven-volume narrative history of world civilization from its origins to the Napoleonic era, covering politics, economics, religion, science, literature, and art.