Customer Reviews:
 Excellent reference text to an intrigueing philosophical mind September 1, 2008
All Sartre-readers will appreciate that now and then style tends to preside over substance in his writings, and ideas seemlessly morph into vivid imagery - and therein can become lost and confusing. The Sartre Dictionary is quite brilliant in sifting through the entirety of Sartrian philosophy, and alphabetically presenting not only terms but concepts and arguments - and all are as well cross-referenced as any book I have read.
Sartre gives his own meaning to words we would normatively claim to know: love, anger, others, bad-faith, and so on. All are neatly summarised, as are broader ideas such as inter-personal relationships, his epistemologies, ethics, and metaphysics.
I found this book immensely rewarding. It gives a flavour of most aspects of Sartrian thought in one condensed volume. It fails to encapsulate the dark and pessimistic vision with which the author is associated - only the original texts and translations will accomplish that task - but that is to overlook the dictionary's purpose; it presents a very user-friendly introduction to a fine philosopher.
Instant Sartre Expert April 17, 2008
A very comprehensive A-Z guide to the world of Jean-Paul Sartre. Full of useful, interesting, accessible information. Very well cross-referenced. Made me an expert on Sartre in no time!
more than just a dictionary March 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book will undoubtedly prove invaluable to anyone studying Sartre, or wanting a guide to his rich corpus of philosphical and literary works, but it is also a fascinating read in its own right. As the previous reviewer has noted, its cross referencing is exemplary, and any quick consultation can easily turn into a fascinating tour not just through Sartre's thought, but also the ideas of his contemporaries and predecessors. To give one example, the entry for 'Regret' is a mini-seminar on a core existentialist concept; as well as being a skilled commentator on Sartre, Gary Cox also shows himself to be an excellent teacher. All in all this is a wonderful introduction to much that matters in twentieth century thought,as well as an indispensible guide to the work of a great thinker.
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