Abstract

It is a commonplace in a review of a new book about Hegel to remark upon the proliferation of such treatises. Nonetheless, most such books recently have not dealt with Hegel comprehensively, narrowing their consideration instead to a particular theme, a particular text, or both. This is a healthy trend, but it also means that a new book which aims at giving an overview of Hegel’s development and system is still a singular event, especially when it accomplishes its goal as well as Hegel, edited by Otto Pöggeler. The book, written in German and as yet untranslated, is part of a series of introductions to great philosophers published by Karl Alber and is intended to help people without specific knowledge of Hegel gain access and familiarity with his work. Despite these modest intentions, Hegel can also be profitably read by the most erudite Hegel scholar, for it represents in a concise format the state of Hegel scholarship.