Critique of Pure Reason, Second Edition

The new edition adds an introduction and a bibliography that - at least in the paperback version - makes the book (even more / too) unwieldly. That bibliography is in faint typeface (at least in the copy I have) and occasionally some of the print, in the main text, is smudged and/or very faint. The new edition fails to correct a mistake that I spotted in the first edition.So, this edition is much worse than the first. Yet, the publisher, Palgrave, demands huge prices.All in all, this is a disservice to philosophy and to the customer. I am going to bin my copy and get a second-hand copy of the older edition.

Setting aside the question of translation for a moment, Critique of Pure Reason is THE most important and most profound philosophical work I have ever studied, and arguably one of the most important philosophical treatise ever written by anyone. It is simply astounding that a single mind, brilliant as it was, could come up with these ideas given their far-reaching, profound and essential implications. And I am not a student of philosophy mind you, but a chemist. I think this must be required reading for every scientist and any student of humanity. This original and revealing book is so important to that it sets apart the brilliant Kant from apart from all other philosophers, by far.As for this translation by Norman Kemp Smith, I must say that it is excellent, and at least to me, it is more clear in parts and more accessible than the original German work. It is difficult to translate Kant due to his rather technical style and the terms he used unconventionally, and Norman Kemp Smith does an admirable job. There are a couple of other, older translations which I have read and compared to the present translation. They are good, but not as good as Kemp Smith's.One last word: if you are going to study Kant, and specially this work, and you decide for some reason not to go with Norman Kemp Smith's translation, do yourself a favor a pick a translator who understands this work and is sympathetic to it. Don't pick a translation by someone, say Guyer, who neither thoroughly understands this work (or at best has critical misconceptions about it), nor is sympathetic to Kant's positions and ideas set forth in Critique of Pure Reason. Be certain that you are reading an honest translation which you can trust.There are a couple of very good "study guides" in English which I used when I studied the Critique. I purchased them from Amazon and will amend this review to give to the names and the links. They will help ... and I hope these comments have helped as well.

The book has already been delivered. And it is in a very good condition!

a very helpful edition

Item was in same condition as advertised, however even when paying for expedited shipping item took 4 days to be shipped and a week to receive. I would consider this to be OK for standard shipping. Expedited shipping should have product at buyers door within 4 days IMO.

An excellent, brilliant study in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, one of the great thinkers in the Western World.