"The Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century British Philosophers" covers the period beginning (approximately) with Jeremy Bentham and ending with J.H. Muirhead. All the major 19th-century philosophers are here, but so too is a very wide range of less well-known writers, many of whom have not been mentioned elsewhere in philosophical encyclop dias or dictionaries. The importance of looking at minor figures is now widely accepted. These lesser lights often posed the problems that stimulated greater intellects, and it is usually the more obscure figures, not the luminaries, who are the typical representatives of the thought of a period. If an author contributed directly to the history of ideas or wrote for non-specialist readers about the way human beings perceive or respond to the world, he or she is included. Each entry is written in an accessible style, giving a biographical sketch of the author, and an analysis and assessment of his or her doctrines and ideas, with emphasis on the historical context and,where relevant, subsequent influences. Entries also include a bibliography listing the subject's major and minor philosophical writings and giving guidance to further reading.
A system of cross-references makes it easy for the reader to pursue connections and influences.