Behold this wonderful endorsement on the old Hackett edition of Hegel’s Introduction to the Philosophy of History:
It suggests an amusing party game for philosophers (or academics of all kinds): devise the most subtly derisive quip possible for a given book.
(thanks to Mark Nelson)
Comments
doctorzamalek
That’s nice.
I’ve seen an even worse one, but can’t cite it until both parties are deceased… The blurbist is a friend of the author, and it’s painful/funny to watch the blurbist, who clearly despises the book, try to come up with some trace of faint praise.
tclark
That’s got to rank as among the best backhanded compliments I’ve ever read.
Lee Braver
The best one I heard was, “This book fills a much-needed hole.”
Read it again if you don’t get it–it took me a minute the first time I heard it.
Mark J. Nelson
Since the professor who assigned this edition in a class I took didn’t think much of Hegel, but was teaching a class in which Hegel needed to be included, perhaps the derisive blurb served its purpose in selling the book— it seems almost tailor-made to speak to a “don’t like Hegel, but need to pick the least bad edition” audience.
Jim Preston
Personal favorite: “You’ll be very lucky if you can find all the wisdom contained in this slim volume.”