The philosopher and critic George Henry Lewes (1817 78) published this work in two volumes in 1845 6. This is a reissue of an 1892 printing, which brought the volumes into one book. Lewes wrote widely on literature, science and philosophy, and was also the long-term intimate companion of George Eliot. This book is a narrative history, rather than an encyclopedia, of key philosophers. It is, therefore, a partial and personal study instead of an exhaustive textbook. The first volume concentrates solely on Greek philosophy, beginning with the Pre-Socratics and ending with the Neo-Platonists.