These more minor figures provide important study material for the seventeenth-century scholar, and yet information on them is hard to find in the traditional sources. Our broad scope also allows inclusion of many figures well known to historians of other disciplines. All these figures are of philosophical importance and interest. Entries include biographies, assessments and bibliographies for each subject. The text places the figure in the social as well as intellectual context of the day and critically assesses their central claims and doctrines as well as their overall place in the history of philosophy.
Bibliographies contain the author's own works together with a selection of secondary literature.
A system of cross-references makes it easy for the reader to pursue connections and influences.