Hegel's Absolute: An Introduction to Reading the Phenomenology of Spirit (Suny Series in Hegelian Studies)
Reputed to be one of the most difficult yet rewarding works of  philosophical literature, Hegel'sPhenomenology of Spirithas long  been in need of an introduction for English readers. Without using jargon  or technical terms, Donald Phillip Verene provides that introduction,  guiding the reader through Hegel's text as a whole and offering a way to  grasp the major insights and sections of Hegel's text without  oversimplifying its narrative. A glossary of sixty of Hegel's terms,  discussed in both their original German and English equivalents, is  included."This is genuinely an introduction toreading the Phenomenology, as  opposed to the more typical commentary or exegesis insisting on some  particular reading, and it introduces thePhenomenologyin a way  that actively encourages new and different readings. The author encourages  the reader to take Hegel on his own terms, to follow the path that Hegel  believes Spirit travels in the midst of its unfolding autobiography. The  first task--if one is truly to profit from reading the Phenomenology--is  just to try to see why Hegel thinks as he does. Embedding the Hegelian  project in the philosophical and cultural context of the early nineteenth  century, as well as drawing on disparate parts of the rest of the tradition  to help elucidate his points, Verene provides an elegant and rich framework  within which to take up this task." -- Brian John Martine, author ofIndeterminacy and Intelligibility--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.