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MCGUINNESS, Brian. Young Ludwig: Wittgenstdn's Life 1889-1921. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988, 2005. xix + 322 pp.-First published in 1988, Brian McGuinness' biography of the first half of Wittgenstein's life was, at that time, the first detailed account of that part of the life of the philosopher, and it is still to date the most detailed and carefully documented report. It is thus good news that the book, which has been out of print for several years, has been reprinted. The reprint was not only opportune but also necessary, since McGuinness' book, to my mind, is a must-read for anyone who is starting to work on Wittgenstein's person and philosophy.
The new reprint contains the same nine chapters and eighteen illustrations, the 1988 Preface and Wittgenstein's family tree, and it also includes a new Preface (pp. v-ix), in which McGuinness reflects mainly on the reception of the book after its first appearance. Unfortunately, the absence of a bibliography of the cited works and of a list of the archives used (deplored by I. Grattan-Guinness in his 1989 review, Isis 80, 2: 355) has not been amended in this new issue.
The book covers Wittgenstein's life from his ancestors (grandparents: early nineteenth century) to the publication...