One of the greatest philosophical works of all time, in a new translation for the twenty-first century

'We could capture the whole sense of the book as follows: what can be said at all can be said clearly; and whatever cannot be said must be left to silence.'

Widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophical works of the twentieth century, Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is a succinct yet wide-ranging exploration of language and logic; of science and mysticism; of what can be said, and what can only be shown. Its austere beauty - along with its famous 'picture theory' of meaning - has inspired generations of thinkers, artists, novelists and musicians. In a series of short, bold statements, Wittgenstein seeks to define the limits of meaningful expression. Originally published in the early 1920s, it is the only book-length work the renowned philosopher published in his lifetime.

In this thrilling new translation, accompanied by a lively introduction by Jan Zwicky, Alexander Booth displays an extraordinary sensitivity to the subtle influence on Wittgenstein's gem-like prose - at once specialist and, often, remarkably plain-spoken - of his background in mechanical engineering, while at the same time highlighting the underlying poetry of this seminal text.

About the Author
Ludwig Wittgenstein (Author)
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was born in Vienna in 1889 to a wealthy industrialist family and pursued an education in mechanical engineering before going on to study, and later to teach at the University of Cambridge, where he lived until his death in 1951. He is regarded by many as the greatest philosopher of the twentieth century, and his two major works, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921) and Philosophical Investigations (published posthumously in 1953), are two of the most influential works within the history of the analytic tradition.

Jan Zwicky (Introducer)
Jan Zwicky is a Canadian philosopher, poet, and musician. Her poetry collections include Songs for Relinquishing the Earth, The Long Walk and Wittgenstein Elegies. Her philosophical works include Lyric Philosophy, Wisdom & Metaphor and The Experience of Meaning.

Alexander Booth (Translator)
Alexander Booth is a poet and literary translator living in Berlin. He received a PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant for his translations of the German poet Lutz Seiler in 2016. His work has been published in several international journals.




Book Information
ISBN 9780241681954
Author Ludwig Wittgenstein
Format Hardback
Page Count 144
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 240g
Dimensions(mm) 200mm * 136mm * 20mm