A compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds and greatest books - listed in accessible and concise form - from one of the world's greatest scholars. In this remarkable little book, Will Durant answers the questions that most people would have wanted to ask him - what are the conclusions he drew from the experience of a long lifetime; what eras, individuals, and achievements stand out as being the most significant? Who, for example, could be legitimately classified as the greatest thinkers in human history? Who were the truly great poets, the ones that plucked notes upon heartstrings that continue to resonate hundreds and thousands of years after their passing? And what are the absolute best books one should read in order to receive a meaningful - and useful - education? As Will Durant was repeatedly asked to "weigh in" on such matters, he, over the course of his career, responded to the increasing public demand for such qualified assessments by putting pen to paper and crafting a series of essays containing his personal rankings of human achievement. These essays have been brought together for the first time in this book.