Mr. Kimball, one of the best of our cultural critics, offers a lively and penetrating study of genius—and pseudo-genius—at work, and investigates the use and abuse of intelligence. Drawing on figures as various as Plutarch and Hegel, Kierkegaard and P.G. Wodehouse, Elias Canetti and Anthony Trollope, he provides a sharply observed tour of Western intellectual and artistic aspiration. A master of the genre, as collections of his pieces attest, none more impressively than this set. —Booklist Starred Review

"Lives of the Mind is a work of generous humanity." - The Weekly Standard

"Kimball does a very good job of integrating the lives of his subjects with the development of their ideas." - CHOICE

"[Kimball] writes with verve and can unpack complex arguments and make them luminously clear….His work…is criticism at its best." - New York Sun

"We rely on the true critic to cultivate our intelligence, refine our tastes, and show us the way to higher pleasures. Roger Kimball is just such a critic." - The Wall Street Journal

"Anyone interested in language, thought, and their sociocultural embeddness will find this a both dynamic and practical book." - Virginia Quarterly

"Kimball’s…essays make for bracing and satisfying reading." - Review of Metaphysics

"Rich and accessible essays.... Kimball writes with verve..." - Sewanee Review