The founder of American pragmatism, C.S. Peirce, lived as an eccentric, but thought as a dedicated communitarian. In Reading Peirce Reading, Richard Smyth demonstrates that Peirce's early essays presuppose a very distinctive perspective on the history of philosophy. One important mark of a major philosopher, Smyth argues, is that the philosopher causes us to read the history of thought in new ways. Smyth shows not only that Peirce passes that test, but that Peirce's philosophical practice actually did conform to his communal ideal for inquiry. Students and scholars interested in the history of philosophy and pragmatism will want to read this book.

"In this interesting book, Smyth examines several of Peirce's most important early writings from the standpoint of what they reveal about Pierce's own reading of the history of philosophy. His [Smyth's] findings are illuminating." - Peirce Project Newsletter

"This erudite, eclectic, and fertile book examines the philosophy of Charles Pierce in the light of the philosophy Pierce himself read." - Australasian Journal of Philosophy