Constantin Boundas

Deleuze and Philosophy provides an exploration of the continuing philosophical relevance of Gilles Deleuze. This collection of essays uses Deleuze to move between thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Husserl, Hume, Locke, Kant, Foucault, Badiou and Agamben. As such the reader is left with a comprehensive understanding not just of the philosophy of Deleuze but how he can be situated within a much broader philosophical trajectory. Constantin Boundas has gathered together recent scholarship on Deleuze's philosophy by an acclaimed line-up of international contributors, all of whom seek to provide new and previously unexplored theoretical terrains that will be of interest to both the Deleuze specialist and student alike. Three of the essays are by key French Deleuzians whose work is not widely available in translation. This enticing collection is essential reading for anyone interested not just in Deleuze but in the history of philosophical ideas. Contributors include: Zsuzsa Baross, Veronique Bergen, Ronald Bogue, Bruce Baugh, Rosi Braidotti, Claire Colebrook, Bela Egyed, Philippe Mengue, Dorothea Olkowski, Davide Panagia, Daniel W. Smith, Jeremie Valentin, Arnaud Villani.

A book review, if you will, can be a powerful tease for readers who anticipate extracting nuggets of insight from its parent source. It can also be—and often is—a way for the reviewer to bask in the glow of a good writer or, by the same token, to flaunt his own cleverness and sense of superiority at the expense of a struggling essayist. I never had conclusive evidence to hold myself immune to either of these temptations. This time, however, I am in a position—temptations notwithstanding—to render my services to interested readers, with the satisfaction that comes from knowing that the pains of composing a review have been fully redeemed by the pleasure of having read two books that made me think long and hard. May's and Hallward's books are very different from each other, in scope, ambition, and targeted readership: May chose to write an introduction to Deleuze—an introduction that could be read and appreciated even by those who know nothing, or very little, about Deleuze—and he did it with honesty, fidelity to the material he has been working with, and with the exquisite transparency and subtlety of his style. The result is one of the best introductions to the rhizome-Deleuze we have had that can be read profitably by beginners and Deleuze-aficionados alike.