Valuable Collection for specialists and non-specialists.
This "new" (1985) translation by Cottingham, Stoothoff, and Murdoch is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of philosophy, early modern thought, or the history of the subject. I've never been the biggest fan of Descartes' philosophies, but CSM do a wonderful job of compiling his philosophical works into 2 volumes. It is hard to overestimate the importance of Descartes' thought, and this has some of his key works, including the famous "Discourse on the Method." It also has some really interesting texts with which I was not familiar: the "Rules for the Direction of the Mind" and "Principles of Philosophy." My personal favorite of Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy," appears in Volume 2, which I have recently ordered.
CSM's translations are quite readable, and while I wish they had more critical work (very few explanatory footnotes, and the prefaces are concerned solely with textual history), I can understand why they left it out -- they are tackling a big enough subject without going to the effort to try to compile footnotes. Buyers should take the title very seriously -- this is only the PHILOSOPHICAL writings of Descartes, with only a smattering of his scientific and mathematical texts. I believe that there is still no complete translation of all of Descartes works into English, but from what you can get out this and the 2 other volumes by CSM (vol. 3 has correspondence), you can become extremely well versed in Rene's work. Only those people who devote their entire academic careers to Descartes and French philosophy need look at the 13-volume complete works in French, which is the way such people should read it anyway. This is suitable for, I think, even the serious philosopher.
