Thinking Without Banisters: Essays in Understanding, 1954-1975

Beginning in 1951 with the publication of Origins of Totalitarianism, until her death in 1975, Hannah Arendt wrote all of her seminal works, including The Human Condition, Eichmann in Jerusalem, On Revolution, and The Life of the Mind. At the same time, she was contributing essays, reviews, and editorials to numerous publications and participating in recorded conversations, interviews, and public discussions. Now, for the first time, these various shorter texts-all of them published within her lifetime-are gathered together in a single volume that makes clear the remarkable range of her preoccupations and passions.

EDITED AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JEROME KOHN

“"This second volume of some 40 essays, interviews, conference presentations, acceptance speeches, letters and reviews, edited and introduced by Arendt scholar Kohn, reveals a wide focus, including the relationship of theory to practice, American elections, the Cold War, freedom, civic responsibility, and happiness....[Arendt] emerges as startlingly prescient: in an interview in 1973, for example, she emphasized that a free press is crucial in a democracy....A challenging, densely argued, provocative collection." -- Kirkus Reviews”

"Almost every essay in this book contains "pearls" of Arendt's tonically subversive thinking, and many of her observations push readers to think harder about the language in which political activity is conducted."--The New York Times Book Review "This second volume of some 40 essays, interviews, conference presentations, acceptance speeches, letters and reviews, edited and introduced by Arendt scholar Kohn, reveals a wide focus, including the relationship of theory to practice, American elections, the Cold War, freedom, civic responsibility, and happiness....[Arendt] emerges as startlingly prescient: in an interview in 1973, for example, she emphasized that a free press is crucial in a democracy....A challenging, densely argued, provocative collection." --Kirkus Reviews

"These essays, letters, and other short and complete pieces are cause to celebrate . . . Insightful and plain-spoken . . . Reading some of these essays here and now, the shock of how well they relate to current U.S. political realities may strike a chord with many academic readers but also engage informed general readers as well . . . Highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries."--Library Journal

"Thinking Without a Banister is an intellectually exhilarating read in its entirety, exploring the intersection of politics and human life from angles as varied as the imagination, war crimes, Emerson's legacy, the meaning of revolution, and the relationship between private rights and public good."--Brain Pickings

"The texts brought together here offer a sound introduction to key ideas in Arendt's writing, while adding nuance to her already published work for more familiar readers. Kohn's sharp footnotes provide valuable contextual and biographical information, and should be read by anyone interested in Arendt's life and writing. The incisive framing of the volume draws Arendt into our contemporary political moment . . . Sobering . . . Here, Arendt's works on freedom, politics, culture, revolution, thinking, and judgment are brought together to highlight her desire to revive political freedom and public happiness in a world endlessly defined by wars, revolutions, and violence."--Los Angeles Review of Books

"Erudite . . . The collection gives rare insights into Arendt's personal opinions and reflections on her own work. This collection contains a variety that will be illuminating and fascinating for both Arendt novices and experts."--Publishers Weekly

"Thinking Without a Banister provides readers with an opportunity to trace the post-Origins development of Arendt's thought in a single volume. The essays and lectures it collects--many of them available to the general public for the first time--provide an accessible point of entry into nearly every aspect of Arendt's political theory."--Commonweal Magazine

"Thinking Without a Bannister, her collected essays, is an assemblage of Arendt at her most pressing and brilliant. She's simply--you know what, if you haven't read Hannah Arendt, just go and get this book. You'll thank me for it."--Read It Forward

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) is the author of The Origins of Totalitarianism, The Human Condition, On Violence, and Eichmann in Jerusalem, among numerous other books and essays. Liliane Weissberg is Joseph B. Glossberg Term Professor in the Humanities and is a professor of German and comparative literature and chair of the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania.

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