J. Heinrich Lambert: Philosophische Schriften

As a supplement to his "Philosophische Schriften" we are publishing Lambert’s ‘Monatsbuch’ in a new, much improved reading and with a newly-produced and comprehensive commentary. In the manuscript, first edited in 1915, Lambert made notes of his scholarly activities from 1752 until his death; this provides a key to his work in all its breadth, from astronomy, mathematics and optics, thermodynamics and meteorology, to logic and metaphysics. The commentary, which identifies a related manuscript or publication by Lambert for almost every entry, explains key words and concepts, and sheds light on the biographical context, is interlinked with a manuscript catalogue of his archive, a primary bibliography and an index of letters from and to Lambert. The list of reviews provides the first reliable description of his contribution to the Allgemeine Deutsche Bibliothek. Together with additional finding aids and an introduction that addresses among other themes the fact that Lambert’s versatility can also be a hindrance to his reception, these volumes are an indispensable tool for anyone interested in one of the most important German intellectuals of the age of Kant.