“Sartwell has created a thorough survey of the idea of beauty that is sophisticated but easy to read. Combining and adding to the results of several earlier books, this economical treatment will be useful for generations to come, summing up the thoughts of many thinkers from every corner of the world and letting readers decide for themselves what beauty is, its uses and value, and its persistent problems. Sartwell goes right to the difficult controversies, but does not take sides until the end. But don't skip to the end! This book makes an excellent teaching tool and would work equally well for high school as for graduate school.” -Randall Auxier, Southern Illinois University

“Theories of beauty distilled through years of scholarship could easily devolve into esoteric abstractions. But not the way Crispin Sartwell does it. Exposing the false dilemma of whether beauty is objective or subjective–while discussing the implications beauty has on politics–Sartwell presents an exemplary piece of public philosophy.” -Michael R. Spicher, founder, Aesthetics Research Lab (lecturer) MassArt, Boston Architectural College