Iain Hampsher-Monk's lucid and accessible history of modern political thought is the introduction which many have been waiting for, providing a thorough guide to the ideas and writings of major political thinkers from Hobbes to Marx (including a full account of The Federalist papers).

The author's aim throughout is to incorporate the benefits of modern scholarship of the historical school, with its emphasis on historical and political circumstances as a key to meaning. Recognizing that for most students time will not allow detailed study of the historical and political contexts of particular works, Hampsher-Monk provides here the background necessary for the readers to situate the writings of key thinkers in relation to wider currents in intellectual and political history.

Iain Hampsher-Monk is Professor of Political Theory at the University of Exeter and Editor of the international Journal History of Political Thought.