Stumpf in this book sets out to introduce the major thinkers and works of ancient philosophers and to provide a companion to help the reader understand and analyse the primary texts. Tackling the major works of ancient philosophy in one slim volume is an enormous challenge. Stumpf acknowledges this in the introduction, saying that ‘we can't discuss all the philosophers … The hope is to provide you with a helpful introduction to the major themes and movements in ancient philosophy’ (p. xv). On the whole, there is a good balance of breadth and depth. Works of Plato (Apology, Euthyphro, Meno, Phaedo, Republic) and Aristotle (Categories, Organon, Posterior Analytics, Physics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics) are given the most prominence, with three chapters devoted to each of the two philosophers. One chapter at the beginning of the book is devoted to earlier Greek thought and Plato's early works, and one chapter at the end is devoted to Hellenistic Philosophy, Christianity and Neoplatonism. Parts of this last chapter reveal some of the limitations of the breadth approach. The section on Christianity is so brief – barely more than a page – that it is inevitably superficial and oversimplifies greatly, not discussing, for instance, the philosophical ideas behind the arguments cited about the nature of God.

The distinguishing quality of this book is its clarity. Stumpf has a knack for anticipating questions and problems that students will have when engaging with these ancient authors for the first time. This includes practicalities: in the introduction, for instance, he sets out where texts and translations can be found (p. xiv and pp. xvi-xvii) and explains the Stephanus and Bekker numbering systems (pp. xv-xvi). Each subsequent chapter is structured clearly with a section on historical context, an ‘introductory big question’, plenty of subheadings to orientate the student, illustrations where necessary, and a conclusion. It is in the longer discussions of individual works that this is most useful. In the chapter on Aristotle's Ethics and Politics, for example, the subheadings roughly follow the outline of the Nicomachean Ethics and the Politics, helping the student to see clearly the flow of the arguments in each of the works. Equally, the relationship between Aristotle's Ethics and Politics is addressed well by Stumpf's structured writing: the ‘introductory big question’, a subsequent section on Aristotle's ‘Practical Philosophy’ and the conclusion emphasise their shared focus on the good for human beings and give the ensuing argument that ethics should be viewed as part of political science. The ‘Historical Context’ section and the conclusion also compare Aristotle's ideas with Plato's and point towards Aristotle's influence on medieval philosophy. It is one of the strengths of this book that it so clearly attempts to examine the relationships between philosophers and give a sense of the big picture of the development of philosophy in the ancient world, though the narrative does sometimes become too clear and neat, lacking nuance.

There are a few oddities and assumptions in the book which do not undermine its main aims but might cause confusion to the reader. The timeline (p. xxi) includes the figures of Abraham and Moses (and attempts to give dates for them) despite the fact that they fall outside of the focus of the book. On p. 184 Stumpf mentions ‘St. Augustine of Hippo, also known as Aurelius Augustinus’ – surely the wrong way round. Sharper copy editing would perhaps also have picked up the confusion created on p. 178, where Stumpf could be understood to say that Constantine was a Holy Roman Emperor: ‘such language became much more comfortable once the Holy Roman Emperors themselves were Christians, which began with the Emperor Constantine’.

This book's value lies in its usefulness as a teaching aid or companion for secondary pupils and first-year undergraduate students. I have already found the section on Hellenistic philosophy useful when teaching the basic philosophical background to Horace's Odes to a Year 13 class. As an introduction to ancient philosophy, it does not rival other books such as A. Kenny's Introduction to Ancient Philosophy (2007), but its focus is slightly different. Its intention is to be a clear and concise companion to the primary texts, and it largely achieves this.