A clear introduction to the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, the only book Wittgenstein published during his lifetime. Michael Morris introduces and analyses the brief and sometimes cryptic text, including Wittgestein’s life, the background to the Tractatus, the ideas and the text, and the importance of Wittgenstein’s work in philosophy today.

Introduction 1. The nature of the world 2. The legacy of Frege and Russell 3. The general theory of representation 4. Sentences as models 5. Logic and compound sentences 6. Solipsism, idealism and realism 7. Metaphysics, ethics and the limits of philosophy Appendix: The substance argument Bibliography

'This is an excellent book: it provides the clear and direct exposition that students need, at the same time as conveying a sense of the depth, the importance, and the interest of Wittgenstein's text. Morris sheds new light on some of the most important issues for interpreting the Tractatus, and his treatment of them is clearly informed by a deep fascination with Wittgenstein's thought that will carry first-time students on to further work as well as appealing to more experienced readers.' - Peter Sullivan, University of Stirling, UK‘... I think this is one of the best books about the Tractatus that I have read. ...It is suffused with a sort of sceptical enthusiasm for the Tractatus which seems to me to be just the right attitude to encourage in students coming to this frustratingly fascinating work for the first time. I recommend it.’ – Michael Potter, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews