In Tractatus in Context, James C. Klagge presents the vital background necessary for appreciating Wittgenstein's gnomic masterpiece. "A masterpiece of scholarship and insight"Anthony Gottlieb "Wittgenstein knew that the Tractatus was a difficult book. Indeed, he thought it would be impossible to understand unless he provided an accompanying verbal explanation, line by line. In this book Klagge has done us the remarkable service of reconstructing something of what Wittgenstein's verbal explanation might have been. By gathering Wittgenstein's scattered remarks on the various Tractatus passages, from his notebooks, lectures, and conversations with students and friends - some of them previously unpublished - and by assembling many of the more obscure texts to which Wittgenstein was responding, we can now read the Tractatus with the closest available approximation to Wittgenstein's own auto-commentary. This is a phenomenal scholarly achievement, and should be the companion volume from which all future readings of the Tractatus begin."Gabriel M. Citron, Princeton University, USA "Klagge's Tractatus in Context provides a personalised tour of Wittgenstein's first published work through a treasure trove of material - including diary entries, correspondence, related philosophical discussions, historical context, anecdotes, and comparisons with earlier drafts, later writings, the German-English translations, and, finally, its reception in the philosophical community. Throughout this journey, Klagge guides the reader through the material with his own expertise and wit, from his careful elucidation of the technical mathematical material to the more mystical passages at the end. Documenting every step with extensive footnotes, Klagge has produced what will become required research material for upper division undergraduate and graduate students and sought after by scholars, teachers, students and admirers of Wittgenstein. 45 years in the making, this book is a monumental addition to Wittgenstein Studies."Julia Tanney "This commentaryreveals the chorus of voices who either left their imprint on Wittgenstein's text, or took their cue from it. Informative, stimulating, and entertaining all at once."Alfred Nordmann, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany