Wittgenstein: A Life. Young Ludwig 1889-1921 Wittgenstein Ludwig.; Mcguinness Brian

First edition. 8vo. xii, [2], 322 pp., eighteen black and white photographic illustrations across four plates. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, dust jacket. A fine copy. London, Gerald Duckworth & Co, Ltd. The first of a projected two volume biography of Wittgenstein, the second volume of which would never appear, by the renowned Wittgenstein scholar Brian McGuinness. The book charts Wittgenstein's early life, from his upbringing in Vienna, through to his early years in England from 1908 to 1913, his military service during the First World War and subsequent captivity, and covers the writing, publication and reception of the Tractatus. The volume concludes with his renunciation of philosophy and retirement into elementary-school teaching.