Sartre's "Being and Nothingness": A Reader's Guide (Reader's Guides)

Gardner's guide is great because instead of being structured by overall themes like freedom and consciousness, he begins with an 'overview of themes' chapter, but then procedes to take you through Being and Nothingness *section by section*.This is just essential, because unless you are an academic (although even then this is true), you will quickly drown in Sartre's incredibly dense and murky language. Would highly recommend if you can find a copy of this, even if you only just read the first paragraph Gardner writes for each section - he usually (unlike Sartre) provides a clean summary. Thank me later

The other reviewer might have believed that this book is aimed at children: it isn't. This book seeks to explain the basic ideas of existentialism, and their ensuing ontological philosophy, but its still a difficult academic subject. Think about it this way: this book will help give a layman the basis they need to be able to understand and appreciate the deeper questions of ontology, but it will still require patience, and perseverance.If you want a very basic general outline of philosophical concepts, you'd do better to get Sophie's World by Jostein Gardner, or The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant. Buy this book however if you want to eventually go on to read 'Being and Nothingness' and require a bit of help. Because that's what a reader's guide is supposed to do.So for example, this book starts off with a 'context', and in doing so gives a simpler explanation of what existentialism means:"In the broad sense in which the term is usually employed, existentialism denotes a movement of thought whereby established values, and the world pictures associated with them, are subjected to radical skeptical reevaluation, and the individual thrown back on himself as a final resource..."It then goes on to also explain the ideas of nihilism (the world philosophy associated with it). All of this is a simpler reworking of Sartre's starting point, but it is still academic philosophy. You can't expect to read it like you would a Lady Bug Children's Book. You need to approach it calmly and patiently.I hope this helped.

Dont buy this if you are looking for a guide. I found it much, much too difficult. Not an explanation of anything, more a dry retelling of it in as difficult a form as Sartre with no effort to make it accessible. Avoid.

The only reference I have found that even begins to demystify the confusion that is Being and Nothingness.