History, Guilt, and Habit

There is scarcely a single term that comprehends the range of Owen Barfield’s interests and learning, though 'philosopher' would probably do as well as any, but all of his interests have been grounded in is study of history, which is to say something more than that he is a student of history. He is rather a knower of history and a thinker about it. — from the "Foreword" by G.B. Tennyson Few books would provide a better basis for a serious discussion of modern mentality, or a better closing for a course in great books or the history of ideas. . . . [Barfield’s] is a learned, disciplined, generous, and utterly intrepid intellect. . . ." — Choice