Overbeck's intellectual thought centres around philosophy and theology, although there are obvious signs of vast learning in other areas. Large parts of the book are dedicated to expressing and developing his ideas on these subjects. Although a background in these studies is helpful in getting the most you can from the book, there is much that is meant to be accessible to anyone with the determination to understand. I must confess that there were parts of the long letter dedicated to his wife Suze, in which he seeks to unravel the mathematical basis on which philosophy rests, that were beyond my grasp. However, even when the minutiae were not decipherable to me I could still follow the thrust of the argument. Obviously advanced mathematicians will have more to say and I look forward to seeing academic appraisals of some of the more advanced mathematics.

Likewise with idealist philosophy. There are sections of the book that attack the 'great' philosophers. The particular focus is on the Germans form Kant to Nietzsche. The book contains a powerful attack on these thinkers but it is impossible to deconstruct the thought of these very influential men without tackling the difficult and subtle ideas expressed in their writings. For my part I have never read a more devastating critique of idealist philosophy and it is worth the effort of taking on new language and use of terms to see a masterly and brutal intellectual attack on what the author sees as the hollow deceit of philosophers.

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