Portraits of Philosophers

£39.95

Portraits of Philosophers is an elegant, clothbound volume pairing striking photographic portraits with intimate interviews. It captures the presence and the ideas of some of the most influential philosophers of our time.

From questions of love, identity, and death, to reflections on morality and meaning, this book invites you to slow down and think deeply. Beautifully designed. Carefully made. Crafted to endure.

Portraits of Philosophers is an elegant, clothbound volume pairing striking photographic portraits with intimate interviews. It captures the presence and the ideas of some of the most influential philosophers of our time.

From questions of love, identity, and death, to reflections on morality and meaning, this book invites you to slow down and think deeply. Beautifully designed. Carefully made. Crafted to endure.

The Mind Revealed in Thought and Image

The portraits and conversations of Portraits of Philosophers

Bringing together the reflective clarity of philosophy and the still intimacy of portraiture, Portraits of Philosophers presents a unique encounter with leading contemporary thinkers. Shot over the course of a year, this book captures each subject not only in image but in voice — in deep, searching conversations that reveal the human texture behind the intellectual legacy.

From foundational questions about morality, mortality, and identity, to reflections on love, choice, and the boundaries of self, the book offers a rare look at how philosophers think when they are thinking aloud — not delivering lectures, but exploring. Each portrait, carefully composed and lit, becomes an extension of the conversation: the furrowed brow, the open hand, the pause between thoughts.

The project began at the University of Cambridge and evolved into a carefully edited volume that honours the rhythm of each interviewee’s thought. The book includes contributions from figures such as Peter Singer, Julian Baggini, Clare Carlisle, and A.C. Grayling — not only well-known names, but voices that speak with clarity, conviction, and an urgent sense of human concern.

A limited-edition clothbound volume, Portraits of Philosophers brings together over 100 photographs, curated excerpts from interviews, and newly written reflections from the editor. Themes are introduced not by abstract theory, but by the texture of lived experience: a philosopher remembering their first ethical dilemma, or reconsidering their views on death in the wake of personal loss.

More than a document, this is a conversation across pages — between the reader and the thinker, between image and text, and between philosophy and life.

Now available in a first-edition print run, the book includes a foreword on the nature of portraiture and philosophical intimacy, a studio essay on the photographic process, and a series of thematic notes linking the interviews to traditions in continental and analytic thought. An illustrated index and biographical timeline complete the volume, offering entry points for further reading and exploration.

“Remarkable writing that is needed this day and age”
— The Guardian

  • The Mind Revealed in Thought and Image

    The portraits and conversations of Portraits of Philosophers

    Bringing together the reflective clarity of philosophy and the still intimacy of portraiture, Portraits of Philosophers presents a unique encounter with leading contemporary thinkers. Shot over the course of a year, this book captures each subject not only in image but in voice — in deep, searching conversations that reveal the human texture behind the intellectual legacy.

    From foundational questions about morality, mortality, and identity, to reflections on love, choice, and the boundaries of self, the book offers a rare look at how philosophers think when they are thinking aloud — not delivering lectures, but exploring. Each portrait, carefully composed and lit, becomes an extension of the conversation: the furrowed brow, the open hand, the pause between thoughts.

    The project began at the University of Cambridge and evolved into a carefully edited volume that honours the rhythm of each interviewee’s thought. The book includes contributions from figures such as Peter Singer, Julian Baggini, Clare Carlisle, and A.C. Grayling — not only well-known names, but voices that speak with clarity, conviction, and an urgent sense of human concern.

    A limited-edition clothbound volume, Portraits of Philosophers brings together over 100 photographs, curated excerpts from interviews, and newly written reflections from the editor. Themes are introduced not by abstract theory, but by the texture of lived experience: a philosopher remembering their first ethical dilemma, or reconsidering their views on death in the wake of personal loss.

    More than a document, this is a conversation across pages — between the reader and the thinker, between image and text, and between philosophy and life.

    Now available in a first-edition print run, the book includes a foreword on the nature of portraiture and philosophical intimacy, a studio essay on the photographic process, and a series of thematic notes linking the interviews to traditions in continental and analytic thought. An illustrated index and biographical timeline complete the volume, offering entry points for further reading and exploration.

  • • 240 pages of dialogue, portraiture, and insight

    • 13 leading thinkers, including Peter Singer, A.C. Grayling, Clare Carlisle, Julian Baggini, and Alice Crary

    • Interviews conducted during a year-long research project at the University of Cambridge

    • Themes include: Love, Death, Identity, Curiosity, Morality, Choice

    • Full-page photographic portraits — cinematic, personal, and honest

    • Uncoated, archival-quality paper with a tactile, matte finish

    • Foil-stamped hardcover, clothbound in midnight blue

    • Printed in the UK, designed to last for generations

  • • ISBN: 978-1-0682731-0-0

    • Dimensions: 24.5 × 24.5 cm

    • Binding: Clothbound hardback, foil-stamped spine and cover

    • First edition: 750 copies worldwide

    • Publisher: Platonic Press, London