A great book on theories of aesthetics, art, and the role of politics in the literary and the visual. The reader is easy enough to read, with great translations and background information provided in the introductions to the sections. I loved how the text was presented as a "dialogue," as the selections chosen were those of authors responding to each other's works critically and insightfully. A great read for anyone interested in the Frankfurt School of theory. ( )

If we ever want to put a final date on the Enlightenment in the West, we could probably use this volume to argue that these men (all brilliant, all dedicated to socialism) were among its last exemplars. After them, only the white noise and chaos of a world where reason is definitively not in charge. ( )