This is a primer for nonspecialists about the history of the concept of friendship. Grayling presents the canon on the subject--starting with Plato & Aristotle through the medieval period to the Enlightenment. Philosophical considerations are supplemented with overviews of famous friendships in literature. The author closes with some uninspired personal thoughts on the subject.

One would expect such a historical overview to at least suggest how contemporaries are wrestling with the concept, but Grayling is content to end his book with a personal narrative of his special friendships in his boarding school and undergraduate days. (Given that he acknowledges that male friendships have too long dominated the discourse, it is odd that he insists on recounting his own rather unremarkable--& notably unnamed--friends).

If this is indeed a series devoted to helping us navigate our current ethical landscape, then it is incumbent on the editors of the Virtues and Vice series to introduce (at least) a sketch of the concept as we use it now. ( )