"Robertson's far-flung thematic survey probes the work of philosophers and ideologues, among them Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, and Immanuel Kant, and expertly interprets the period's art and literature, including Samuel Richardson's melodramatic novel Clarissa, which set all of Europe to weeping. Thanks to Robertson's elegant prose and lucid analyses, this massive and deeply erudite work serves as a stimulating and accessible introduction to a watershed period in the intellectual development of the West." – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Mr. Robertson is a splendid writer, astoundingly versed in European letters and gifted at vividly sketching the views of the 'Enlighteners.' . . . Robertson, armed with a prodigious knowledge of the Enlightenment's literary output, has captured the tone and spirit of this milieu." – Wall Street Journal
"Robertson expands the conception of the Enlightenment from familiar topics like the scientific revolution to include areas as diverse as public administration and manners. He portrays not only well-known philosophers but also the many civil servants and functionaries, from Philadelphia to St. Petersburg, who gave practical shape to Enlightenment ideals. For Robertson, this period was ultimately "an age of feeling, sympathy and sensibility," in which the goal was human happiness in this life." – The New Yorker
"Deeply impressive . . . bracingly eloquent narrative . . . a big, enthusiastic book." – Christian Science Monitor
"There's a certain kind of book that defies a direct approach. It arrives on the doorstep, several inches thick, dense with learning. . . . Ritchie Robertson's thousand-page The Enlightenment [is] a beautifully written account of a period that everyone has heard of but few pause to think about." – AirMail
"A long, thoroughly satisfying history of an era that was not solely about reason but was "also the age of feeling, sympathy and sensibility." Robertson, a professor of German at Oxford, has clearly read all the original sources and most modern scholars and arrived at his own conclusions, which are alternately unsettling and stimulating and consistently engaging." – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Distinguished German scholar Robertson has produced a monumental work on a monumental topic....indispensable for advanced students and readers of history, especially those wishing to learn more about this pivotal era." – Library Journal
"Fascinating . . . fresh and expansive." – Booklist