The Idea of the University: A Reader, Volume 1 is a unique compilation of selected works of the major thinkers who have contributed to the discourse on the idea of the university in the German, English, American and French traditions, dating from the establishment of the University of Berlin in 1810. Readings include excerpts from Kant and Humboldt in the German tradition of Bildung through to Jaspers, Habermas and Gadamer; Newman, Arnold, Leavis and others in the British tradition; Kerr, Bok and Noble, among others, in the American tradition; and Bourdieu, Lyotard and Derrida in the French tradition. Each reading is prefaced with a brief editors explanatory note. The Idea of the University: A Reader, Volume 1 provides a comprehensive account of the university, and is matched by a second volume of original essays on contemporary perspectives.

Michael A. Peters is Professor in the Wilf Malcolm Institute for Educational Research at Waikato University and Emeritus Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has written some 70 books, is the executive editor of Educational Philosophy and Theory, and was founding editor of several other journals. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of NZ and has honorary doctorates from the State University of New York and the University of Aalborg. Ronald Barnett is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at University College London Institute of Education. He received the inaugural Distinguished Scholar Award from the European Association for Institutional Research for his outstanding contributions to higher education research, policy, and practice. His creative concepts and principles are advanced in his many books, including The Idea of Higher Education and a recent trilogy, Being a University, Imagining the University, and Understanding the University.