Great Books of the Western World is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952, by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The original editors had three criteria for including a book in the series drawn from Western Civilization: the book must have been relevant to contemporary matters, and not only important in its historical context; it must be rewarding to re-read repeatedly with respect to liberal education; and it must be a part of "the great conversation about the great ideas", relevant to at least 25 of the 102 "Great Ideas" as identified by the editor of the series' comprehensive index, what they dubbed the "Syntopicon", to which they belonged.

Four colors identify each volume by subject area—Imaginative Literature, Mathematics and the Natural Sciences, History and Social Science, and Philosophy and Theology.

Each book is 6-1/2" wide and 9-1/2" tall and takes up approximately 58" of bookshelf space. Previous owner's name is stamped on each inside front cover.

These books are in very good condition with some spots and puckering on the cover spines, please see photos.

Interior pages are yellowed and there is foxing on the first and last few pages. Also, there are brown spots on edge of pages, visible when books are closed.

PLEASE NOTE: I have a complete set of the 10-volume Gateway to the Great Books available as well as a 10-volume set of the Great Ideas Program which is a guide to the key ideas and readings within the Great Books of the Western World, under separate listings.