Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy

By Jostein Gaarder 
Translated by Paulette Møller 

“This book contains a novel mantra for those days when the world gets in your face.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A whimsical and ingenious mystery novel that also happens to be a history of philosophy.”—Alexander Theroux, The Washington Post Book World

“First, think a beginner's guide to philosophy . . . Next, imagine a fantasy novel—something like a modern-day version of Through the Looking Glass. Meld these disparate genres, and what do you get? Well, what you get is an improbable international bestseller . . . [A] tour de force.”—John Elson, Time

A brand-new 30th anniversary edition of the wildly popular (over fifty million copies in print!), page-turning novel about a young girl’s exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought.

Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World is an exciting coming-of-age novel that thrives on its contradictions. It is a page-turning science fiction adventure as well as a history of Western philosophy—from the discourses of ancient Greece to debates about the Big Bang.

The games begin when fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen finds two notes in her mailbox. One note asks, “Who are you?” The other asks, “Where does the world come from?” From here, with the aid of a devoted but mysterious instructor, Sophie sets off on a fantastic philosophical saga that will take her far beyond her small Norwegian hometown. Letters give way to lectures, questions give way to quests, and the dimensions of Sophie’s world (as well as our own) grow ever wider, deeper, and richer.

Paperback
544 pages
Picador, 2024
Originally published in 1991
5.91 x 8.27 inches
ISBN 9781250860491
Philosophy, Theory