On the Purity of the Art of Logic ― The Shorter and the Longer Treatises

Walter Burley (c.1275-1344/45) is not as well-known as his contemporaries, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham, but says his translator, Burley was "one of the most important figures in the transformation of medieval logic and semantic theory that took place in the early 14th century." Burley is probably less well-known because although he developed several late medieval tools and techniques of logical and semantic analysis, he many times used those tools and techniques to defend traditional views. This translation by Spade (philosophy, Indiana U.) is purported to be the first complete English translation of the Latin original, the only complete edition of Burley's treatises (circulated in a longer and shorter version), corrected by Spade on the basis of one of the surviving manuscripts. Spade translates both the shorter and longer versions and includes an introduction, explanatory notes, a table of corresponding passages between the two versions, an annotated bibliography, and three indexes. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)