The title of the book does not make it quite clear whether the book is strictly about Maimonides' work - this is what it is - or a commented translation.
Best introductory guide to the writer:
While I agree that this is a wonderful book, I find the previous reviews on this book incomprehensible. Maimonides's writings are not at all obvious, and Maimonides himself repeatedly claimed that his philosophical writings must never be taken at face value. Rather, Maimonides continues, he is fearful of how the ignorant will not be able to understand certain philosophical concepts, and he is afraid that a straightforward discussion of certain religious/philosophical truths will cause many people to lose... more info
A straightforward introduction to Moses Maimonides.:
This volume is an excellent introduction to the philosophy/theology of Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, or the "Rambam"). Seeskin's presentation is lucidly clear, accessible to the layperson, and blessedly free of Straussian persecution-and-the-art-of-writing searches for "hidden meanings." Seeskin levels some pointed critiques against this entire mode of interpretation and quite sensibly treats the Rambam as though he meant what he wrote. The result is a fairly short, not-overly-technical overview... more info
Straightforward and clear.:
Kenneth Seeskin here presents a clear and straightforward reading of Moses Maimonides that can serve as an accessible (if not terribly deep) introduction to the thought of Judaism's greatest philosopher. Seeskin intentionally distances himself from the Straussian persecution-and-the-art-of-writing school of interpretation and wastes no time looking for "hidden meanings" buried several levels below the explicit text. The Rambam meant what he said and said what he meant; Seeskin's exposition of that meaning... more info
