David E. Cartwright teaches philosophy, including Schopenhauer, at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He has published numerous articles on German philosophy and ethics, and he edited and wrote introductions to E. F. J. Payne's translations of Schopenhauer's On Vision and Colors and On the Will in Nature. He also wrote the introduction to Payne's translation of Schopenhauer's On the Basis of Morality, and with Joachim T. Baer, he translated Arthur Hubscher's monumental study, Denker gegen den Strom. Schopenhauer: Gestern-Heute-Morgan. He is the director of the North American Division of the Schopenhauer Society, a division of the Internationale Schopenhauer-Gesellschaft, on whose Wissenschaftliche Leitung he has served since 1993. At the present time, he is working on an intellectual biography of Schopenhauer for Cambridge University Press.

Historical Dictionary of Schopenhauer's Philosophy presents a narrative that weaves the significant events of Arthur Schopenhauer's life within the greater fabric of his existence. The chronology lists these events, the introductory essay provides an overview of his philosophical thought and his belief that philosophy was the purpose of his life, and the more than 200 dictionary entries review the key ideas, concepts, doctrines, and philosophical figures related to his thought. A comprehensive bibliography provides a list of the most frequently cited German collections of Schopenhauer's work, noteworthy German primary source materials, English translations of Schopenhauer's books, and English-language collections of essays drawn from Schopenhauer's Oeuvre. This engaging work opens the door to a better understanding of Schopenhauer's philosophy for readers of all levels.