Unearthing the Unknown Whitehead

Joseph Petek is chief archivist of the Whitehead Research Project.

Having long labored in the mines of the Critical Edition of Whitehead, no one is more knowledgeable about the gems unearthed in the undertaking than Petek. Written in a clear and direct style, this volume marks an important new stage in contemporary Whitehead studies informed by the careful study of these previously unpublished works. Unearthing the Unknown Whitehead is necessary reading for serious Whitehead scholars. --Brian G. Henning, Gonzaga University Joseph Petek's Unearthing the Unknown Whitehead is a meticulous study of aspects of the workshop of Whitehead's thought, its coming to be, as it were, steeped in intense historical research that has produced new documents and enriched our understanding of Whitehead's wide-reaching correspondences and influences. The result is unique in its character and has opened new venues for the appreciation of the complex ways in which Whitehead's thought was developed in conversation with historical and contemporary figures. Not to be missed! --Roland Faber, Founder and Executive Director, Whitehead Research Project Petek's book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Whitehead Critical Edition project. The author helps one to understand the possible importance of the two volumes of Harvard Lectures published thus far, as well as the significance of some previously unpublished lectures and letters by Whitehead. Both methodological and substantive questions are treated with great care, such that the relationship between Whitehead's early career and later, explicitly philosophical career are illuminated in ways that were previously impossible. --Daniel A. Dombrowski, Seattle University