Genre guide · Nonfiction
Philosophy: word count & book length
How long a philosophy book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 60,000–90,000 words.
About philosophy
Popular and academic philosophy, from introductions to classic problems to practical philosophies of living.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 190–278 pages | 0.43–0.63 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Footnotes rather than endnotes suit readers who check references as they go.
About Philosophy
Philosophy (from Ancient Greek philosophía, lit. 'love of wisdom') is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, knowledge, mind, reason, language, and value. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on its methods and assumptions. Historically, many of the individual sciences, such as physics and psychology, formed part of philosophy. However, they are considered separate academic disciplines in the modern sense of the term. Influential traditions in the history of philosophy include Western, Arabic–Persian, Indian, and Chinese philosophy. Western philosophy originated in Ancient Greece and covers a wide area of philosophical subfields. A central topic in Arabic–Persian philosophy is the relation between reason and revelation.
From the Wikipedia article “Philosophy”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published philosophy works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamlet | William Shakespeare | 1603 | 2,377 |
| Don Quijote de la Mancha | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | 1600 | 1,595 |
| The Art of War | 孙武 (Sun Tzu) | 1900 | 1,542 |
| The Prince | Niccolò Machiavelli | 1515 | 1,407 |
| Through the Looking-Glass | Lewis Carroll | 1865 | 1,379 |
| Walden | Henry David Thoreau | 1854 | 1,140 |
| Candide | Voltaire | 1746 | 1,079 |
| Записки изъ подполья | Fiódor Dostoievski | 1864 | 837 |
| πολιτεία | Plato | 1554 | 794 |
| Leaves of Grass | Walt Whitman | 1855 | 755 |
Open Library lists 204,775 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a philosophy book be?
What trim size is best for philosophy?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).