Categola

You've got to read it(Rating: 5)
If you are in year 1 undergraduate philosophy and you haven't read this book, shame on you.
It covers a lot of ground, but as other reviewers have said, it lacks an in depth analysis of the most important (to modern eyes) theories.
Modern philosophy has little to do with any of the contents of this book, but you need to know everything in it.
Buy it, read it, reference it, move on.

Mwa!(Rating: 5)
I love Russell (at least what I've read so far). Why? Because he's pasionate about what he writes about and delivers in an enjoyable and engaging style with zilch professorial dryness. This is a wonderful history of the main ideas and personages of western thought cooked with the highly individual Russell spice. Expect to be informed and entertained.

Philosophy for the masses(Rating: 5)
This is an excellent introduction to philosophy.It is written in a compelling manner which flows well and is not encumbered by verbose or overly technical language.Even though this is a long book with a high minded subject matter it is not an intellectually arduous undertaking and should be within the capabilities of those with a modest educational background.
The only negative criticism I'd level against it was due to mid-section,which dealt with the relation between state and church in the middle ages.I felt it contained rather too much history than was necessary to establish the relationship between social and political situation and philosophical theory.That aside I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a general knowledge of the subject but is not prepared to plunge too deep or just skim the surface.

great place to start(Rating: 5)
i am relatively knew to this area and i found the book an excellent intrdocution and a great pointer for other areas or particular philosophers i may want to read in more detail. The history that Russel supplies, to give context is excellent. I will certaily be reading more of Russells' work as well. Highly recommended

So much valuable detail(Rating: 4)
Coming to a subject I knew little about this book offers so much more than just a spin on philosophers and their intense cogitations. The history aspect of the Greeks is so informative. Russell fills in the gaps our history education at school completely washes over. The bit between the first century of the common era to the middle ages is especially enlightening.

I wanted to use this as a reference source but found I had to start at the beginning to get the full picture. There are blocks of work that dig far deeper than my limited intellect can cope with but it does not detract from the parts that really grip the imagination. How philosophy is really the mother of science, geometry, mathematics and religion. It's all in here and so well presented for the keen philosophy student and the casually curious.

My copy is bound to get dog-eared as I will now be able to use it as a reference source for years to come.