In this English translation of Gadamer Lesebuch (Mohr, Tübingen, Germany, 1997), Palmer (emeritus, philosophy and religion, MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois) compiles 18 essays and an autobiographical sketch by Gadamer (1900-yes- 2002), whose most influential work is Truth and Method (1960). Essays with introductory remarks by Palmer include Gadamer's writings on hermeneutics (defined philosophically not just as a method of explicating text); aesthetics; practical philosophy; Plato; Heidegger, Hegel, and other German idealists. The reader offers three additional essays, including Gadamer's 1994 one on Derrida, and a dialog between him and the editor of the German edition. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)