The editors gave themselves quite a task when they decided to compile this book, which aims to bring together in one handy volume the essential works of Davidson. I have to admit, if I were charged with the task, I'd give up. My ideal one-volume collection of Davidson's essays would simply be all of his essays--printed on that very thin paper they use for Bibles and available in a nice leather-bound edition, with quotations from Quine printed in red letters.

But given such a brutal page budget, the authors do a very good job, I think, of choosing essays. Particularly well represented is the development of Davidson's theories about Events and Actions.

A few choices the authors made strike me as odd. The first is the inclusion of the essay "A Coherence Theory of Truth" which Davidson states is, of all his essays, the one he'd like to rewrite the most. The essay was the opening words in a conversation which has lasted for decades now between Davidson, Rorty, Ramberg, and many others. Since the entire conversation couldn't possibly fit in the volume, why not just drop it entirely? There are also two odd ommisions: Why not include 'The structure and content of Truth?' and why not include "Laws and Cause"?

*sigh* choosing is an impossible task. I won't further quibble with the choices.

Does this book capture the essense of Davidson? The answer is inevitably no, but not because this is a necessarily bad collection of essays--it is because, for the most Quinean of reasons, Davidson _has_ no essence.