"Shaffer’s jaunty compendium of highbrow heartbreak provides proof positive that even the most brilliant of minds can fall afoul of Cupid--and offers some measure of hope to the lovelorn."
- Publishers Weekly
"Cheeky... Andrew Shaffer’s Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love, released this month, extends schadenfreude to the boudoir. Who knew that Thomas Aquinas’s family hired a prostitute to try to seduce him away from the priesthood?"
– The New York Times Book Review
“Making dead white guys cool again.”
– Toronto Star
“A fun way to learn about the lives and loves of the great thinkers.”
– William Irwin, co-editor of The Simpsons and Philosophy
“[A]n entertaining romp through the seamy side of philosophy... highlighting the hypocrisy and downright ineptness of those who too often counted as our ‘greatest thinkers’ in this crucial, if so often overlooked, area of sexual politics...”
– Martin Cohen, editor of The Philosopher
“Fascinating, thought-provoking and mildly disturbing.”
– A.J. Jacobs, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Year of Living Biblically
“Amazing stories! Incredible quotes! Sordid details! This book shows that a genius in the realm of thought can be a dummy in the land of love. It’s a hilarious and provocative warning, full of cautionary tales for us all. Enjoy it and share it with someone you love!”
– Tom Morris, author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors
“A funny and oddly moving history of philosophy as tortured erotic dysfunction.”
– Neal Pollack, author of Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude
"'Love takes up where knowledge leaves off,' Thomas Aquinas wrote. As Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love shows, when great minds get romantic, knowledge -- of adultery laws, moral codes, and simple decency--indeed leaves off. And how. If you’re in dutch with your valentine, give him Andrew Shaffer’s book, which recounts the tortured love lives of 37 thinkers."
- Martha Stewart's Whole Living magazine
"An anecdotal history of mankind’s biggest brains being stumped by affairs of the heart, it is, put simply, a joy to read... [An] essential buy for the (self-conscious) cocktail-party-going reader."
- John Francisconi, Poor Sap Publishing
“Indispensable advice for all lovers—and especially for those who think they should learn about the art of love from philosophers. A wonderful summary of the musings on love by some of history’s greatest and most idiosyncratic minds.”
– Clancy Martin, editor of Love, Lies, and Marriage