With a quality all their own, Wittgenstein's Family Letters reveal a side of Ludwig Wittgenstein few would have known. The familiarity and intimacy of the letters offer new insights into the development of his relationships and ideas over the course of forty years.

In his usual frank, and sometimes brutally honest manner, he explains his decisions to lead a life in absolute agreement with what he considered right for him. In correspondence with his siblings we learn more about Ludwig's refusal to be known as a 'Wittgenstein' during his time as a school teacher and his...