The First and the Last

This text brings together the earliest known story and last essay written by Sir Isaiah Berlin, who died on 5th November, 1997. “The Purpose Justifies the Ways” was written when he was 12 and was based on a real murder in St Petersburg. “My Intellectual Path” describes the evolution of his thought. Reflections and observations on Sir Isaiah Berlin’s life and work are provided by Stuart Hampshire, Avishai Margalit, Bernard Williams, Aileen Kelly and Noel Annan.