DESCARTES IN 90 MINUTES is one of the first in a series of light-hearted and idiosyncratic books to look at the lives and work of the major philosophers. In an account that is both stimulating and informative, Paul Strathern has woven Descartes's major ideas into the text in such a way as to be readily accessible to students of philosophy and non-philosophers alike.

Descartes was sent off to boarding school when he was eight. As the headmaster was a friend of the family, the young René had a room of his own and was allowed to get up when he pleased - which was around midday. Despite this, he carried off all the prizes. His late rising was a habit he strictly adhered to for the rest of his life even when, somewhat surprisingly, he later chose to join the army. So was his thinking.