First published in 1957, Maurice Cranston’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Cranston) book is recognized as the definitive biography of John Locke (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_locke). It provides that rare combination of sound scholarship, a wealth and variety of original source material, and a lively, compelling narrative. This is required reading for all those fascinated by the ideas of Empiricism and Liberalism.
For a lively discussion on Empiricism, which Locke espoused, turn to the BBC Radio 4 ‘In Our Time’ 45 minute episode. Available from the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y28g With Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London; Murray Pittock, Professor of Scottish and Romantic Literature at the University of Manchester; and Jonathan Rée, philosopher and author of Philosophy and its Past. Chaired by Melvyn Bragg. First broadcast Thursday 10 Jun 2004.
518 pages in Oxford paperback edition
ISBN 978-0192830449
John Locke