The first stirrings of this most original of critical minds–penned during the years when he transformed himself from the comfortable son of a German Jewish family into the nomadic, boundary-crossing philosopher-critic we appreciate–have until now remained largely unavailable in English. `Early Writings, 1910-1917′ rectifies this situation. Even at this early stage, a recognizably Benjaminian way of thinking comes into view–a daring, boundary-crossing enterprise that does away with classical antitheses in favor of the relentlessly-seeking critical consciousness that produced the groundbreaking works of his later years. With the publication of these early writings, our portrait of one of the most significant intellects of the twentieth century edges closer to completion.