Can anyone recommend any books on philosophy?

[EauRouge]

General beginner's type stuff, for someone with a short attention span and limited vocabulary. Possibly just a comic then

I'd like to learn more about philosophy (just for fun) and I was thinking it would be good to learn the basics of a few different schools and then maybe pick one to read about in more depth. If anyone has any tips or recommendations then they will be very gratefully received. Thanks

Think by Simon Blackburn
Philosophy: The Basics by Nigel Warburton
The Philosopher's Toolkit by Julian Baggini and Peter S. Fosl
The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
Philosophy: The Classics by Nigel Warburton
Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction by Edward Craig (I haven't read this but the 'a very short introduction' series is supposedly good)

If you have access to iTunes, I highly recommend these podcasts: 'Philosophy Bites', 'In Our Time: Philosophy' and 'Philosophy: The Classics'.

The magazine 'Philosophy Now' is worth a read too.

Brilliant, thank you.

The Very Short Guides are very good and as philosophy is quite a broad subject they do Very Short Guides to Logic, Ethics, Philosophy of Science and Postmodernism as well as some of the individual thinkers.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0954842103 Philosophy for Beginners

I haven't read it myself but I have heard that it is good and it seems to have positive reviews

The Partially Examined Life is a good podcast as well. American, and you might have to get used to their language but they are good. Funny too, if it's your thing. What I like about them is that it's a group discussion.

There are some great comics.. ehm... can't find it now but there are some Japanese anime with the history of philosophy. Descartes as a Japanese schoolgirl with big eyes, that kind of stuff. Youtube has some funny stuff I think in three minute philosophy clips cartoon-style.

Great tips from 1919, I love the In Our Time ones as well.
Thomas Nagel What does it all mean? is a nice short intro as well.

There's also a guy from UCL who does a History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps (google it, it'll come up) Nice, short bits starting with ancient Greece.

Good luck!

Thanks all for your recommendations! Luckily I have my birthday coming up soon so I'll have some good ideas if anyone asks me what I want.