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I'm seeking out books which go into details about the lives and ideas of the various Jewish sages. Obviously, a single book for all is unlikely but any suggestions are welcome.

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This is a very broad question, and it would help if you specified which time period or Sages you are interested in.

Two sets of books covering broad reviews which I really liked are

  • R Binyamin Lau set of books on Jewish sages (from Koren), vol 1 on Second Temple period, vol 2 on Yavne to Bar Kochba, vol 3 on the Galilean period, vol 4 on the period from the Mishna to the Talmud
  • R Berel Wein impressive books of Jewish history - they cover more than the sages but bring them in context of the history of their times, vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, see also his site with more material to download

An interesting alternative focused on the ideas of great sages is Books of the People: Revisiting Classic Works of Jewish Thought which summarizes the ideas and contributions of great Sages such as Rav Saadia Gaon, R Judah Halevi, the Rambam, the Maharal, R Shneur Zalman of Liadi, R Samson Raphael Hirsch, R Abraham Isaac Kook, R Joseph B. Soloveitchik and many others.

Finally artscroll has a set of biographies focused on individual Sages.

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