Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) published his Critique of Pure Reason in 1781, the Critique of Practical Reason in 1788, and the Critique of Judgment in 1790. John T. Goldthwait was Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, and the author of Values: What They Are and How We Know Them (1996)

Praise for the 1960 edition:

"This early aesthetic work of Kant…is clearly and simply written and shows a deep understanding of human nature. What emerges from its pages is that far from being a dry-as-dust pedant, Kant was a man of warmth, feeling, and humor, who possessed an acute sensitivity for the different shades of aesthetic experience…. The Observations contains a comprehensive introduction by the translator, as well as notes by him. If it is not the omega of Kant's aesthetic theory, it is certainly the alpha."—W. Mays, Philosophical Books