Thus, this book may be consulted in many different ways. For a concise
introduction to Piaget's thought, it is advisable to begin with the presentation
of the different periods in the Chronological Overview, and to refer to the
Glossary for an understanding of the terms appearing in bold print and
followed by an asterisk. It is not necessary to read all the pages devoted to
each term, the most important ones being the Definitions and Illustrations.

This manual may also be consulted in a completely different way. For
example, a reader desiring an overall view of Piaget's work should read the
entire Chronological Overview. The researcher or lecturer seeking specific
information about a certain concept should turn directly to the Glossary and
look up this concept, without omitting the Synthesis and Historical Analysis.
The psychologist who wishes to know in which book a certain field of
knowledge or problem was addressed should consult the summaries of Piaget's
books found in the Chronological Overview. The historian of psychology
should pay special attention to the conclusions of the Chronological Overview
and to the Historical Analysis of the concepts.

One final note: Presenting quotations and syntheses of Piaget's work cannot
be done without making choices and judgments. Other authors would doubt-
less have proceeded differently. Each individual must discover his own truth
about Piaget's work by reading the texts of the author directly.

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