This work investigates the evolution of the concept of imagination as it has been understood and defined by thinkers from antiquity through the Renaissance. The authors, J. M. Cocking and Penelope Murray, provide a rigorous examination of how the faculty of imagination shifted in its philosophical and psychological significance over centuries. By tracing these intellectual developments, the text clarifies the complex and often contradictory relationships between imagination, memory, and human reason within a historical framework.

Scholars and historians of philosophy frequently cite this text as a foundational resource for understanding the conceptual history of the imagination. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive overview suitable for students and researchers of intellectual history.