It is always fascinating to see the development of a philosopher's thought. By the age of 28 Deleuze had already formulated the main ideas of what he would develop in Difference and Repetition, his most rigorous work. No understanding of Deleuze can truly take place without this work, since it is here for the first time that you see Deleuze most clearly articulating his ideas since they are also the time when he created them. The interviews are especially insightful and include an incredible short encounter between him and Merleau-Ponty.



Deleuze had an enormous amount of influences and drew on many things that he only mentions in his later works. You can see some of those influences in full form here. I wish Deleuze had permitted his works earlier than age 28 to be published, but most likely he was not clear in his style or concepts. But this is the earliest we have, and it is with the same rigor and genius that he writes and speaks in this work. Absolutely essential to any study of Deleuze.



The other two most important books by Deleuze:

1) Difference and Repetition (the masterwork)

2) The Logic of Sense