blackburn simon think a compelling introduction to philosophy

The large scope of topics covered range from scepticism, the self, mind and body, and freedom to ethics and the arguments surrounding the existence of God. Each chapter explains a major issue, and gives the reader a self-contained guide through the problems that philosophers have studied.

Simon Blackburn begins by putting forward a convincing case for the study of philosophy and goes on to give the reader a sense of how the great historical figures such as Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein have approached its central themes. Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important. It is for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them. This is a book about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice.

I'd go with Simon Blackburn's Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy (Cambridge University Press 1999). So, to sum up, I would like to 'hear' your opinions on what are some books generally regarded as good for a general introduction on philosophy. I would like to read something that covers from classical to contemporary philosophy generally (although I do not know if there is such a book), so that from there I could pick some author, period or branch of philosophy in particular to read further on. It is also important to point out that I have little notions (or none at all) on philosophy. The Philosopher's Toolkit also seems to be a good introduction regarding how to do philosophy, rather than to its history and ideals (this also interests me, but I'd rather learn about the philosophers and their theories first). I also checked The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, which seems to be unanimously good, but has the format of dictionary/encyclopaedia, which is not exactly what I am looking for (at least as a main source). I've been tempted to buy Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy, but am not sure if it is the best book to get started on philosophy (plus, the book has some mixed reviews). And this one has the same problem as the first one, plus the fact that it asks for layman's terms, which is not what I am looking for. This one regards contemporary philosophy in particular. This question almost answers mine, except for the fact that most things proposed there are not books, thus not giving me much options to weigh upon. I've proposed to start a list on meta but no one proposed anything, so I feel I must ask this question: What are some books generally regarded as good for a general introduction on philosophy? By this I mean good books that can introduce you to philosophy in general and throughout the times, not to some philosophy or period in particular. I've been searching the questions posed here, and don't seem to find one that gives the answers I am looking for.

Blackburn simon think a compelling introduction to philosophy