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blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition
3.0
Reading Socrates's methods of logic and arguments was just like getting in an argument with my husband - neither forgets a single twist of the conversation, and both will lead you down a path using questions of logic until you end up trapped into agreeing to the opposite of what you had originally thought. It was fun to not be on the receiving end of it and for once just enjoy the journey through logic land.
I enjoyed each of the four parts of this book, although all of Plato's items went on too long. Of these I liked 'Crito' best because I felt like it really showed me who Socrates was, why he was pursing the course he'd chosen. He also said some things about death that have stuck with me, and that I'll surely be mulling over for years. I also liked the addition of Aristophanes's 'Clouds', which makes fun of Socrates; it gave me a more complete picture on how his contemporaries viewed him. Plus there was a surprising amount of fart jokes - always a good thing.
I enjoyed each of the four parts of this book, although all of Plato's items went on too long. Of these I liked 'Crito' best because I felt like it really showed me who Socrates was, why he was pursing the course he'd chosen. He also said some things about death that have stuck with me, and that I'll surely be mulling over for years. I also liked the addition of Aristophanes's 'Clouds', which makes fun of Socrates; it gave me a more complete picture on how his contemporaries viewed him. Plus there was a surprising amount of fart jokes - always a good thing.
davidreed's review
5.0
This is one of the best translations of Plato I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I've read Euthyphro and parts of Apology and Crito in Greek, and I was deeply impressed by West and West's rigorous fidelity to the original (in all its strangeness, with all its wordplay and intricate phrasing) while producing intelligible English. Their notes are very good and offer insight for the reader without Greek into the tricks Plato and Socrates are playing with their language. I can't comment on the translation of Aristophanes' Clouds, but I would choose West and West over nearly any other translation of Plato.
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