Customer Reviews

Aristotle: Categories. On Interpretation. Prior Analytics (Loeb Classical Library No. 325)

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If you're not familiar with the Loeb's, this wonderful series aims to make accessible all important Greek and Latin literature in bilingual editions - English translations with the original text on the opposite page. These books can be of great value to students of classics as well as to professionals in other fields, e.g. philosophers that are not fluent in Greek, but need an accurate and dependable translation of the works of Plato or Aristotle. And in my experience, the Loeb's rarely fail to meet expectations.

This volume contains Harold P. Cooke's translation of the Categories and De Interpretatione as well as Hugh Tredennick's translation of the Prior Analytics. I found Cooke's translations to be a little bit disapointing. The English translation often merely paraphrases Aristotle. This doesn't automatically make the translation a bad one, of course, for sometimes paraphrase is needed. But there are other translations available of these works, and, in my oppinion, Cooke's translation is inferior to J.L. Ackrill's translation of the Categories and De Interpretatione, which is both more accurate and relatively easy to read.

Now, I assume that no one would buy a Loeb primarily for the Greek or Latin text - for that you would turn to the Oxford Classical Texts or other critical text editions. So if you're buying a Loeb it's either for the translation or to be able to compare an English translation with the original. If you need to compare an English translation of these particular works with the Greek text, then this volume will be useful to you. However, if you just want to read these works in translation, you might very well be satisfied with this one, but I still recommend other translations such as J.L. Ackrill's excellent translation of the Categories and De Interpretatione.

A great translation of one of the most important works in the history of philosophy. All titles in the Loeb Classical Library are highly recomended for their accuracy and for their technical quality. Definitely a must have.