Customer Reviews

The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville

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For a thousand years, this book by Isidore of Seville quite simple was THE reference book for any educated person. Having this in English translation was treasure enough, but now to see it in an affordable paperback is even more thrilling! An excellent read, absolutely vital for understanding what a medieval thinker may have thought about just about any given subject.

To second the previous reviewer, this is a great little translation of Isidore of Seville's Etymologies at a reasonable price. There are editions of Isidore that give more commentary (the ongoing Belles Lettres edition in particular), but this translation is a gem, providing Isidore's entire work with a scholarly translation. Furthermore, the translation helpfully gives Latin equivalents for the terms Isidore is defining or etymologizing, and is furnished with several helpful indices (a General Index, an Index of Greek Words, and an Index of Sources).