The Atlantis Dialogue: Plato's Original Story of the Lost City, Continent, Empire, Civilization (Paperback)

by Plato (Author), Aaron Shepard (Editor), B. Jowett (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A good starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about the origins of the Atlantis myth. -- Midwest Book Review, March 2002-- A

Product Description
Atlantis was first introduced to world literature by the Greek philosopher Plato in two "dialogues" he wrote in the fourth century B.C. His tale of a great empire that sank beneath the waves has sparked thousands of years of debate over whether Atlantis really existed. But did Plato mean his tale as history, or just as a parable to help illustrate his philosophy?

In this book, you'll find everything Plato said about Atlantis, in the context he intended. Now you can read and judge for yourself!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 60 pages
• Publisher: Shepard Publications (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938497154
• ISBN-13: 978-0938497158
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #505,235 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone remotely curious about Atlantis, December 21, 2004

By	Odysseus (Ithaka) - See all my reviews

This is the source of the whole tale. The translation is 19th century, so if you prefer a more modern style English, you should perhaps look for another book. But I like this old style, long sentences with lots of punctuation marks; kind of varies the pace more than the modern, boring way the language is written--don't you think? Another plus is that it has brought out only the parts from Critias and Timaeus that deal with Atlantis (adn Athens), making it compact.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars intro full of bias, March 27, 2006

By	Monarch (San Fran Bay area, California) - See all my reviews

I was pleased to be able to own in book form this literature by Plato, even if it is available online for free. There is something about having a book in my hand that I truly enjoy. Anyway, I wish this book was JUST Plato's work on Atlantis, not including such a bias intro, calling Plato's story of Atlantis "pure fiction" discounting it as a real possibility of place and history.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Atlantis Dialogue: A Handy Primer, August 11, 2006

By	K. R. Evans "Metaphysician" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The first best thing to do when seriously curious about a legend like Atlantis is to become familiar with the source materials from which it sprang, in order to expose later embellishments. Enhancements added over time commonly render otherwise believable original accounts into fanciful yarns, believable only as myths. (Sorting out the embellishments from legitimate research findings is another task.) This book presents that source account; the whole and nothing but. It is much like an archaeological find; a genuine relic dug up. A bit pricey for its size; its main sellig point is convenience: Quick, easy, portable reference, without the bulk of the full dialogues; and its slim enough to fit into a notebook. The editor seems to hint of bias in the introduction; but, the text itself is plain and free of italics, paraphrasing, and other editors' devices, and is not a new translation. To me, this oldest version reads like a new one. I found no mention of lasers, energy vortices, or power crystals. I did find an eerily familiar description of a civilization whose construction and archetectural achievements and innovations were no more astounding, and certainly no less, than those of the Egyptians, Chinese, Romans, Maya, or Inca, most of which remain equally mystifying. I was far more intrigued by the plausibility of this story than by the modern myth it has become. Atlantis must remain a myth until someone finds it. On the other hand; the city Ilios of Troy was also another myth invented by another ancient author for another work of fiction, until it was discovered in 1871 by Heinrich Schliemann, using Homer's Iliad as his guide. If Atlantis can be found, the lead clues are in this work.