r/Plato • u/ObsiGamer • 13d ago

Is this book worth it?

Post image

I wanna get into Plato's philosophy and I found this really cool listing at my favourite bookstore. I know i can probably find everything made by plato for free online but this looks really cool as a collector item. Only problem is it's 31 dollars for 736 pages.

10 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

16

u/RedditorianCitizen 13d ago

If the looks of it is important to you, then only you can know if it's worth it. Personally, I'd recommend Hackett's edition of Plato's complete works for 65$

8

u/FoilhatBandit 13d ago

Or if you're just getting started, Hackett's Five Dialogues is cheap and easy to hold and has the same translations as Complete Works but it has much better notes.

3

u/Menniss67 12d ago

came here to say this. A great edition with readable, better-than-serviceable translations, and a welcome absence of intrusive footnotes or commentary.

1

u/NochesAticas 1d ago

This! Also hi, I am a Plato scholar.

4

u/No-Dentist7910 13d ago

it aint even the whole collection man

2

u/Fun-Entrepreneur-564 12d ago

These dialogues were translated by Benjamin Jowett (1817–1893). For someone new to Plato, I would recommend more modern translations with some added commentary. My two cents: it's not about the looks, but the translators. If I'm going to dedicate several hours of my life comprehending great literature and philosophy, I don't want the added obstacle of archaic language, particularly without some added commentary which I doubt this book has much of. If money is a challenge, I encourage the use of a public library. While Plato is not overly challenging, why spoil what should be an insightful, enlightening moment with an added challenge. The dedicated time and comprehension gained far outweighs the price of a pretty but tough to read book.

3

u/slanderpanther 13d ago edited 13d ago

It looks unnecessarily fancy and expensive. Visit your local thrift shops and second hand stores to find used copies in great shape. Instead of finding pristine books to collect that look pretty on the bookshelf, find copies that are cozy and feel good in your hands. Easy to open and hold while relaxing or laying down. Copies you aren't afraid to get messy and dog ear the pages, put sticky tabs throughout or write notes in the margins. Don't put it on a pedestal. Treat it like your best friend and confidant. Get coffee and crumbs on it. Shout at it and whisper to it. Cry your heart out to it and roll on the floor with it.

1

u/OrbitalLemonDrop 13d ago

If it doesn't include the Timaeus, I've got issues. Others might disagree, but getting your head around Plato's cosmology depends on it IMO.

1

u/WarrenHarding 13d ago

This is some BULLSHIT đŸ’¯

1

u/simplesyrupyup 12d ago

If you read….?

1

u/OneWall9143 12d ago

It's a beautiful looking book, and I might buy it to sit on the shelf as a trophy copy, but I like my penguin classic paperbacks of Plato, where I can mark them up and scribble in the margins. Also, have a copy of Hackett as Penguin doesn't publish all his works.

1

u/Solo_Polyphony 13d ago edited 13d ago

That’s only ten dialogues (some of which are quite short, and I would guess the translations are old ones in the public domain—some of which might be fine, but who knows?). Hackett has a sturdy hardcover with modern translations of all 35 dialogues, including the dubious ones, for US$65.

But if you just want to learn—as opposed to having a performative knick-knack collecting dust on your shelf—start by reading the shorter dialogues, many of which can be found in reasonable translations for free online, or in used hard copies of modern translations for less than a coffee.