― Times Literary Supplement Can there be a philosophy book for everyone? Luxurious yet affordable, this richly illustrated translation of Diogenes Laertius clearly implies an affirmative answer. The book is like no history of philosophy that such readers will be used to. Embellishment is provided in the form of many philosophically inspired artworks, all handsomely reproduced A set of essays by leading scholars such as Anthony Grafton, Ingrid Rowland and Dorandi himself help introduce the Lives and its reception to general readers. are well judged, providing important background information without overwhelming the text. Oxford University Press have also done a wonderful job. This translation will undoubtedly supersede that by Robert Hicks, published in 1925 and until now the standard English version. Now, readers can consult the Lives in a beautiful English translation by Pamela Mensch. The translation is accompanied by dozens of artworks to illustrate the ongoing influence of many of the philosophical anecdotes compiled by Diogenes, and by newly commissioned essays by James Allen, Anthony Grafton, Ingrid Rowland, and others to shed light on Diogenes' historical and intellectual contexts as well as his rich reception history. The annotations are aimed at the general reader rather than the specialist, and explain the various references to people, places, practices, and countless mythological characters as they occur. Working from the new, authoritative Greek text established by Tiziano Dorandi (CUP, 2013), translator Pamela Mensch's goal has been to render Diogenes into an English prose that is fluent yet faithful to the original Greek. Despite its importance, a complete translation of the work has not appeared in English since 1925. The work covers a larger number of figures and a longer period of time than any other extant ancient source, from the Presocratic Thales to Epicurus. Lives and the Eminent Philosophers of Diogenes Laertius is a crucial source for much of what we know about the origins of philosophy in Greece.
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