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Title: On the Good Life (Penguin Classics) by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Michael Grant ISBN: 0-14-044244-8 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1971 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.43 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: "... the best part of a man..."
Comment: This review refers to the work, -Cicero: On the Good
Life-, translated and with introductions by Michael
Grant (Penguin Classics).
What is to like about this collection of sections
of essays by Cicero? I personally favor very much
the excellent introductions by Michael Grant, as well
as the excellent thought and expression by Cicero.
Be aware that this volume contains parts of whole
works. The parts themselves are complete, but if one
is looking for the whole work, then one should look
to the Harvard/Loeb editions of Cicero. Michael
Grant has piloted several Penguin Classics volumes
of Cicero parts, so one will have to purchase several
volumes in order to get the benefit of Mr. Grant's
insights and translations.
But those introductions, the main "Introduction" to
this volume itself, as well as the "introductions"
to each of the selections are excellent. Michael
Grant not only gives you the historical and cultural
context for Cicero himself, but he also in the main
"Introduction" (as he does in other volumes he
superintends) gives you the historical and cultural
influence which follows after Cicero, the influence
of his works on later generations. In this particular
volume, Mr. Grant says that he starts first with
"indicating how important [these works] still are
for us today." "For Cicero, through these treatises,
has been the greatest of all conservers and trans-
mitters of cultural values, the greatest unifying
force of Europe, the shaper of its civilized speech."
That is tall praise indeed. And, when he gets
to the historical influence itself, Mr. Grant is
no less emphatic. "One of the very strongest forces
contributing to the ideals of the Italian Renaissance,
and thus to the whole intellectual, scientific, and
social development of western Europe, was Cicero's
thought as interpreted by Petrarch (d. 1374)."
So, if you have ever scratched your head, and/or
your mind, and/or your soul, and wondered just
what DOES constitute the good, moral, worthy,
excellent life, then Cicero is an invaluable
companion to help you quest in search for an
answer to that most important of quandaries.
Rating: 5
Summary: A wise choice as a Cicero starter
Comment: Although "On the Good Life" is a hodgepodge of Cicero's essays, there are a few reasons why this book is a must buy. First, these are Cicero's words, some of the best writing to come from ancient Rome. Second, the essays are a great introduction to Cicero's immense collection of essays, speeches, and letters. His literary productive output was vast. Finally, Michael Grant's translation and introduction is of the highest quality.
A lot can be said about the selection of the essays - why would Michael Grant pick a Book Five (Discussions at Tusculum) and a Book Two (On Duties) instead of a complete collection of each? Where's the rest of these works? Frankly, it didn't matter to me. Once I began reading "On the Good Life" I was hooked. This book converted me into a lifelong Cicero fan and Grant's translations (through Penguin Classics) are my primary sources for his works. I have five Cicero books from Penguin Classics so far.
My favorite essay was "On Friendship." I would recommend it to anyone. It is wise, philosophical, and applicable to everyone even today. The rest of the essays were also fantastic with the exception - my opinion only - of "On the Orator." That I could have done without. It was a little too long and way too dry. I wish Michael Grant had squeezed in some other essay of Cicero's.
There are more comprehensive translations of Cicero but "On the Good Life" is a wise choice as a Cicero starter. If you enjoy classic literature and you haven't read Cicero, start here.
Rating: 4
Summary: "A Good Dose of Practical Philosophy"
Comment: The works that comprise Michael Grant's rendition of Cicero's "On the Good Life" are: "The Tusculum Disputations (V)", "On Duties (II)," "On Friendship," On the Orator," and "The Dream of Scipio." These works expound upon the very essence of the highest good--namely the highest morality--and lay down a clear system of practical, applied ethics for the aspiring youth, statesman, orator, or sage. Cicero, furthermore, attempts to use these virtues to the direct benefit of the individual citizen and ultimately to the dignity of the Commonwealth. The sheer stateliness of these treatises will be enough to attract and excite scholars and, in a word, enlighten students seeking to grasp a general view of the works of one of the greatest philosophical popularizers in history, the immortal Marcus Tullius Cicero.
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Title: Selected Works (Classics S.) by Marcus T. Cicero ISBN: 0140440992 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1960 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Meditations (Modern Library Classics) by Marcus Aurelius, Gregory Hays, Marcus Aurelius ISBN: 0812968255 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium (The Penguin Classics L210) by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Robin Campbell ISBN: 0140442103 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1969 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Republic and the Laws: And, the Laws (Oxford World's Classics) by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Jonathan Powell, Niall Rudd ISBN: 0192832360 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: October, 1998 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Confessions (OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS) by Saint Augustine, Henry Chadwick ISBN: 0192833723 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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