Another strong book in the History of Greek Philosophy Series. it is academic, so don't expect an exciting read, but at the same time, it it not dry or boring, but stay focused. Guthrie explored the sources that talk about a historical Socrates and works with the question of how much can we know about him through the lens of Plato. He develops a reasonable balance and then discusses what we think we know of his life. Discussions of the philosophical world at the time were already dealt with in the first part of this volume, the Sophists (The original volume 3 was divided into two separate books). The third section discusses various philosophical areas that can be reasonable discerned as unique to him and not flavored by Plato and other writers. Aristotle proves a good check. He wraps up with a brief discussion of some of his students, but leaves off a discussion of Plato for Volume 4. if you are uncertain about Socrates and his thought, this might be a bit technical, but worth the read.