Plutarch Selected Lives Franklin Library

by Plutarch

Leather with gilt decor. All edges gilt. Printed on acid-free archival paper. The Dryden Translation with illustrations from an English edition of 1676.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, History

462 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1982

About the author

Plutarch (later named, upon becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus; AD 46–AD 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers.

Reviews

[James Badger]

In Plutarch we can see the emergence of many modern approaches to history and biography. He actively shuns the sensational and the miraculous in favor of the rational, especially when dealing with figures whose lives are full of mythical tales which cannot possibly have roots in reality.

That said, I found this book to be almost intolerably boring. While I generally enjoy nonfiction, this book left me begging for a good story.

[Gabriel Lewis]

Fascinating to read. You have to read this in the context of the author and original audience. It’s a great way to get into Plutarch without having to read all 48 lives. Only 12 are discussed but probably the 12 most influential ones

[Jonathan Jerden]

Fantastic. As I understand it, there remain the writings of some 500 ancient Greek & Roman 'histories'. In my reading, Plutarch is surely in the top 10, along with Homer, Virgil, Thucydides, Herodotus, Arrian & Xenophon.

Apparently 48 remain of his unique approach to history - in the form of biographies. He calls them Lives. His subspecialty was in comparing and contrasting a coupling of them - typical one political/military leader from ancient Greece/Macedonia with the same from ancient Rome. This edition includes Greek Vs Roman comparisons of: Theseus Vs Romulus, Lycurgus Vs Numa Pompilius, Pericles Vs Fabius Maximus, Alcibiades Vs Coriolanus, Alexander Vs Julius Caesar, and Demosthenes Vs Cicero.

I can only hope that one of my children takes it upon themselves to dive into one of these great architects of western civilization, becoming a self-taught expert. My fav. is Athenian Alcibiades.

[Mystery Theater]

This a five star "must read" book for anyone remotely interested in the history of Western Civilization. My 4 star rating is for the Franklin version, which is completely lacking editorial input, footnotes, preface, etc. I'm wishing I had a college textbook edition.