User Review
Review by David Reed
Review of Four Texts on Socrates,
Cornell University Press
Recommended Yes
Readability Excellent
Closeness Excellent
This is one of the best translations of Plato I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
I used this translation while taking a class that focused on the Euthyphro, reading side by side with the Greek. I was deeply impressed by West and West's rigorous fidelity to the original (in all its strangeness, with all its wordplay and intricate phrasing) while producing intelligible English. Their notes are very good and offer insight for the reader without Greek into the tricks Plato and Socrates are playing with their language.
I can't comment on the translation of Aristophanes' Clouds, but I would choose West and West over nearly any other translation of Plato.