Amazon.com: Letters on Ethics: To Lucilius (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (9780226528434): Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Margaret Graver, A. A. Long: Books
Letters on Ethics: To Lucilius (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) 1st Edition
by Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Author), Margaret Graver (Translator, Introduction, Commentary), A. A. Long (Translator, Introduction, Commentary)
5.0 out of 5 stars 8 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0226528434
ISBN-10: 022652843XWhy is ISBN important?
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Product details
Series: The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 1 edition (November 6, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 022652843X
ISBN-13: 978-0226528434
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
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Customer reviews
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Top customer reviews
Eric "Siggy" Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book, translation and contentsFebruary 27, 2016
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Among the ancient Stoics, Seneca, who was a contemporary of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, is universally considered to be the best writer. This is a book that will change your life, if you let it, every bit as much as Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Among the ancient Stoics, Seneca, who was a contemporary of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, is universally considered to be the best writer. This is a book that will change your life, if you let it, every bit as much as Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
Incredibly lucid, and very attentive to all the reasons that his readers might have to be dismissive of Stoic doctrines and virtue ethics, Seneca gives us one of history's most compelling and admirable examples of a philosopher who has made a daily practice of pursuing an ideal standard of virtue via concrete, realistic steps.
Far from an ancient curiosity, Seneca remains a wonderful go-to resource for tips on handling anxiety, coming to terms with death, living in the moment, avoiding hypocrisy, being a loyal friend, and many other exceedingly practical ethical topics—all with a smooth, conversational, and what I can only describe as a non-dogmatic-and-yet-firm tone. He touches lucidly and casually on many areas of philosophy that are still widely discussed today, such as free will and the usefulness (or not) of abstract ethical theory. The book is littered with quotes from famous Greek and Roman philosophers, including many Stoics, but also Epicureans, Aristoteleans, etc.
Since the book is such a delightful piece of literature, and since it is broken up into 124 short letters, it makes for perfect meditational reading. Personally, I use it as a secular alternative to spiritual devotionals. It is a book worth reading more than once.
On the translation: It is lovely, lucid and contemporary (2015), as 'Chicago Med Student' made clear in their review. There is a well-written preface on Seneca's works in general, with one of the easiest to comprehend summaries of Stoicism I have found, and there is a long introduction to the Letters in particular that will provide casual readers with all the historical context they need. Ample endnotes are provided for scholars and the curious alike.
On the book: The typography, cover, and rich blue dust cover are simply beautiful—the quality you should expect for the price. I own many translations of ancient philosophical works, and as an admitted bibliophile I have to say this is one of the most beautiful books in my library. Only Ian Johnson's The Mozi: A Complete Translation (Translations from the Asian Classics) compares.
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21 people found this helpful
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A Student
5.0 out of 5 starsComplete letters, modern translation, Kindle has a real table of contentsJune 18, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I got this version of Seneca's Letters because it is the complete collection of the letters with a modern translation. I could have gotten a free e-book version, but decided to pay for something more modern.
The other available Kindle versions I tried by Elaine Fantham and Robin Campbell were not complete collections of Seneca's letters. In addition, the Fantham Kindle edition did not have a easy to use table of contents (I had to resort to searching for the letter's title each time I wanted to look it up). I believe the Campbell version had a table of contents, but used Roman numerals for the letters, which unfortunately I don't know how to read (though I suppose I could learn). I don't think Campbell's version has Letter 49, either.
In terms of the translation itself, I found an article comparing Campbell, Gummere, and this one by Graver and Long. The language felt modern and a little more readable.
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Thomas Colligan
5.0 out of 5 starsWorth ItDecember 9, 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
The hardcover edition might seem a little pricey for some, but in my opinion, it is well worth it.The quality of the book itself in terms of paper used and cover sturdiness is excellent. It contains my favorite translation of Seneca's letters, of which I have read quite a few, and also has plenty of foot notes that elaborate on important ideas and persons of the time, to give you a better context into each letter. Every reader will get something out of this edition, easy to read, understand, and ponder.
3 people found this helpful
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Madeleine Lamb
5.0 out of 5 starsA classic every stoic should own. Best translation. Quality edition.June 20, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Timeless wisdom. I prefer this translation to others available.
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Chicago Med Student
5.0 out of 5 starsAn Excellent Contemporary TranslationNovember 12, 2015
Format: Hardcover
I had read Seneca's complete letters from the Loeb Classical Library edition (a translation that I love), but I wanted a translation with a more contemporary tone that also captured Seneca's prose style well. Consider the first two sentences of the first letter:
Ita fac, mi Lucili; vindica te tibi; et tempus, quod adhuc aut auferebatur aut subripiebatur aut excidebat, collige et serva. Persuade tibi hoc sic esse, ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt.
In the Loeb this is translated as:
Far from an ancient curiosity, Seneca remains a wonderful go-to resource for tips on handling anxiety, coming to terms with death, living in the moment, avoiding hypocrisy, being a loyal friend, and many other exceedingly practical ethical topics—all with a smooth, conversational, and what I can only describe as a non-dogmatic-and-yet-firm tone. He touches lucidly and casually on many areas of philosophy that are still widely discussed today, such as free will and the usefulness (or not) of abstract ethical theory. The book is littered with quotes from famous Greek and Roman philosophers, including many Stoics, but also Epicureans, Aristoteleans, etc.
Since the book is such a delightful piece of literature, and since it is broken up into 124 short letters, it makes for perfect meditational reading. Personally, I use it as a secular alternative to spiritual devotionals. It is a book worth reading more than once.
On the translation: It is lovely, lucid and contemporary (2015), as 'Chicago Med Student' made clear in their review. There is a well-written preface on Seneca's works in general, with one of the easiest to comprehend summaries of Stoicism I have found, and there is a long introduction to the Letters in particular that will provide casual readers with all the historical context they need. Ample endnotes are provided for scholars and the curious alike.
On the book: The typography, cover, and rich blue dust cover are simply beautiful—the quality you should expect for the price. I own many translations of ancient philosophical works, and as an admitted bibliophile I have to say this is one of the most beautiful books in my library. Only Ian Johnson's The Mozi: A Complete Translation (Translations from the Asian Classics) compares.
Read less
21 people found this helpful
Helpful Comment Report abuse
A Student
5.0 out of 5 starsComplete letters, modern translation, Kindle has a real table of contentsJune 18, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I got this version of Seneca's Letters because it is the complete collection of the letters with a modern translation. I could have gotten a free e-book version, but decided to pay for something more modern.
The other available Kindle versions I tried by Elaine Fantham and Robin Campbell were not complete collections of Seneca's letters. In addition, the Fantham Kindle edition did not have a easy to use table of contents (I had to resort to searching for the letter's title each time I wanted to look it up). I believe the Campbell version had a table of contents, but used Roman numerals for the letters, which unfortunately I don't know how to read (though I suppose I could learn). I don't think Campbell's version has Letter 49, either.
In terms of the translation itself, I found an article comparing Campbell, Gummere, and this one by Graver and Long. The language felt modern and a little more readable.
Helpful Comment Report abuse
Thomas Colligan
5.0 out of 5 starsWorth ItDecember 9, 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
The hardcover edition might seem a little pricey for some, but in my opinion, it is well worth it.The quality of the book itself in terms of paper used and cover sturdiness is excellent. It contains my favorite translation of Seneca's letters, of which I have read quite a few, and also has plenty of foot notes that elaborate on important ideas and persons of the time, to give you a better context into each letter. Every reader will get something out of this edition, easy to read, understand, and ponder.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful Comment Report abuse
Madeleine Lamb
5.0 out of 5 starsA classic every stoic should own. Best translation. Quality edition.June 20, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Timeless wisdom. I prefer this translation to others available.
Helpful Comment Report abuse
Chicago Med Student
5.0 out of 5 starsAn Excellent Contemporary TranslationNovember 12, 2015
Format: Hardcover
I had read Seneca's complete letters from the Loeb Classical Library edition (a translation that I love), but I wanted a translation with a more contemporary tone that also captured Seneca's prose style well. Consider the first two sentences of the first letter:
Ita fac, mi Lucili; vindica te tibi; et tempus, quod adhuc aut auferebatur aut subripiebatur aut excidebat, collige et serva. Persuade tibi hoc sic esse, ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt.
In the Loeb this is translated as:
Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius--set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time, which till lately has been forced from you, or filched away, or has merely slipped from your hands. Make yourself believe the truth of my words--that certain moments are torn from us, that some are gently removed, and that others glide beyond our reach.
A perfectly serviceable translation, the Loeb rendering is at times bit wordy and shows its age (translated in 1917). Some phrases are a bit heavy, such as "Make yourself believe the truth of my words", where what is being said is simply "Persuade yourself that it is as I write". I think the Graver/Long translation captures this somewhat better.
The Graver/Long translated the same passage as:
A perfectly serviceable translation, the Loeb rendering is at times bit wordy and shows its age (translated in 1917). Some phrases are a bit heavy, such as "Make yourself believe the truth of my words", where what is being said is simply "Persuade yourself that it is as I write". I think the Graver/Long translation captures this somewhat better.
The Graver/Long translated the same passage as:
Do that, dear Lucilius: assert your own freedom. Gather and guard the time that until now was being taken from you, or was stolen from you, of that slipped away. Convince yourself that what I write is true: some moments are snatched from us, some are filched, and some just vanish.
There are many other examples like this. The Loeb translation is generally accurate and basically captures the essence of what Seneca is saying, however there are many places where additional words are added in, either for some perceived need to fill out the meaning, or as rhetorical flourishes (e.g "Set yourself free for your own sake"). Where this translation improves is by modernizing the style of the work while managing to keep the translation accurate and faithful. The introduction provides a nice summary of Seneca's life, an overview of some pertinent Stoic themes, the social, historical, and philosophical context of his work, and a helpful discussion on the Teacher-Pupil relationship and how letters play a role in it.
Overall, despite the hefty price, this is a work worth reading if you enjoy Seneca and want to read him in an excellent contemporary translation.
Read less
39 people found this helpful
Helpful Comment Report abuse
There are many other examples like this. The Loeb translation is generally accurate and basically captures the essence of what Seneca is saying, however there are many places where additional words are added in, either for some perceived need to fill out the meaning, or as rhetorical flourishes (e.g "Set yourself free for your own sake"). Where this translation improves is by modernizing the style of the work while managing to keep the translation accurate and faithful. The introduction provides a nice summary of Seneca's life, an overview of some pertinent Stoic themes, the social, historical, and philosophical context of his work, and a helpful discussion on the Teacher-Pupil relationship and how letters play a role in it.
Overall, despite the hefty price, this is a work worth reading if you enjoy Seneca and want to read him in an excellent contemporary translation.
Read less
39 people found this helpful
Helpful Comment Report abuse
