Abstract

One of the leading scholars and academic administrators of his time, Benjamin Jowett was Master of Balliol College as well as Regius Professor of Greek and, for a time, vice-chancellor at Oxford University. Along with his achievements in the area of academic reform, Jowett is remembered for this four-volume translation of Plato's dialogues. Characterising Plato as the 'father of idealism', Jowett reminds readers that while 'he may be illustrated by the writings of moderns … he must be interpreted by his own, and by his place in the history of philosophy'. This edition in four volumes includes fourteen early dialogues, as well as the more famous Timaeus, Critias, Republic, Gorgias, Parmenides, Statesman, and Laws. Jowett's work represents a towering achievement in the field of classical and philosophical studies that had important influence on the subsequent study of Plato.