Plutarch's Lives, Volume I: Classic Parallel Lives of Greece and Rome (Annotated)

Annotated ContentThis edition includes:A Historical Preface exploring the classical world that shaped Plutarch and his subjectsA Foreword on why these ancient biographies still grip modern readersAn Introduction examining what Plutarch's method reveals about character and powerA Final Endnote reflecting on the book's enduring themes and artistryAn Author Biography of PlutarchSneak Peek"He was not writing history, he said, but lives, and a small thing, a phrase or a jest, often revealed more of a man than the bloodiest battle."IntroductionWhat can the lives of ancient Greek and Roman leaders teach us about ambition, virtue, and the cost of power? For nearly two thousand years, readers have turned to Plutarch's parallel lives for answers. This classic historical biography pairs the greatest figures of Greece and Rome, setting founder against founder, general against general, and lawgiver against lawgiver, in portraits so vivid that Shakespeare lifted whole scenes from them.SynopsisVolume I opens with the legendary founders Theseus and Romulus, then moves to the lawgivers Lykurgus and Numa, the statesmen Solon and Poplicola, and onward through Themistokles, Camillus, Perikles, Fabius Maximus, Alkibiades, Coriolanus, Timoleon, and Aemilius. Each Greek life is set beside a Roman counterpart and weighed in a brief closing comparison. Plutarch is less interested in battles than in the telling detail, the offhand remark, the private habit that reveals who a person truly was. The result is one of the great works of ancient biography, a book that shaped how the Western world thinks about greatness and failure.A Stunning ReprintThis is a clean, modern, easy-to-read edition of Plutarch's Lives designed for the general reader rather than the academic seminar. Where most modern editions bury the text under footnotes, endnotes, and critical apparatus, this Infinite Pages Collective reprint strips all of that away. The translation by Aubrey Stewart and George Long is set in Garamond with generous margins and no scholarly interruptions, so the prose flows exactly as Plutarch intended. Printed on cream paper with a matte cover, it makes a handsome gift for anyone drawn to ancient history, ancient rome history, or the classical tradition.Click Add to Cart now.Title DetailsOriginally published: London, 1894 (George Bell & Sons, Bohn's Classical Library)Genre: Ancient Greek and Roman history, classical biographyFormat: Paperback and hardcover, 6 × 9 inInterior: Cream paper, Garamond typeface, no footnotesEditorial matter: Historical Preface, Foreword, Introduction, Final Endnote, Author Biography Read more