Rating: 
Summary: Excellent selection
Review: Cicero's thoughts on old age which are but one selection included here are alone worth the price of this book. The wisdom of this man is clearly reflected here and in other selections that are included. These thought provoking essays and letters contain much that is still relevant. Along with Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, Cicero's writings are a window into the ancient world that helps us to understand how human nature and the problems of living a good life transcend the ages. These are books to return to again and again. The penguin paperback editions are an excellent resource for the general reader and belong on the shelf of anyone interested in philosophy ,history or living well.
Rating: 
Summary: Good translation, but the material...
Review: First of all I foundt this translation to be clear and readable, something that I have come to expect from Michael Grant.
But the material is what baffles me. Cicero is considered the greatest Latin orator and writer, having a concise and interesting style. Personally, I find him to be very long-winded, and I realize this is due to a shortened attention span, but nonetheless, he could have made many of his points with two examples instead of ten.
I also find it ironic that Cicero paints himself to be the epitome of Republican Roman values, a man who stood completely for the decrepit and dying Roman Republic. Yet, he was a great friend of Pompey, a man who's goal it was to acquire dictatorial power, albeit within the confines of Republic. Yet he despises Caesar for aspiring to the same goal. Caesar was simply a better general, shrewder politician and a more charismatic man than Pompey, and he deserved to win.
So, I give 2 out of 2 stars for the translation, but 1 out 3 for the material. It is instructive if one is interested in the ancient world (which I am), but the average reader will no doubt find it dull.
Mildly reccommended.
Rating:
Summary: Good translation, but the material...
Review: First of all I foundt this translation to be clear and readable, something that I have come to expect from Michael Grant.
But the material is what baffles me. Cicero is considered the greatest Latin orator and writer, having a concise and interesting style. Personally, I find him to be very long-winded, and I realize this is due to a shortened attention span, but nonetheless, he could have made many of his points with two examples instead of ten.
I also find it ironic that Cicero paints himself to be the epitome of Republican Roman values, a man who stood completely for the decrepit and dying Roman Republic. Yet, he was a great friend of Pompey, a man who's goal it was to acquire dictatorial power, albeit within the confines of Republic. Yet he despises Caesar for aspiring to the same goal. Caesar was simply a better general, shrewder politician and a more charismatic man than Pompey, and he deserved to win.
So, I give 2 out of 2 stars for the translation, but 1 out 3 for the material. It is instructive if one is interested in the ancient world (which I am), but the average reader will no doubt find it dull.
Mildly reccommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Heart That Beats Beneath the Statuary
Review: How many men and women who have lived more than 2,000 years ago have impressed us with their humanity? We tend to see the statuary, but rarely the person behind it. When you read this outstanding selection edited by the excellent classical historian Michael Grant, you see that Marcus Tullius Cicero has a human face -- and it shows in his work. The Roman Republic that Cicero loved was falling apart. Marius and Sulla, the Gracchi, the conflicts over the powers of the tribunes had dealt a severe blow to a form of government that had proved itself adequate for governing a city-state, but less so for managing a multi-cultural empire. Cicero fought valiantly against corrupt governors like Verres ("Against Verres") and would-be dictators like Marc Antony ("2nd Phillipic Against Antony"). When he finally threw in his lot with Pompey, he picked the wrong horse and put himself in harm's way. Eventually, Augustus and Antony had him killed as an obstacle to their plans. The wonderful letters that Cicero wrote to his friend Atticus and others such as Pompey show his hurt at having been rudely pushed aside. He saw himself as the Savior of Rome for his part in quashing the conspiracy of Catiline, but he lived in a world where "What have you done for me lately?" was the question of the day. Increasingly, Cicero turned to farming and philosophizing. His essays "On Duty" and "On Old Age," reprinted here, are penetrating, humane, and even Christian in a way. One could see why monk copyists of the Middle Ages saw in the Roman senator a pre-Christian piety at work. Michael Grant supplies an excellent introduction, maps, genealogical charts, timelines, and even a glossary to guide the reader through Cicero's work. This book is definitely a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: A note on the translation
Review: I don't want to summarize the content here. I only want to talk about Michael Grant's translation.
Let's admit one fact: Grant's translation is not that good. I suggest you to check out Cicero's works published by OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSCIS: P.G.Walsh and D.H.Berry are more competent than Grant, and they are fascinating indeed. Grant often unnecessarily chops up a sentence, rendering it ends up with a whole lot of commas, and this utterly destroy the fluency and lucidity of Cicero. In my opinion, D.H.Berry (who published Cicero's DEFENCE SPEECHES) is thus far the best Ciceronian translator.
So why is it still worth 3 stars? It is mainly because of the contents, such as AGAINST VERRES, THE SECOND PHILIPIC, and ON OLD AGE, which are still not translated by OXFORD. Therefore, we have no choice but to stick with Grant's translation (unless you want to buy the expensive Loeb edition). If OXFORD will release more of Cicero's titles, I will definitely throw away Michael Grant's.
Rating:
Summary: Sage advice for modern living
Review: I was guided toward this book while readind William Durant's "Caesar and Christ". While Cicero's correspondence were somewhat interesting, the real gems of this book are "On Duty" and "On Old Age".They are simple writings on a the art of living that cut through the centuries to reveal sage advice which is extremely relevant to modern American society. This book is highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Introduction Sets the Table
Review: Marcus Tullius Cicero is one of the most well known Romans and probably the one who has influenced the course of Western intellectual thought more than any other. Cicero was a lawyer, philosopher, statesman, and defender of Rome's republic. He was not a member of the Roman elite but fought his way into gaining their acceptance and respect by the power of his mind and by mastering the ever important art of rhetoric. This particular compendium of Cicero's works is a good starting point to get to know the man Cicero. Included are two of Cicero's most famous philosophical treatises, "On Duties" and "On Old Age", selected letters of Cicero ranging on topics from his son's studies to his worries about Julius Caesar and Pompey, and his second Philippic against Marc Antony. The weakest selection has to be the Philippic against Marc Antony. What we are introduced to here is the public, unpolished Cicero engaged in the fine art of mud slinging. This is not in and of itself a problem as I am a big fan of the political brawl; however, a rant such as this seems beneath a man of such great intellect as Cicero. What this tirade does show though is Cicero's genuine love of his country and its republican institutions. Cicero lived at a time when the Roman republic was being destroyed by ambitious men, like Caesar and Antony, who sought to make Rome their personal empires. It was over his struggle against these forces that Cicero eventually lost his life. What really recommends this particular issue of Cicero's works is the translator, Michael Grant. Grant pens a tremendous introduction to these works that fully explains the difficulties of translating 2,000 year old Latin into modern English. It's Grant's introduction which really sets up these selections to be enjoyed as the work of art that they are.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Introduction Sets the Table
Review: Marcus Tullius Cicero is one of the most well known Romans and probably the one who has influenced the course of Western intellectual thought more than any other. Cicero was a lawyer, philosopher, statesman, and defender of Rome's republic. He was not a member of the Roman elite but fought his way into gaining their acceptance and respect by the power of his mind and by mastering the ever important art of rhetoric. This particular compendium of Cicero's works is a good starting point to get to know the man Cicero. Included are two of Cicero's most famous philosophical treatises, "On Duties" and "On Old Age", selected letters of Cicero ranging on topics from his son's studies to his worries about Julius Caesar and Pompey, and his second Philippic against Marc Antony. The weakest selection has to be the Philippic against Marc Antony. What we are introduced to here is the public, unpolished Cicero engaged in the fine art of mud slinging. This is not in and of itself a problem as I am a big fan of the political brawl; however, a rant such as this seems beneath a man of such great intellect as Cicero. What this tirade does show though is Cicero's genuine love of his country and its republican institutions. Cicero lived at a time when the Roman republic was being destroyed by ambitious men, like Caesar and Antony, who sought to make Rome their personal empires. It was over his struggle against these forces that Cicero eventually lost his life. What really recommends this particular issue of Cicero's works is the translator, Michael Grant. Grant pens a tremendous introduction to these works that fully explains the difficulties of translating 2,000 year old Latin into modern English. It's Grant's introduction which really sets up these selections to be enjoyed as the work of art that they are.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasure
Review: Michael Grant has done it again with this wonderful translation of some of Cicero's finest work. Designed to give the reader an overview of this great master it shows you just how diverse a writer he really was, and why he cast such a shadow over European prose for the next thousand years.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasure
Review: Michael Grant has done it again with this wonderful translation of some of Cicero's finest work. Designed to give the reader an overview of this great master it shows you just how diverse a writer he really was, and why he cast such a shadow over European prose for the next thousand years.
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