Spinoza: Complete Works

Rating:
Summary: some remarks
Review: I have not read this edition. But I think Curley's is more fit to scholars. Recently Parkinson published a new translation of Ethics which did not base on Gebhart's latin version and also suitable to students.

Rating:
Summary: marvelous edition
Review: I heartily recommend this edition to every true Spinozist, for several reasons. First, it contains every significant work by Spinoza, even his Hebrew grammar and his study of Descartes' philosophy. Second, it is a surprisingly compact book, considering that it is nearly 1,000 pages long. Finally, and most important, Samuel Shirley's translations are delightfully readable. The book is ably annotated, with a short introduction.

The paper flyleaf is fragile, so if you are going to carry the book around with you, I suggest investing in a cover for it. (This book is not cheap, after all, and you must protect your investment.) Perhaps a leather Bible cover, which will give the impression of conventional piety even as you contemplate the nature of God from a philosophical standpoint. I am sure Spinoza would approve!

Rating:
Summary: A Bargain for the Price
Review: Scholars, students and those who just plain love philosophy should be overjoyed at the release of this volume of Spinoza's collected works, the first in English. The Shirley translation is excellent, easy to follow, and much smoother in general than E.M. Curley's Cartesian-anchored exposition. Until this volume came along I was using three different editions of his collected works. I cannot describe the pleasure of having all Spinoza's works at my fingertips. It pays to be able to consolidate.

The Hackett edition is study, the pages quite thick considering such a lengthy volume, and sewn with thread, ensuring a lasting product, especially comforting considering the price asked. Still, it is a bargain when compared with the Curley edition published by Princeton. Volume Two of that edition has not even been published, though Volume One has been out for quite some time. If you love Spinoza and want to consolidate your collection into one volume, you can't go wrong with the Shirley translation.