On the Soul and On Memory and Recollection Paperback – September 1, 2001

The $6.99 black paperback edition with a scroll on the cover has no notes, no introduction, no publisher and no names of the translators, who happen to be J. A. Smith for “On the Soul” and J. I. Beare for “Memory & Reminiscence” (original title). This book deserves but one star.The more expensive paperback & hardcover edition has a Japanese macaque monkey on the cover (see other “formats & editions” link). The translation by Joe Sacks is relatively new (2001). These copies contain his bibliographic notes, an index, glossary and a very interesting 40 page introduction. This book deserves five stars.Joe Sacks’ translation differs from others in several key words. For example, the Greek word “ousia” is often “substance” or “existence”, but Sacks renders it as “thinghood”. The Greek word “energeia”, commonly translated as “actuality”, is given as “being-at-work”; likewise, the Greek “eidos” or “morphe” (form, shape) is also given as “being-at-work”. Sacks does explain his justification in each case.

An in-depth review of the soul and the body, and their relationship with each other, as well as how they operate individually. Very deep, and comforting for the person who lost a loved one and is hopeful that the soul indeed exists beyond the physical life. Purchased this for my daughter's Philosophy class at Boston College, but enjoyed reading for myself.

The introduction and notes are extremely helpful. We have been reading it in a small book group and we've found that our difficulties are with the text not the translation which is refreshing.I would highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to reading Mr.Sachs translation of the Nicomachean Ethics.

Aristotle's De Anima is a wonderful addition to his corpus. If you're considering buying it, you already know enough and need no further knowledge from me concerning it.Translation: Joe Sachs is a high-quality translator of Aristotle. His versions are highly accurate and literal, free from most bias. They generally are very reliable. Sachs does not use Latin cognates in his translation, so Greek words like "energeia" are rendered "being-at-work", versus the Latin "activity". If you don't mind this, than Sachs is the man for you.Aesthetics: Unbeatable. This edition was made for serious study and it shows. There is plenty of room in the margins for taking notes, key terms are given in each chapter for the reader to notice (some might consider this a negative point), and the text itself is beautiful, well-spaced, and easy on the eyes.Durability: If you know Green Lion Press, you will not be surprised. This book was made for study and is a steel-wrought tome among lesser volumes. The clothbound version has glued AND sewn pages and the spread can be fully opened without breaking the spine. The paper is thick and well-suited for note-taking. I expect my soft-bound edition to last fifty years.Size: A great size for casual reading. It fits almost anywhere you want it too - suitcase, backpack, etc.Price: Kind of pricey for such a short book (you can get half of Aeschylus and Herodotus for $20), but not surprising given the awesome durability of the book.If you're looking for a good De Anima translation, look no further, for Green Lion and Joe Sachs are almost perfect (if only Green Lion would publish Apostle's Aristotle!).

It's a book that's not memorable, ironic.

Although the Sachs' translation and phrasing is difficult to ingest upon first glance, it is the only way to go in order to truly understand the meaning in Aristotle's work without reading the original Greek text. He captures Aristotle's subtilties in wording amazingly, while also preserving the literality and spirit of the Greek in a way that no other translator before has. The Greek vocabulary lessons preceding the chapters are extremely helpful, acquainting the unfamiliar with the fundamental words and concepts of Aristotle. He helps to make a deep and difficult treatise more manageable, although I would highly recommend using another translation to boot in any close reading of this work.

As traduções de Aristóteles de Joe Sachs são brilhantes: sempre os seus mesmos neologismos, todos muito explicados e consistentes (não troco por nenhum outro circumlóquio etc.); as notas de rodapé são indispensáveis para quem não está lendo os comentários mais extensos; os prefácios e posfácios são excelente. No final, um dicionário grego-inglês-grego dos termos fundamentais. Se está em dúvida sobre qual tradução ler do De Anima, então com certeza deve escolher esta.

There are plusses and minuses about this particular production. The plusses first: this is a nicely accessible translation, and will give the reader a sense of what Aristotle had to say about the soul – or De Anima, and memory and recollection, where, for example, he agreed with Plato that ‘learning is recollection’, and as that was Socrates proof in the Meno that the soul is eternal – albeit reincarnated, then Aristotle must accept the same thing. Some or Aristotle’s logic of argument – much beloved by the scholastics, is dense, and some guide – even a commentary, would have been useful. This is paring down, with a big question mark.The minuses really depend upon what one expects. There is no indication by the publisher as to when the book was published (book = translation) There is no identification of the translator, which means that in theory at least, there is copyright on an unnamed translator and publisher of that translation, which means that this translation cannot be used as a textual source, in any publication or academic paper.The result is a big question about provenance. There is no reference to Aristotle’s actual text, as for example is now standard with the dialogues of Plato, so that even the translation cannot be checked for accuracy. A numbering system exists but has patently not been used. It is on a par with e-versions of Greek text, where the orthography of the Greek is so bad it is indecipherable. The absence of an introduction, or even an introduction-commentary, is clearly a cost-cutting strategy on the part of the publishers, but it indicates a total misconception about the likely readership of such a document, and it is as frustrating as finding that yet another translation of Plato uses the Jowett translation – nothing wrong with that, but why not say it on the cover?I also find the cover blurb problematic. The biographic detail of Aristotle is conflationary – how is the reader to connect the idea that he was a keen biological observer – some accredit him with being the first true naturalist, with De Anima where he is as holistic as Plato is in the Timeaus. ‘He avoids the simplifications both of the materialists and those who believe in the soul as something quite distinct from the body.’ But being a student of Plato for twenty years would have known that Plato saw the body and soul as distinct entities, and that the Church later was to claim Aristotle as the authority on their doctrine of the soul + body = person – otherwise known as hylomorphism which was a simplification, because it was realised that if the two were seen as distinct, then other questions would naturally arise.

Tried to return it because it says 'free return' on the page, but then I discover I need to exchange it for one of the'suggested' books Amazon offers within a limited range, all much more expensive, and books I do not want. That is not free return, and that is not suggesting but forcing. The amusing thing is that if the book were damaged I would have to do the same, buy another book.