Plato is one of the key ancient authors studied by both classicists and philosophers. This volume contains the first eight of Plato's works in the traditional order which appears in most of the manuscripts. The first four, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, ahd Phaedo are grouped by their dramatic settings concerned with the death of Socrates. The Apology and Crito display Socrates' philosophical mission. The Euthyphro discusses piety; the Phaedo proves the immortality of the soul by appeal to Plato's Theory of Forms. The second group of dialogues represent Plato's later work and are grouped according to his own indications; The Cratylus discusses language, the Thaetetus knowledge, the Sophist being and negation, and the Politicus statesmanship.

This new edition offers much additional information on the preservation of Plato's text. All primary manuscripts have been checked and in most casesx freshly cololated. Papyrus fragments recently made available that were unknown to previous editors have been in several cases re-examined and their evidence reported, whilst no less important has been the search for previously unreported quotations of Plato in later Greek writers, facilitated by new editions of Neoplatonic writers. All textual problems have been thought through afresh.