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!).

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.

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