Rating: 
Summary: The Classic Book on Greek and Roman History
Review: Plutarch's Lives is a book of epic proportions. Essentially, it is an encyclopeadia of the biographies of famous men in the history of Ancient Greece and Rome. With over 50 biographies and comparisons, this book covers the most important people in the history of Greco-Roman civilization. The impact of this book is phenomenal. Shakespeare read it, Dante read it. Its influence is evident in their writing. The book transcends simple biography though, and contains a wealth of information about ancient cultures such as Sparta. Plutarch also compares different historical figures to one another for an interesting study of comparative politics and virtue. Some of Plutarch's information is questionable, but it remains one of the best sources available. If you are interested in classical history then this is a great reference and it's enjoyable for pleasure reading as well.
Rating:
Summary: The Classic Book on Greek and Roman History
Review: Plutarch's Lives is a book of epic proportions. Essentially, it is an encyclopeadia of the biographies of famous men in the history of Ancient Greece and Rome. With over 50 biographies and comparisons, this book covers the most important people in the history of Greco-Roman civilization. The impact of this book is phenomenal. Shakespeare read it, Dante read it. Its influence is evident in their writing. The book transcends simple biography though, and contains a wealth of information about ancient cultures such as Sparta. Plutarch also compares different historical figures to one another for an interesting study of comparative politics and virtue. Some of Plutarch's information is questionable, but it remains one of the best sources available. If you are interested in classical history then this is a great reference and it's enjoyable for pleasure reading as well.
Rating: 
Summary: A rough read
Review: Plutarch's Lives is one of my all time favorite books. I especially enjoy the "gay windows" in Alcibiades life and the description of Archimedes defense of Syracuse. My three star rating has nothing to do with Plutarch and everything to do with the terribly outdated translation "update" by Sir Clough. Sure, as another reviewer points out, it is vocabulary enhancing, but Plutarch was not a Victorian English gentleman. If you like Victorian prose, read a Victorian novel or something. I would actually prefer to read Dryden and company's undoctored original than wade through Clough's train wreck, as I find 18th century prose an easier read, and Dryden was a better writer.If someone were to do a modern translation of the Lives, more people would be able to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that you can probably count the number of good classical translators on one hand, and how many of them have the time to translate Plutarch?
Rating:
Summary: A rough read
Review: Plutarch's Lives is one of my all time favorite books. I especially enjoy the "gay windows" in Alcibiades life and the description of Archimedes defense of Syracuse. My three star rating has nothing to do with Plutarch and everything to do with the terribly outdated translation "update" by Sir Clough. Sure, as another reviewer points out, it is vocabulary enhancing, but Plutarch was not a Victorian English gentleman. If you like Victorian prose, read a Victorian novel or something. I would actually prefer to read Dryden and company's undoctored original than wade through Clough's train wreck, as I find 18th century prose an easier read, and Dryden was a better writer. If someone were to do a modern translation of the Lives, more people would be able to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that you can probably count the number of good classical translators on one hand, and how many of them have the time to translate Plutarch?
Rating: 
Summary: Essential reading for Western culture
Review: These writings are 100% essential to have as a basis for understanding Western civilization. The description of Sparta here is the benchmark. Understanding the modern issues of culture and development can be made much richer by reading the laws of Solon (who laid down the groundwork for Democracy) and Lycurgus (Sparta - the ultimate egalitarian state) you can see the seeds of a dichotomy that has lived to this day. This two volume set contains the lives of many of the people that you hear about again and again. If you plan to study the classics and read Plato, the Histories or other of the great books, these books are a perfect companion. Instead of reading them straight through, you can read about people as you come across them. With much soul searching I gave the books 4 stars instead of 5. The reason for this is that the translations are challenging. They are not terrible and they are better than other tranlations I have seen, but they have endless sentences and word choices that are not common in modern American English. If you are into personal growth, this may not be a bad thing, because you can look up the words and expand your vocabulary, but it does make it somewhat more slow going than it could be.
Rating: 
Summary: Ode on a Grecian what?
Review: Whoever was responsible for entitling this collection of Plutarch's Lives ought to be buried alive like a naughty Vestal Virgin. To apply the adjective "Grecian" to the men of Hellas is a travesty. At best, they should have used the term "Greeks." Honestly. "Grecian" is and should ONLY be applied to things manufactured by Greeks, not to Greeks themselves. It's like calling the people of Scotland "Scotch." Try that one in an Edinburgh pub and see how long you last. Unfortunately the "noble" men Hellas are not around to defend themselves, so I have to do it for them. "Lives of the Noble Hellines and Romans" is itself more noble.
Rating:
Summary: Ode on a Grecian what?
Review: Whoever was responsible for entitling this collection of Plutarch's Lives ought to be buried alive like a naughty Vestal Virgin. To apply the adjective "Grecian" to the men of Hellas is a travesty. At best, they should have used the term "Greeks." Honestly. "Grecian" is and should ONLY be applied to things manufactured by Greeks, not to Greeks themselves. It's like calling the people of Scotland "Scotch." Try that one in an Edinburgh pub and see how long you last. Unfortunately the "noble" men Hellas are not around to defend themselves, so I have to do it for them. "Lives of the Noble Hellines and Romans" is itself more noble.
| 
