This book is an excellent translation of Plato's Republic, but readers should still check some of the translation against the actual ancient Greek terminology used. Waterfield translates dikaiosune as morality, whereas many other translators have translated it to justice. Dikaiosune contains elements of both morality and justice, and it is interesting to keep in mind the original meaning of the words when reading a specific translation. Waterfield also translates musical education to cultural education since music (study of the muses) in ancient Greece included more than the modern connotation of music. Personally, Waterfield's introduction does not really act as an introduction, but more of a commentary as readers stumble upon the themes that Waterfield has written about as they read through the Republic. The commentary is extremely insightful and provides readers with an excellent summary of the key concepts within the book. The commentary by Julia Annas is recommended as a secondary reading alongside the Republic.

Rowe's translation is well written and up to date in language. As a modern speaker of English, this I commend him for. He is quite logical in his translation, and his notes are spot-on. I am able to follow his line of thought, something that cannot be said of other translators with their idiosyncrasies. This translation has easily become one of my favourites. My only grievance is the formatting of the book--Rowe does not divide the Republic in the traditional ten book format, a system I prefer for easy referencing because I do not have line numbers memorised, but it is a problem easily solved with page markers. I do, however, advise against purchasing the ebook--the page layout is horrendous.

What I really love about Plato’s work is the fact that it is written as a dialect rather than in the way that other philosophers approach their work. Through being written as a dialect Plato’s work is much easier to grasp a hold of than some other philosophical texts which really do require your brainpower. Of course, this too requires a lot of brainpower as it covers an array of topics but it is much easier through the dialect approach. It isn’t something I’d usually read, in fact I had to read it due to it being part of my A-Level Philosophy exam, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. I can honestly say it wasn’t at all what I was expecting when the entire class gave a little groan at the prospect of reading an entire Plato book. As a whole it does get you thinking on so many areas, the arguments being easy to understand and staying with you for a while. It is as good a place as any to start if you’re looking to delve into the world of philosophy.