The Nicomachean Ethics: Bibliography

My base camp, the paperback I carried around while I was studying Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, was:

Thanks to Google Books, I also was able to draw on a number of other translations and commentaries. I made my own copies of these books in PDF form so that I could correct for scanning errors, make the PDF page numbering more accurate, add bookmarks for chapters and sections, remove duplicate/damaged/blank pages, and such. (Still, as nice as Google Books can be, they have an unfortunate tendency to do low-quality scanning work, and so occasionally pages are missing or unreadable.) These are those:

  • Brewer, John S. The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, with English Notes Oxford: Henry Slatter, [Google Books, my copy] — The Greek text with substantial English notes & commentary
  • Browne, R.W. The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle George Bell and Sons, [Google Books, my copy] — An introduction that presents the whole work in outline form, followed by a complete annotated English translation and some study questions
  • Burnet, John The Ethics of Aristotle Methuen & Co., [Google Books, my copy] — a substantial introduction, followed by the Greek text with English annotations, followed by an appendix including excerpts from De Anima and De motu animalium
  • Chase, D.P. The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle: A New Translation, Mainly from the Text of Bekker Oxford: Henry Hammans, [Google Books, my copy] — A summary followed by a complete English translation
  • The Ethics of Aristotle with Introductory Essay by George Henry Lewes (Chase’s translation, revised) Walter Scott, date unknown [Google Books, my copy] — a complete English translation
  • Gillies, John Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics, Comprising his Practical Philosophy Cadell & Davies, [Google Books, my copy] — the life of Aristotle, an analysis of Aristotle’s speculative works, followed by a very-liberal complete English translation
  • Grant, Alexander The Ethics of Aristotle, Illustrated with Essays and Notes Longmans, Green & Co., [Google Books: Volume 1, Volume 2; my copies: Volume 1, Volume 2] — Volume 1 includes several introductory essays giving the context of the Nicomachean Ethics, followed by books one and two in Greek with substantial English annotations; Volume 2 continues with books three through ten
  • Hatch, Walter M. The Moral Philosophy of Aristotle John Murray, [Google Books, my copy] — gives each chapter in both a faithful and direct English translation and in a more liberal and easier-to-understand paraphrase
  • Hawkins, E.L. The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Oxford: James Thornton, [Google Books, my copy] — the Greek of books one through four and part of book ten, with English annotations
  • Jackson, Henry Περὶ Δικαιοσύνης [concerning righteousness]: The Fifth Book of the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Cambridge University Press, [Google Books, my copy] — Jackson reorganizes book five into what he believes is a more intelligible order, gives this newly-organized version in parallel Greek and English versions, provides voluminous notes, and discusses his methodology and the reasoning behind it.
  • Jelf, William Edward Notes to Aristotle’s Ethics Oxford: John Henry & James Parker, [Google Books, my copy] — detailed notes meant to accompany Bekker’s Greek version
  • Lancaster, Thomas William The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Oxford: J. Vincent, [Google Books, my copy] — English summaries followed by the Greek text
  • Moore, Edward An Introduction to Aristotle’s Ethics Longmans, Green & Co., [Google Books, my copy] — covers chapters 1–4 and a bit of 10; the “Supplementary Notes and Illustrations” chapter includes many interesting examples of where characters in Shakespeare’s plays and other literature embody some of the virtues and vices Aristotle mentions
  • Muirhead, J.H. Chapters from Aristotle’s Ethics John Murray, [Google Books, my copy] — commentary and context for sections of books one through three and six through ten, with some of the passages translated as well
  • Paley, F.A. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Books Ⅴ & Ⅹ Cambridge: J. Hall & Son, [Google Books, my copy] — Greek and an English translation in parallel
  • Peters, F.H. The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., [Google Books, my copy] — a full English translation (now also available as a free ebook)
  • Smith, I. Gregory Chief Ancient Philosophies: The Ethics of Aristotle Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, [Google Books, my copy] — commentary on various aspects of Aristotle’s ethical system
  • Stewart, J.A. Notes on the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Oxford: Clarendon Press, [Google Books: Volume 1, Volume 2; my copies: Volume 1, Volume 2] — volume 1 covers books one through five; volume 2 covers the rest. These books summarize each chapter and then provide very detailed notes on particular words, concepts, and translation issues
  • Stock, St. George Lectures in the Lyceum, or: Aristotle’s Ethics for English Readers Longmans, Green, & Co., [Google Books, my copy] — Stock paraphrases books one through five of the Nicomachean Ethics as a transcript of Aristotle teaching (and fielding questions from) his students. This makes for an easier read than those translations that are more faithful to the original manuscripts.
  • Taylor, Thomas The Rhetoric, Poetic, and Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle James Black & Son, [Google Books, my copy] — this volume (2) gives an English translation of the Nicomachean Ethics
  • [“Vincent”] A New Translation of the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Oxford: J. & C. Vincent, [Google Books, my copy]
  • Welldon, J.E.C. The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle MacMillan & Co., [Google Books, my copy] — a summary of each book, followed by a translation of the whole
  • Williams, Robert The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Longmans, Green, & Co., [Google Books, my copy] — a complete English translation
  • Wilson, J. Cook Aristotelian Studies Ⅰ: On the Structure of the Seventh Book of the Nicomachean Ethics, Chapters Ⅰ–Ⅹ Oxford: Clarendon Press, [Google Books, my copy] — Explores this book under the theory that it is composed of multiple parallel original works that have been interlaced.

Some other resources I found helpful included:

  • “Aristotle’s Ethics of Virtue” Radio Free Philosophy #28 [Internet Archive]
  • “Roger Crisp on Aristotle’s Ethics” from Interviews with Philosophers podcast [Oxford]
  • Ebrey, David B. “Nicomachean Ethics” U.C. Berkeley lectures [Berkeley Webcast Courses]
  • “Ancient Athenian Democracy: A conversation with Josiah Ober” from Entitled Opinions with Robert Harrison, a show on Stanford University’s KZSU [Entitled Opinions]
  • Koturski, Joseph “The Ethics of Aristotle” The Teaching Company: The Great Courses
  • Meikle, Scott Aristotle’s Economic Thought Oxford University Press,
  • Rickaby, Joseph “The Aristotelian Division of Justice” Political and Moral Essays, [Google Books]
  • Vernon, Mark “What is Friendship?” a series of podcast lectures based on Aristotle’s Lyceum lectures on friendship [podcast]
  • Wattles, Jeffrey “Introduction to Ethics” Kent State University lectures