The Best Translation of Apology
Apology was written in Ancient Greek. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
G.M.A. Grube
Hackett Publishing · 2000
Grube's translation in Hackett's Five Dialogues, bundled with Euthyphro, Crito, Meno, and Phaedo. Clean philosophical prose, the version sitting on every intro-to-Plato syllabus for thirty years.
Every recommended edition, compared
C.D.C. Reeve
Hackett Publishing · 2002
Reeve updates Grube with a sharper ear for Socratic irony and more current terminology. Part of Hackett's Trials of Socrates, which keeps the courtroom dialogues together. Worth it if you've already done Grube.
Reading Apology in translation
Apology was written in Ancient Greek, so unless you read Ancient Greek, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.