The Best Translation of Phaedo
Phaedo 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 in Hackett's Five Dialogues. The death scene is devastating in any translation, and Grube's plain philosophical prose lets it land without varnish. Same volume as Apology and Crito, which is how you'd want to read them anyway.
Every recommended edition, compared
Gallop's Oxford World's Classics edition runs much heavier on philosophical commentary. His notes on the immortality arguments are the reason to pick it up, especially if those proofs are starting to slide past you.
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Reading Phaedo in translation
Phaedo 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.