The Best Translation of The Works of Cicero
The Works of Cicero was written in Latin. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
Michael Grant
Penguin Classics · 1971 · 272 pages
Grant's Penguin selections are the readable way into Cicero. Speeches, essays, and letters together give a working portrait of the most consequential writer of the Republic in a single paperback.
Every recommended edition, compared
The Loeb Cicero runs 28 volumes, which is a commitment, but the facing-page Latin is what scholars actually use. Start with the selected political speeches or De Oratore and branch out.
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Reading The Works of Cicero in translation
The Works of Cicero was written in Latin, so unless you read Latin, 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.