"This book will be of immense value to students of philosophy and literature and should interest general readers as well."—Library Journal
"Allen is a superb translator, whose elegantly simple yet precise language gives access to Plato both as a philosopher and as a literary artist."—Library Journal (on Volume 1)
"An important book. . . . The translation is fine; the major contribution is the thickly textured and expansive commentary covering each section of the dialogue. . . . Included are extended discussions of Dionysus, Greek medicine, Plotinus and Ficino, Plato and Freud, and a philosophical analysis of wish versus desire. . . . This book will be of immense value to students of philosophy and literature and should interest general readers as well."—Raymond Frey, Book Review Digest
"This volume contains an elegant translation and a useful essay."—Steven Lowenstam, Classical World
"Remarkable erudition, dialectical sophistication, and good sense are at work here. The result is a readable and interesting book that is likely to be the standard work on the Symposium for a long time to come."—Robert G. Turnbull, Ohio State University