Theophrastus: Characters (Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, Series Number 43)

Theophrastus' Characters is a collection of thirty short character-sketches of various types of individuals who walked the streets of Athens in the late fourth century BC. This edition presents a radically improved text for a unique work which had a profound influence on European literature. The translation is designed to be readable and reveals the nuances of the original Greek--through a comprehensive commentary that clarifies the often enigmatic references within the text.