<i>Philosopher-Kings</i> is a remarkable book, in the breadth of its scope as well as in the texture of its execution. It constitutes the most ambitious contemporary reading of the <i>Republic</i>, the most persistent, single-minded effort to give a unified reading of this immensely complex text. It is innovative in its attention not to a particular passage, argument, or theory on Plato's part, but to the whole of the <i>Republic</i> as a deeply coherent text, with no loose ends. --Alexander Nehamas, Princeton University

Reeve's brilliant treatment of the unity of Plato's <i>Republic</i> is a unique contribution to our understanding of that dialogue. Elegantly written, philosophically rich, his book stands to this day as one of the most creative readings of a Platonic dialogue of the past several decades. No one interested in Plato's ethics, political thought, and moral psychology can afford to neglect the striking and provocative way in which Reeve traces the parallel structures of Plato's literary masterpiece. --Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University