★★★★★ 4
Helpful, but Waterfield is better for an intro
Format: Paperback
This is basically a scholarly paragraph-by-paragraph commentary on the Timaeus. It's really good for what it is, but I don't recommend it as your first introduction to the Timaeus -- rather, I recommend Waterfield:
http://www.amazon.com/Timaeus-Critias-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B006NTMD16
A problem with using Cornford as an introduction is that he comments on everything, and it's hard to figure out what the main themes are. I tried reading Cornford as an intro and gave it up, but once I'd read Waterfield I found Cornford extremely helpful both in elucidating passages further than Waterfield does, and in interpreting passages Waterfield doesn't cover. So if you're looking to learn about the Timaeus, I'd suggest Waterfield first and Cornford second (or Cornford alongside Waterfield).
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Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2014