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Robert Kaster's new translation of Cicero's Brutus and Orator is a delight to read, and his superb introduction and notes make these important works on the history and theory of oratory accessible to the broad audience they deserve. They are among Cicero's most brilliant works, and Kaster's edition is a masterpiece itself. * James E. G. Zetzel, Columbia University * In this pair of essays written three years before his death, Cicero composed a fascinating valediction for Roman oratory.His understanding of the qualities that had made it great and his chagrin at having witnessed its decline are perfectly captured in these lucid translations by Robert Kaster. * Peter White, University of Chicago *

""This excellent translation...captures Cicero's register in accessible English and provides the critical apparatus necessary to introduce the works and their milieu to a new generation of students. [Kaster] does so judiciously, avoiding history and topics covered adequately elsewhere, concentrating instead on the introduction, annotations, biographical sketches, glossary, and appendixes necessary for the texts at hand. The result is an edition that professors will find useful for the classroom and their own studies, and students will find invaluable for introducing them to Cicero's mature views on orators and oratory in general.... Cicero's pen fell silent long ago, but today one may benefit from what he has to say thanks to the exemplary work of scholars like Kaster. Summing Up: Essential."" -- CHOICE ""Kaster's lengthy introduction ably lays out the historical and technical contexts necessary for understanding these two works. It, along with the extensive notes on every page, biographical sketches, and a glossary, are geared towards capable nonspecialists who may not have a command of Latin. This is a real service to scholars and students alike, not just to specialists of Cicero or Roman rhetoric. The book will undoubtedly serve not only those needing a reliable translation for research, but teachers and their students needing a capable overview of two essential, and in various ways neglected, rhetorical works of the Ciceronian corpus. Kaster's efforts are all but certain to diminish that general neglect... Kaster's new translation with commentary will remind a generation of scholars and non-specialists that these sophisticated works merit further study."" -- Christopher S. Van Den Berg, Recensioni - Comptes Rednus ""Kaster is predictably punctilious on textual matters, and offers a superb introductory essay"" -- Christopher Whitton, Greece & Rome ""Kaster's edition of the Brutus and the Orator is a superb and much needed volume which offers rich and eloquent translations, as well as comprehensive introductory material, appendices, and annotations. I can envision assigning this text to undergraduates or graduate students in a classical rhetoric or Cicero course, regardless of students' knowledge of ancient languages or their familiarity with the treatises themselves... I find this volume of great value and strongly recommend it for those interested in Cicero's later rhetorical contributions, from the layperson to the specialist."" -- Bess R. H. Myers, University of Memphis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review ""In this pair of essays written three years before his death, Cicero composed a fascinating valediction for Roman oratory. His understanding of the qualities that had made it great and his chagrin at having witnessed its decline are perfectly captured in these lucid translations by Robert Kaster."" -- Peter White, University of Chicago ""Robert Kaster's new translation of Cicero's Brutus and Orator is a delight to read, and his superb introduction and notes make these important works on the history and theory of oratory accessible to the broad audience they deserve. They are among Cicero's most brilliant works, and Kaster's edition is a masterpiece itself."" -- James E. G. Zetzel, Columbia University

This excellent translation...captures Cicero's register in accessible English and provides the critical apparatus necessary to introduce the works and their milieu to a new generation of students. [Kaster] does so judiciously, avoiding history and topics covered adequately elsewhere, concentrating instead on the introduction, annotations, biographical sketches, glossary, and appendixes necessary for the texts at hand. The result is an edition that professors will find useful for the classroom and their own studies, and students will find invaluable for introducing them to Cicero's mature views on orators and oratory in general.... Cicero's pen fell silent long ago, but today one may benefit from what he has to say thanks to the exemplary work of scholars like Kaster. Summing Up: Essential. -- CHOICE Kaster is predictably punctilious on textual matters, and offers a superb introductory essay -- Christopher Whitton, Greece & Rome Kaster's edition of the Brutus and the Orator is a superb and much needed volume which offers rich and eloquent translations, as well as comprehensive introductory material, appendices, and annotations. I can envision assigning this text to undergraduates or graduate students in a classical rhetoric or Cicero course, regardless of students' knowledge of ancient languages or their familiarity with the treatises themselves... I find this volume of great value and strongly recommend it for those interested in Cicero's later rhetorical contributions, from the layperson to the specialist. -- Bess R. H. Myers, University of Memphis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review In this pair of essays written three years before his death, Cicero composed a fascinating valediction for Roman oratory. His understanding of the qualities that had made it great and his chagrin at having witnessed its decline are perfectly captured in these lucid translations by Robert Kaster. -- Peter White, University of Chicago Robert Kaster's new translation of Cicero's Brutus and Orator is a delight to read, and his superb introduction and notes make these important works on the history and theory of oratory accessible to the broad audience they deserve. They are among Cicero's most brilliant works, and Kaster's edition is a masterpiece itself. -- James E. G. Zetzel, Columbia University

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Robert A. Kaster is Professor of Classics, emeritus, and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin Language and Literature, emeritus, at Princeton University.

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