Robin Waterfield facts for kids
Robin Anthony Herschel Waterfield, born on August 6, 1952, is a British expert on ancient history and philosophy. He is also a translator, editor, and writes exciting adventure books for young readers.
Contents
Robin Waterfield's Journey
Robin Waterfield was born in 1952. He loved learning about ancient times and studied Classics at Manchester University. He graduated with top honors in 1974. After that, he continued his studies at King's College, Cambridge, focusing on ancient Greek philosophy. Later, he taught at universities like Newcastle University and St Andrews University. He also worked for Penguin Books, helping to prepare and choose books for publication. Today, Robin Waterfield is a full-time writer.
Books by Robin Waterfield
Robin Waterfield has written many books. He is especially known for making old texts from ancient Greece and Rome understandable to modern readers.
Translations of Ancient Texts
A translator takes a book written in one language and rewrites it in another. Robin Waterfield has translated many important works from ancient Greek philosophers and historians into English. This helps more people read and learn from these old writings.
- Plato: Philebus, Penguin Books, 1982
- Plato: Theaetetus, Penguin Books, 1987
- Xenophon: Conversations of Socrates, Penguin Books, 1990
- Plutarch: Essays, Penguin Books, 1992
- Epicurus: Letter on Happiness, Rider Books, 1993
- Plato: Republic, Oxford University Press, 1993
- Herodotus: The Histories, Oxford University Press, 1998
- The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists, Oxford University Press, 2000
- Polybius: The Histories, Oxford University Press, 2010
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The Annotated Edition, Basic Books, 2021
- The Complete Works of Epictetus: Handbook, Discourses, and Fragments, University of Chicago Press, 2022
Non-fiction Books
Robin Waterfield also writes his own non-fiction books about history and philosophy. These books explore interesting topics from the ancient world.
- Before Eureka: The Presocratics and Their Science, The Bristol Press, 1989
- Prophet: The Life and Times of Kahlil Gibran, Allen Lane, 1998
- Hidden Depths: The Story of Hypnosis, Macmillan, 2002
- Athens: From Ancient Ideal to Modern City, Macmillan, 2003
- Xenophon's Retreat: Greece, Persia, and the End of the Golden Age, Faber and Faber/Harvard University Press, 2006
- Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths, Faber and Faber/Norton/McClelland & Stewart, 2009
- Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire, Oxford, 2011
- The Greek Myths, with Kathryn Waterfield, Quercus, 2012
- Taken at the Flood: The Roman Conquest of Greece, Oxford, 2014
- Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient Greece, Oxford, 2018
- The Making of a King: Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon and the Greeks, Oxford/Chicago, 2021
- Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy, Oxford, 2023
Adventure Gamebooks for Kids
Robin Waterfield has also written several "Fighting Fantasy" gamebooks. In these books, you make the choices that decide what happens next in the story!
- Rebel Planet, Puffin Books, 1985
- Masks of Mayhem, Puffin Books, 1986
- Phantoms of Fear, Puffin Books, 1987
- The Money Spider (with Wilfred Davies), Penguin Books, 1988
- The Water Spider (with Wilfred Davies), Penguin Books, 1988
- Deathmoor, Puffin Books, 1994
Other Works
- The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged by Robin Waterfield), Penguin Classics, 1996
