Readers of Plato have often neglected the Laws because of its length and density. In this set of interpretive essays, notable scholars of the Laws from the fields of classics, history, philosophy, and political science offer a collective close reading of the dialogue "book by book" and reflect on the work as a whole. In their introduction, editors Gregory Recco and Eric Sanday explore the connections among the essays and the dramatic and productive exchanges between the contributors. This volume fills a major gap in studies on Plato's dialogues by addressing the cultural and historical context of the Laws and highlighting their importance to contemporary scholarship.

Introduction1. On Reading the Laws as a Whole: Horizon, Vision, and Structure Mitchell Miller2. 'E and the Laws in Historical Context Mark Munn3. The Long and Winding Road: Impediments to Inquiry in Book One of the Laws Eric Salem 4. Education in Plato's Laws John Russon5. On Beginning after the Beginning John Sallis6. It is Difficult for a City with Good Laws to Come into Existence: On Book 4 Michael Zuckert 7. "He Saw the Cities and He Knew the Minds of Many Men": Landscape and Character in the Odyssey and the Laws Patricia Fagan8. On the Human and the Divine: Reading the Prelude in Plato's Laws 5 Robert Metcalf 9. Being True to Equality: Human Allotment and the Judgment of Zeus Greg Recco10. The 'Serious Play' of Book 7 of Plato's Laws David Roochnik11. No Country for Young Men: Eros as Outlaw in Plato's Laws Francisco Gonzalez 12. On the Implications of Human Mortality: Legislation, Education, and Philosophy in Book 9 of Plato's Laws Catherine Zuckert13. 'A Soul Superlatively Natural': Psychic Excess in Laws 10 Sara Brill14. Property and Impiety in Plato's Laws: Books 11 & 12 Eric SandayBibliography List of ContributorsIndex