This is the first balanced introduction to Plato's work to bringing Plato himself alive, as well as discussing the importance of his works. In so doing, it allows a better understanding of who he was, what sort of world he inhabited, why his works were important in his own day, and why, twothousand years after his death, they are still regarded as so significant. By also describing the Greek society in which Plato lived, it succeeds in placing his work firmly in context for modern readers.