Aristotle's "Categories": Source texts

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The "Categories" is a short work, widely available in collections of
Aristotle's works. It's available online, and it is even to be had for
a couple dollars in eBook format. Here are some source texts and
comments [in brackets].

1. J. Barnes, ed., "The Complete Works of Aristotle," Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, vols. I & II, 1984. [Leads off with the
"Categories" in vol. I. Nice hardbound books, notes sparce, less
commentary than that, small typeface, but widely available new and
used.
Inexpensive, given the quality of the books. For the "Categories,"
Prof. Jonathan Barnes chose the popular translation by Prof. J.L.
Ackrill, which is widely regarded as the most faithful to the original
Greek.]

2. J. Ackrill, trans., "Aristotle's Categories and De Interpretatione,"
Oxford: Clarendon, 1963 (& many later editions). [Same as in the
"Complete Works," but containing only the two little treatises from the
Organon: "Categories" and "On Interpretation," the latter often noted
by
its Latin name.]

3. H.P. Cooke and H. Tredennick, trans., "Aristotle: Categories, On
Interpretation, and Prior Analytics," vol. I (of XXIII) of the Loeb
Aristotle series, Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1996. [Greek text and
Cooke's translation of the Categories into English on facing pages.
Contains introduction, outline, fairly good footnotes, and the
translation maintains some harmony with the original Attic Greek.]

4. E.M. Edghill's translation is online:
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/categories.html [Many readers
appreciate this English translation for its modern ring and easy flow,
but it is arguably the least faithful of the three I've listed.]

--Ron Allen

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There are a couple of other translations of the "Categories". I'll list
them, but I haven't checked either of them out yet:

5. H.G. Apostle, trans., "Aristotle's Categores and Propositions," De
Moines, IA: Peripatetic Press, 1980. I believe that Prof. Apostle
passed away before completing his translation of A.'s complete works,
but eight volumes are available, including as well the "Posterior
Analytics," from the Organon, and the "Nicomachean Ethics," "Physics,"
"Metaphysics," "On the Soul," "Politics," and "Poetics".

6. L.F. Smith, trans., "Aristotle: Categories and Interpretation,"
Fresno, CA: Academy Guild Press, 1959. Not widely available. Has anyone
seen this?

In addition, following the course I took over on the Yahoo Groups
aristotle-organon discussion list, I'll provide translations for some
of the key passages of the "Categories" from time-to-time.

--RLA