'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius?

Question

Can anyone tell me what version of 'Meditations' is the best translated volume. Penguin Classics, Modern Library and Loeb Classics are just a few versions of this book out there. Which one is the best? Is there another one that is better that I have not listed?

Answer 1

I like the Harvard Classics version myself, but Wikipedia gives links to that one and a few more online.

Multiple editions of the Meditations at the Internet Archive
Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν (Ta eis heauton), an online Greek version of the Meditations (Greek was the original language of the writings), after A.S.L.Farquharson's publication
The Meditations, an online version at the Internet Classics Archive
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, an online version from The Harvard Classics series, published 1909-1914.
Meditations, an online version from Project Gutenburg (text is from The Golden Book of Marcus Aurelius, translated by Meric Casaubon, published 1906-1908.)
Latin Version by J. M. Schulz (1802)

Answer 2

A good translation is Penguin, and also economic.
That publisher is consistent in selecting good translations for all their books.

The preferences of translations of original works is always a matter of personal preference, word for word vs translation of sentence meaning while maintaining the prose quality of the original.

A good example of comparison of translations is the Bible which has many translations, amplified versions which place the various dictionary meanings of the key words into the text, comparative side by side different translations, and original language with the readers language beneath it word for word.

The more you compare different translations of any text, the greater your understanding of the text in its original intent. Ultimately, as Bible Scholars, you study the original languages to obtain the most complete and accurate understanding of the text.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is not in the same category of intense study as the Bible, but the principals are the same.