Publisher's Synopsis
This examines the papyrus books collected by Plato himself, a habit which began when he was still 'studying' under Socrates and continued throughout his years of teaching in the Academy. The book deals extensively with the works of the Ionian and Eleatic Natural Philosophers, as well as of the Pyhagoreans, which informed the composition of Plato's Dialogues. Furthermore, through this process the fabric of Sophistic literature composed at Athens is unfolded and the pioneers who introduced the study of Mathematics in the Academy are discussed in brief. Finally, a large chapter in the book deals with the architecture of the Academy, including topographical surveys and scale plans which reveal interesting facts about the ideas that went into its design, and the use of its facilities.
