The new "within your grasp" series of books from Wiley Publishing (publishers of the "For Dummies" series) is intended to summarize the work of the great philosophers, bringing their work within the grasp of readers who don't hold degrees in philosophy.

Plato is one of the most profound thinkers in the history of western civilization; its hard to find an aspect of modern civilization that has not been impacted by the genius of Plato. Understanding the philosophy of a writer as profound and as prolific as Plato is as difficult as it is important, but reading all of Plato's written work just isn't practical for non-scholars, so Brian Prifitt's text offers the reader the alternative of an overview of Plato, and does so without the technical language typically used in philosophy texts. Brian Proffitt's introductory text isn't designed for scholars and isn't intended to summarize Plato's 650,000 word career, but it is a good text for those taking the "First Step" in understanding Plato.

In five chapters the book offers a biography, an overview of Plato's philosophy, and highlights some central themes. It examines in detail "Meno" and "Apology", two of Plato's most famous short dialogs, and also examines the 10 books within Plato's monumental "Republic".

Dave Stout--Technical Editor; "Plato: within your grasp"