Herbert Weir Smyth (1857–1937) was Eliot Professor of Greek at Harvard University. Best known for his Greek Grammar (1920), which remains the standard reference grammar for students of ancient Greek, Smyth also produced the Loeb Classical Library edition of Aeschylus (2 volumes, 1922–1926). His combination of linguistic expertise and literary sensitivity made his Aeschylus edition particularly valuable.
Smyth's Loeb Aeschylus presents the Greek text with facing English translation. Following Loeb convention, the text is based on established critical editions. For a critical text of Aeschylus, the OCT by D. L. Page (1972) and M. L. West's Teubner (1990, revised 1998) are now the standard references. Smyth's translations, while sometimes dated in style, remain useful for their accuracy and his notes address many of the textual difficulties that make Aeschylus the most challenging of the three great tragedians.
Herbert Weir Smyth (Loeb Classical Library)
Smyth's own eclectic text, based on the manuscript tradition and Wilamowitz. Smyth was both editor and translator.
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