Are Penguin's philosophy books really that bad compared

If you're asking this question, then you're not doing the scholarship that would require such advanced interpretations.

Just read the Penguin. They're fine. They have Fagles for Homer after all, and he is fine.

Don't fall for the meme that introductory students need to have the best translations available. Read the Penguin because it is easy to access, and then eventually start looking into commentaries and see what translations they seem to be adopting or avoiding.

Well in that specific case of Seneca's letters, I would recommend Oxford. I have not read the Penguin translation, but I think there's only around 40 letters, where as in the Oxford edition there's 80 + quite a lot of good notes. I just finished reading it about a week ago and cannot recommend the Oxford version enough.

Penguin is absolutely fine for the vast majority of editions. The Penguin hate is a meme.

>>8743123
>Fagles
>fine

Seneca was a hack

>>8744898
all roman stoics were hacks

Just research what the best translation is, don't pay attention to the publisher.