Which Edition

Thomas Hobbes

Leviathan

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Cover of Leviathan, translated by Hackett (Curley)
Best for most

Hackett (Curley) · 1994

Edwin Curley's Hackett edition is the one I'd start with — modernized spelling and punctuation make Hobbes's 1651 English actually readable, it uniquely includes the significant variants from his 1668 Latin edition, and it adds paragraph numbers that make a dense book navigable. The most thoughtfully made edition. This is where I'd start.

Cover of Leviathan, translated by Penguin (Macpherson)
Popular & cheap

Penguin (Macpherson) · 1968

C. B. Macpherson's Penguin edition is the popular, inexpensive classic — it keeps Hobbes's original spelling and pagination, with a famous introduction. Cheaper than Curley; a little harder going for the 17th-century English.

Cover of Leviathan, translated by Cambridge (Tuck)
Most accurate text

Cambridge (Tuck) · 1991

Richard Tuck's Cambridge edition is recognized as the single most accurate, authoritative text — un-modernized, for readers who want Hobbes's exact words. The scholar's reference.

See the full comparisonCompare all 4 editions side by side — translator, introduction, notes, and format.

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