K.R. Norman - Rhinoceros Horn (Sutta Nipata translation)

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

I've seen two copies of K.R. Norman's translation of the Sutta Nipata for sale... one with footnotes, and one without. The one with footnotes is more expensive than the one without.

A question to anyone who has read the copy with footnotes.... How insightful or useful are the footnotes, and would they justify the additional expense.

Thanks.

Metta,
Retro.

[Paññāsikhara]

Greetings,

I've seen two copies of K.R. Norman's translation of the Sutta Nipata for sale... one with footnotes, and one without. The one with footnotes is more expensive than the one without.

A question to anyone who has read the copy with footnotes.... How insightful or useful are the footnotes, and would they justify the additional expense.

Thanks.

Metta,
Retro.

Oh, definitely get the one with footnotes. They are not usually geeky footnotes of philologic phlights of phancy, but basically amount to the different translations given by I B Horner and Walpola Rahula (I think it is those two, don't have book on hand right now). So, it is effectively three versions all together in one. Very useful and nice. Probably the only way to improve it would be to the Pali itself right there!

[Ben]

Hi Retro
As a matter of interest, where are they for sale?
metta

Ben

[retrofuturist]

Greetings bhante,

Excellent... thank you for the recommendation!

I've been meaning to get around to purchasing it, but when I go to do so, I always come across this hurdle and never get past it.

Metta,
Retro.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Ben,

I can't remember

It was only after a comment that was made on a Facebook status post I'd done, that I even remembered I was going to ask the question!

Metta,
Retro.

[Ben]

No problems Retro.
But if you do remember, please let me know.
If its affordable, I would be interested in making an incremental expansion of my meagre library!
Ben

[bodom]

No problems Retro.
But if you do remember, please let me know.
If its affordable, I would be interested in making an incremental expansion of my meagre library!
Ben

It would be well worth the money. The only other translation i know of is by H. Saddhatissa and i was not at all impressed with the translation and meager foot notes.

[Reductor]

I have recently bought this, and it is a nice book. One note though: it is written in prose all the way through, which is not as charming. But there is much less ambiguity in meaning than, say, Thanissaro's, and so there is much less need of those commentary notes and explanation's that pepper verse translations.

[jcsuperstar]

its the one i bought after Ajahn Dhammanando recomended it

[pt1]

Hi Retro
As a matter of interest, where are they for sale?

If I'm not mistaken, PTS has both for sale, the one with the notes being:

The Group of Discourses,
2nd ed., tr. K.R. Norman (with notes), 2001
ISBN 303 6 £35.75

And the one without notes being:

Paperback edition (without notes): The Rhinoceros Horn.

I can't seem to figure out what's the direct link to this, so please go to PTS translation page:
http://www.palitext.com/palitext/tran.htm
and then scroll down to around the middle of the page, "The Group of discourses" should be somewhere thereabout.

Best wishes