The Works of Aristotle VIII (The History of Animals) (Thomas Taylor Series, volume XXVI)

Thomas Taylor's translations of the complete works of Aristotle—the first complete set of such translations to be produced in English—have two great advantages for the modern reader:

First, Taylor works from within the Platonic tradition, of which he himself was a convinced follower. While other translations also have their own scholarly and literary merits, they often lack the depth of Taylor’s, because the subtle truths embedded in Platonic writings are only understood after careful and profound meditation. Like the great writers of the ancient Neoplatonic schools, Taylor saw Aristotle as a Platonist, and so he translated and explained Aristotle from that
perspective.

Second, Taylor includes extensive excerpts from the surviving Platonic commentaries on Aristotle, particularly the works of Simplicius, which are otherwise difficult or costly to obtain in English translation. By including these commentaries—and his own insightful notes—along with Aristotle's own words, Taylor brings to life the works of Aristotle, as part of the living Platonic tradition, extended across the centuries.