Tetrabiblos, Claudius Ptolemy, Book IV, trans., Robert H.Schmidt, Project Hindsight, Greek Track Vol. XIV., The Golden Hind Press, 532 Washington Street, Cumberland MD 21502, 1998, paperback, pp. 72.

The rationale behind a retranslation of the Tetrabiblos was given by Robert Hand in his introduction to the Project Hindsight translation of Book II in 1996: ‘this is the first translation ever done relying upon ancient commentators and other ancient authors for corroboration and clarification of the more difficult parts of the text. Too often translations have been done by persons who believed that they knew what Ptolemy had said, and who believed that it was simply a matter of translating the text “correctly”, i.e., in accordance with their previously conceived points of view’ (p. I). Book IV includes chapters on possessions, rank, the quality of action, sexual union, children, friends and enemies, travel abroad, the quality of death and the time-lords.