The importance of Parmenides' thought cannot be exaggerated. Virtually all Greek philosophers that came after him tried either to meet his challenges or refute his claims. Not even Plato and Aristotle could avoid a confrontation with the Parmenidean doctrine of being. But the exegesis of Parmenides' poem posed enormous difficulties right from the beginning. How should his notoriously obscure verses be understood? To the long list of interpretations that go back to antiquity we can now add a fresh and imaginative proposal by Professor Nestor Luis Cordero. After canvassing a vast amount of work on Parmenides, Professor Cordero reaches an interpretation that breaks new ground, especially in his understanding of the Parmenidean ways of thought and the use of the Greek verb "to be." This thorough and controversial book will certainly be valued highly by the international community of scholars devoted to the study of ancient philosophy as well as by educated readers worldwide.

—Alfonso Gómez-Lobo,
Georgetown University