"The translation of this bilingual edition of La Rochefoucauld's Reflexions ou sentences et maximes morales (long known in English simply as the Maxims) is the first to appear in forty years. It is completely new and aims - unlike all previous versions - at being as literal as possible. This involves, among other things, rendering the same word - for example, amour-propre as "self-love" - as consistently throughout as good sense allows.

This also means that the translators have made every effort to maintain La Rochefoucauld's word order. This allows the reader the best vantage point for viewing La Rochefoucauld's dramatic and paradoxical juxtapositions of words and ideas, juxtapositions of the utmost importance to understanding his thought. Despite the translation's concern with literalness, careful attention has been paid to the nuances of the literary character of the Maxims.

In addition, this work contains an updated version, in English, of the original French index of the work that will greatly aid the reader in finding just the right maxim."--BOOK JACKET.