Understanding Plato is the first book in a series of books on the classical philosophers. The series is designed for beginning and intermediate philosophy students who would like more depth than they would ordinarily get from books that only give outlines of the philosopher's thoughts and theories. At the same time, the books do not delve so deeply and critically into the philosopher's ideas that they would only be accessible to graduate students and professors.
Each book focuses on both content and philosophical method. Each chapter breaks down the arguments of the philosopher into understandable parts, showing how the philosopher reaches his conclusions and how he defends against possible objections. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions for thought and discussion. Some of the questions are on topics that provide an excellent starting point for term papers. References to other books about the philosopher or the topic can be found at the end of the chapter, in footnotes, textboxes or at the end of the book.
Understanding Plato is the first book in the series. It contains a complete discussion of four of the early Socratic dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno) and Plato's longer and more famous work, The Republic.
Other books in the Smart Student's Guide series are: Understanding John Locke and Understanding John Stuart Mill.