Plutarch is one of the most influential philosophers in the ancient world. Primarily known for his Parallel Lives that compared the lives of important figures in Greek and Roman history, Plutarch also wrote a collection of essays and speeches collectively known as his Moralia. Only 78 of Plutarch’s works have survived to the present.

André Dacier, the editor of the Delphin Classics series (a series of annotated editions of the Latin classics, first published from the 1670s) and later keeper of the library at the Louvre, is particularly noted for his editions and translations of several classical works including Aristotle’s Poetics, Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, and this edition of Plutarch’s lives. He was married to Anne Lefèvre, who was also a classical scholar and editor.