Introductions to scholarly books can serve different ends. One of these might be to convince prospective buyers of the value of the volume before them. In the present case, since the contents of this volume are about another – Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics – a dual pitch might seem necessary. About the Nicomachean Ethics (N.E.), Jonathan Barnes has written: “I shall not attempt to extol the merits of the Ethics: a good wine needs no bush; and it is mere impertinence to advertise the rarest of vintages.”  Barnes is so obviously right that I shall not talk at all about Aristotle’s book. As for this one, I shall speak briefly to the importance of the papers it presents toward the end of my Introduction. For the most part, however, I must let those papers sell themselves. Only by reading them can their value be fully appreciated.

A different end that introductions might serve is preparing readers for what they are about to encounter. Here, too, I will distinguish between the N.E. and the present volume. A number of superb introductions to the N.E. are already in print. I could add little, if anything, to them, so I shall not try. On the other hand, I will sketch the general contours of this volume as well as provide a precis for each paper. These can be found in section v of my Introduction. For fear of being long-winded, I have kept the synopses short. It is to be hoped that they will be useful summaries of the book’s contents but they are no substitute for them.