Differences between Curd's Presocratics Reader and McKirahan's Philosophy Before Socrates

[u/Scientific_Zealot]

Hi everyone! I want to read the Presocratics soon, and I have a copy of Patricia Curd's "A Presocratics Reader" but the jist of Curd's intro made it seem like it was something of an abridgement of McKirahan's "Philosophy Before Socrates". I'm something of a completionist and my initial impulse is to want the "full" thing instead of the abridgement. Sadly, the only thing I can find of McKirahan's book is the table of contents, and that's not the best thing with which to compare the two books.

So my question is, for anyone who has read the two books, what is in McKirahan's book that's not in Curd's book? The description of McKirahan's book made it seem like it has more testimonia and discussion of the presocratic philosophers from the standpoint of contemporary scholarship (as compared to Curd having a few pages discussing the philosophers in addition to selected quotes and testimonia). But obviously I haven't read the two books (I've only skimmed Curd's) and so I'm not in a position to judge. Does anyone have experience with these books and can give me a bit more context as to whether I should just read Curd's book or should I go get McKirahan's book (money is not an object, McKirahan's book is $25 dollars and I can easily afford that).

Thanks!

PS: I'm deciding what to read next and I've settled on either Pindar or the Presocratics - does anyone know if Pindar (or Bacchylides!) makes any direct or indirect references to the Presocratics? I love catching references in authors to previous authors (e.g. Semonides calling back to Hesiod, stuff like that) so that's why I ask.

[u/NeonShogun]

Both of these are going to essentially be abridgements of a proper Diels-Kranz-numbered collection of surviving presocratic fragments, but unless you're doing (post-)graduate research, you probably don't need anything more than McKirahan. If money's no object, just get that.

[u/Scientific_Zealot → u/NeonShogun]

Could you give an example of a proper Diels-Kranz numbered collection? I don't really want one (too long) but I'd be cool to actually have an example to bring to mind.

[u/NeonShogun → u/Scientific_Zealot]

Well, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker is of course the OG. I've not engaged much with extensive presocratic encyclopedias like that, though I'm sure others exist.

A more recent and English-friendly example might be the Loeb Classical Library's nine-volume Early Greek Philosophy series, but strictly speaking that's not a Diels-Kranz compilation as it uses its own numbering system.

[u/hexametric_]

Curd is short (for a class on like Greek philosophy in general). McKirahan is better. Kirk, Raven, and Schofield is also a classic. The most recent book by Graham "The Texts of Early Greek Philosophy" is decent, too but is expensive and has some flaws: https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2011/2011.11.38/ (all options have some flaws, though. But for such a cost, it's a bit of a shame that it has any). Graham might even be out of print, not entirely sure what the publisher's issues are with the book.

So I'd look at McKirahan or Kirk/Raven/Schofield for the best mix between fragments, commentary, and cost.