Cicero's
De finibus
, written in 45 B.C., consists of three separate dialogues, dealing respectively with the ethical systems of Epicureanism, Stoicism, and the "Old Academy" of Antiochus of Ascalon. An encyclopedic survey of this nature is of particular importance for its detailed account of Stoic ethics. This critical edition of the text, based on a fresh study and collation of the manuscripts, is the first to appear for many years and the first to reflect a clear understanding of the whole manuscript tradition. It will be the second in a series of editions of Cicero's philosophical works; the first volume, the
De officiis
, edited by Michael Winterbottom, appeared in 1994.