Aristotle's works are often referred to by Latin forms of their titles, and equally often by abbreviations derived from these Latin forms. Since he wrote in Greek, this may seem a silly practice for English-speaking audiences, but we do it anyway (at least Latin titles and abbreviations are the same for English, French, German, Italian, etc., writers). This table may be useful in figuring out references.
The order of works in this table descends from Andronicus' edition (1st. C. BCE). Andronicus grouped the works by category and arranged them in an order of study: first logic, then natural science, then ethics and politics. Note that the Metaphysics, as its title suggests, follows next in order after the works on natural science, and just before the works on ethics and politics. This order is reflected in the standard page, column, and line numbers given in modern editions of Aristotle's works: actually, those numbers correspond to the pagination of Immanuel Bekker's edition of 1831. All of this is merely a matter of convenience: the order certainly has nothing to do with chronology (a very difficult subject when it comes to the Aristotelian treatises), nor can it be taken for granted that it reflects Aristotle's own views. Several works generally regarded as spurious are omitted from the table below.
Latin Title | English titles | Common abbreviations |
Categoriae | Categories | Cat., Catg. |
De Interpretatione | On Interpretation | De Int., Int., DI |
Analytica Priora | Prior Analytics | An. Pr., APr., Pr. An. |
Analytica Posteriora | Posterior Analytics | An. Post., APo., APst., Post. An. |
Topica | Topics | Top. |
De Sophisticis Elenchis | On Sophistical Refutations | SE, Soph. El. |
Organon | Organon (collective title for the preceding six works) | |
Physica | Physics | Phys. |
De Generatione et Corruptione | On Coming-to-Be and Passing Away; On Generation and Corruption | GC, De Gen. et Corr. |
De Caelo | On the Heavens | De Cael., DC, Cael. |
Meteorologica | Meteorology | Meteor., Metr. |
De Anima | On the Soul | An., De An., DA |
De Sensu et Sensibilibus | On Sense and Sensibles, On Sense and Sensibilia | Sens., SS |
De Memoria et Reminiscentia | On Memory and Recollection | Mem., Mem. et Rem. |
De Somno et Vigilia | On Sleep and Waking | Somn., Somn. et Vig. |
De Insomniis | On Dreams | Insomn. |
De Divinatione per Somnum | On Divination by Dreams | Div., Div. Somn. |
De Longitudine et Brevitate Vitae | On Longness and Shortness of Life | Long., Long. Vit. |
De Juventute et Senectute [De Vita et Morte] | On Youth and Old Age [On Life and Death] | Juv. |
De Respiratione | On Respiration | Resp. |
Parva Naturalia | Little Physical Treatises (collective title for the preceding eight works) | PN |
De Spiritu | On Breath | Spir., Spirit. |
Historia Animalium | History of Animals; Natural History of Animals | Hist. An., HA |
De Partibus Animalium | On the Parts of Animals | PA, Part. An. |
De Motu Animalium | On the Motion of Animals | MA |
De Generatione Animalium | On the Generation of Animals | GA |
De Incessu Animalium | On the Beginnings of Animals, Progression of Animals | IA |
Metaphysica | Metaphysics | Met., Metaph. (Greek letters for individual books are often used alone) |
Ethica Nicomachea | Nicomachean* Ethics | Eth. Nic., EN |
Ethica Eudemia | Eudemian Ethics | Eth. Eud., EE |
Magna Moralia | Magna Moralia | MM |
Politica | Politics | Pol. |
Rhetorica, Ars Rhetorica | Rhetoric; Art of Rhetoric | Rhet. |
Poetica | Poetics | Poet. |
*The most extreme penalties attach to anyone who spells this 'Nichomachean'
Table courtesy of Prof. Robin Smith, Texas A & M University