I thought the translation for this play was excellent. There is even a great introduction at the beginning. But I must point out that there were many typographical errors in the book and also a large portion of Part 2 was omitted. The play itself also was not so great. I did enjoy its humor, provided by Mephisto himself. It starts off very well but by the start of the second part, you lose yourself. Goethe even decided to change one of the characters names halfway through the first part (just for the heck of it!). The ending was also a bit disappointing. It seems like Goethe's skill began waning by the end of the first part (much like Conrad when he neared the end of Nostromo). But still since it's a classic, you probably should read it. Then again, some 'classics' are terrible and I hope should soon be forgotten (Dickens for one!).