Ancient, classical and medieval texts Books
HarperCollins Publishers Letters from a Stoic
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
£5.62
Penguin Books Ltd The Fall of Icarus
Book Synopsis''Drawn on by his eagerness for the open sky, he left his guide and soared upwards...''Ovid tells the tales of Theseus and the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus, the Calydonian Boar-Hunt, and many other famous myths.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Ovid (c.43 BCE-17 CE). Ovid''s other works available in Penguin Classics are The Erotic Poems, Fasti, Heroides and Metamorphoses.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd The Lives of the Caesars
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£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Republic
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.
£5.62
Penguin Books Ltd The Odyssey
Book SynopsisA tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats - from the witch Circe who turns his men into pigs, to the twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis.Trade Review“[Robert Fitzgerald’s translation is] a masterpiece . . . An Odyssey worthy of the original.” –The Nation “[Fitzgerald’s Odyssey and Iliad] open up once more the unique greatness of Homer’s art at the level above the formula; yet at the same time they do not neglect the brilliant texture of Homeric verse at the level of the line and the phrase.” –The Yale Review “[In] Robert Fitzgerald’s translation . . . there is no anxious straining after mighty effects, but rather a constant readiness for what the occasion demands, a kind of Odyssean adequacy to the task in hand, and this line-by-line vigilance builds up into a completely credible imagined world.” –from the Introduction by Seamus Heaney
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Odyssey
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Alas that mortalsShould blame the gods! From us, they say,All evils come. Yet they themselvesIt is who through defiant deedsBring sorrow on them-far more sorrowThan fate would have them bear.'Attributed to the blind Greek poet, Homer, The Odyssey is an epic tale about cunning and strength of mind. It takes its starting point ten years after the fall of the city of Troy and follows its Greek warrior hero Odysseus as he tries to journey to his home of Ithaca in northwest Greece after the Greek victory over the Trojans.On his travels, Odysseus comes across surreal islands and foreign lands where he is in turn challenged and supported by those that he meets on his travels as he attempts to find his way back home in order to vanquish those who threaten his estate. In turn, his son Telemachus has to grow up quickly as he attempts to find his father and protect his mother from her suitors.Dealing with the univer
£5.62
Chiltern Publishing The Art of War: Chiltern Edition
Book SynopsisChiltern Publishing creates the most beautiful editions of the World's finest literature. Your favourite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before; the tactile embossed layers, fine details and beautiful colours of these remarkable covers make these titles feel extra special and will look striking on any shelf.
£17.00
Chiltern Publishing Jane Eyre: Chiltern Edition
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£17.00
Penguin Books Ltd The Aeneid
Book Synopsis''The most truthful translation ever, conveying as many nuances and whispers as are possible from the original'' The TimesAfter a century of civil strife in Rome and Italy, Virgil wrote the Aeneid to honour the emperor Augustus by praising his legendary ancestor Aeneas. As a patriotic epic imitating Homer, the Aeneid also set out to provide Rome with a literature equal to that of Greece. It tells of Aeneas, survivor of the sack of Troy, and of his seven-year journey: to Carthage, where he falls tragically in love with Queen Dido; then to the underworld,; and finally to Italy, where he founds Rome. It is a story of defeat and exile, of love and war, hailed by Tennyson as ''the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man''.Translated with an Introduction by DAVID WESTTrade Review"Fitzgerald's is so decisively the best modern Aeneid that it is unthinkable that anyone will want to use any other version for a long time to come." —New York Review of Books"From the beginning to the end of this English poem ... the reader will find the same sure control of English rhythms, the same deft phrasing, and an energy which urges the eye onward." —The New Republic"A rendering that is both marvelously readable and scrupulously faithful.... Fitzgerald has managed, by a sensitive use of faintly archaic vocabulary and a keen ear for sound and rhythm, to suggest the solemnity and the movement of Virgil's poetry as no previous translator has done (including Dryden).... This is a sustained achievement of beauty and power." —Boston Globe
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd On the Shortness of Life
Book SynopsisTimeless advice on the art of living well, from the celebrated Penguin Great Ideas seriesThe writings of the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into stoicism, morality and the importance of reason, and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence, lucidity and wisdom.Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. The Penguin Great Ideas series brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.
£7.59
Penguin Books Ltd Discourses and Selected Writings
Book SynopsisThe Discourses/Fragments/Enchiridion''I must die. But must I die bawling?''Epictetus, a Greek Stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicopolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil. The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature. In this personal, practical guide to the ethics of Stoicism and moral self-improvement, Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, illness and fear, family, friendship and love.Translated and Edited with an Introduction by Robert DobbinTable of ContentsEpictetusIntroductionFurther ReadingNote on the TranslationThe DiscoursesFragmentsEnchiridionGlossary of NamesNotes
£10.44
Arcturus Publishing Ltd Tao Te Ching
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£8.54
Sde Classics Meditations
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£8.98
HarperCollins Publishers Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.
£5.62
Penguin Books Ltd Meditations
Book SynopsisOriginally written only for his personal consumption, Marcus Aurelius''s Meditations has become a key text in the understanding of Roman Stoic philosophy. This Penguin Classics edition is translated with notes by Martin Hammond and an introduction by Diskin Clay.Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and Aurelius''s own emotions. But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.Martin Hammond''s new translation fully expresses the intimacy and eloquence of the original work, with detailed notes elucidating the text. This edition also includes an introduction by Diskin Clay, exploring the nature and development of the Meditations, a chronology, further reading and full indexes.Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus (121-80) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus). He ruled alone from 169, and spent much of his reign in putting down various rebellions, and was a persecutor of Christians. His fame rest, above all, on his Meditations, a series of reflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which represent a Stoic outlook on life. He was succeeded by his natural son, thus ending the period of the adoptive emperors.If you enjoyed Meditations, you might like Seneca''s Letters from a Stoic, also available in Penguin Classics.Trade ReviewMartin Hammond's translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, like his Iliad and Odyssey, is the work of an unusually gifted translator, and one who understands the value added by careful attention to supplementary material. He writes natural English, direct and often eloquent; the text is well supported by effective notes and a characteristically thorough and well-planned index; Diskin Clay supplies a useful introduction. This is a fine volume -- Malcolm Heath * Greece & Rome Journal *Marcus is well served by this new translation. Hammond has a pithy turn of phrase to match the emperor's own . . . His notes abound in helpful explanation and illuminating cross-reference. Diskin Clay contributes a sparkling and sympathetic introduction. The combination of introduction, translation and notes is as good as they get -- John Taylor * Journal of Classics Teaching *
£14.24
Penguin Books Ltd The Three Theban Plays Antigone Oedipus the King
Book SynopsisThe heroic Greek dramas that have moved theatergoers and readers since the fifth century B.C.Towering over the rest of Greek tragedy, the three plays that tell the story of the fated Theban royal family—Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus—are among the most enduring and timeless dramas ever written. Robert Fagles's authoritative and acclaimed translation conveys all of Sophocles's lucidity and power: the cut and thrust of his dialogue, his ironic edge, the surge and majesty of his choruses and, above all, the agonies and triumphs of his characters. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction and notes by the renowned classicist Bernard Knox.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and dTrade Review“I know of no better modern English version.”—Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Oxford University “A marvel of craftsmanship and intelligence.”—Emily Vermeule, Harvard University “The most impressive verse translations of Sophocles that have been made.”—Stephen SpenderTable of ContentsThe Three Theban Plays - Sophocles Translated by Robert Fagles with Introductions and Notes by Bernard KnoxAcknowledgmentsTranslator's PrefaceGreece and the TheaterSOPHOCLES: THE THREE THEBAN PLAYSIntroduction to AntigoneAntigoneIntroduction to Oedipus the KingOedipus the KingIntroduction to Oedipus at ColonusOedipus at ColonusA Note on the Text of SophoclesTextual VariantsNotes on the Translation: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at ColonusSelect BibliographyThe Genealogy of OedipusGlossary
£11.07
Penguin Books Ltd The Iliad
Book SynopsisCentres on the critical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead to Achilleus' killing of Hektor and determine the fate of Troy. This book presents a universal and tragic view of the world, of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death, set against a vast and largely unpitying divine background.Trade Review“Fitzgerald has solved virtually every problem that has plagued translators of Homer. The narrative runs, the dialogue speaks, the military action is clear, and the repetitive epithets become useful text rather than exotic relics.” –Atlantic Monthly “Fitzgerald’s swift rhythms, bright images, and superb English make Homer live as never before…This is for every reader in our time and possibly for all time.”–Library Journal “[Fitzgerald’s Odyssey and Iliad] open up once more the unique greatness of Homer’s art at the level above the formula; yet at the same time they do not neglect the brilliant texture of Homeric verse at the level of the line and the phrase.” –The Yale Review“What an age can read in Homer, what its translators can manage to say in his presence, is one gauge of its morale, one index to its system of exultations and reticences. The supple, the iridescent, the ironic, these modes are among our strengths, and among Mr. Fitzgerald’s.” –National ReviewWith an Introduction by Gregory Nagy
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd Come Close
Book Synopsis''Yes, we did many things, then - allBeautiful ...''Lyrical, powerful poems about love, sexuality, sun-soaked Greece and the gods.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Sappho (c.630-570 BCE). Sappho''s Stung with Love is available in Penguin Classics.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd The Republic
Book SynopsisPresented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, this book is an enquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. It addresses the purpose of education and the role of both women and men as 'guardians' of the people.
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Far Edges of the Known World
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£11.69
Chiltern Publishing Sense and Sensibility: Chiltern Edition
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£17.00
Penguin Books Ltd The Wrath of Achilles
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£7.20
Penguin Books Ltd The Odyssey
Book SynopsisHomer's best-loved and most accessible poem, recounting the great wandering of Odysseus during his ten-year voyage back home to Ithaca, after the Trojan War. A superb new verse translation, now published in trade paperback, before the standard Penguin Classic B format.Table of ContentsThe OdysseyIntroductionIntroductionThe Spelling and Pronunciation of Homeris NamesMaps:1. Homeric Geography: Mainland Greece2. Homeric Geography: The Peloponnese3. Homeric Geography: The Aegean and Asia MinorHomer: The OdysseyBook 1: Athena Inspires the PrinceBook 2: Telemachus Sets SailBook 3: King Nestor RemembersBook 4: The King and Queen of SpartaBook 5: Odysseus-Nymph and ShipwreckBook 6: The Princess and the StrangerBook 7: Phaeacia's Halls and GardensBook 8: A Day for Songs and ContestsBook 9: In the One-Eyed Giant's CaveBook 10: The Bewitched Queen of AeaeaBook 11: The Kingdom of the DeadBook 12: The Cattle of the SunBook 13: Ithaca at LastBook 14: The Loyal SwineherdBook 15: The Prince Sets Sail for HomeBook 16: Father and SonBook 17: Stranger at the GatesBook 18: The Beggar-King of IthacaBook 19: Penelope and her GuestBook 20: Portents GatherBook 21: Odysseus Stings his BowBook 22: Slaughter in the HallBook 23: The Great Rooted BedBook 24: PeaceNotesTranslator's PostscriptGenealogiesTextual Variants from the Oxford Classical TextNotes on the TranslationSuggestions for Further ReadingPronouncing Glossary
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Antigone
Book Synopsis''It''s a dreadful thing to yield...but resist now?Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin?That''s dreadful too.''The remarkable story of Greek tragedy''s most intrepid heroine.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC). Sophocles''s works available in Penguin Classics are The Theban Plays and Electra and Other Plays.
£5.63
Penguin Books Ltd The History of the Peloponnesian War Classics
Book SynopsisWritten four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling the author's ambitious claim that the work was done to last forever. The conflicts between the two empires over shipping, trade, and colonial expansion came to a head in 431 b.c. in Northern Greece, and the entire Greek world was plunged into 27 years of war. Thucydides applied a passion for accuracy and a contempt for myth and romance in compiling this exhaustively factual record of the disastrous conflict that eventually ended the Athenian empire.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and nTable of ContentsTranslated by Rex Warner with an Introduction and Notes by M. I. FinleyIntroductionTranslator's NoteBook IIntroductionThe Dispute over EpidamnusThe Dispute over CorcyraThe Dispute over PotidaeaThe Debate at Sparta and Declaration of WarThe PentecontaetiaThe Allied Congress at SpartaThe Stories of Pausanias and ThemistoclesThe Spartan Ultimatum and Pericles' ReplyBook IIOutbreak of WarThe First Year of the WarPericles' Funeral OrationThe PlagueThe Policy of PericlesThe Fall of PotidaeaThe Siege of PlataeaVictories of PhormioThrace and MacedoniaBook IIIRevolt of MytileneThe Mytilenian DebateThe End of PlataeaCivil War in CorcyraOperations in Sicily and GreeceEnd of Sixth Year of WarBook IVAthenian Success at PylosFinal Victory at PylosFurther Athenian SuccessesPeace in SicilyFighting at MegaraBrasidas in ThraceAthenian Defeat at DeliumBrasidas Captures AmphipolisArmistice between Athens and SpartaEnd of Ninth Year of WarBook VBattle of AmphipolisPeace of NiciasNegotiations with ArgosAlliance between Athens and ArgosCampaigns in the PeloponneseBattle of MantineaThe Melian DialogueBook VISicilian AntiquitiesLaunching of the Sicilian ExpeditionThe Debate at SyracuseThe Athenians Arrive in SicilyThe Story of Harmodius and AristogitonRecall of AlcibiadesAthenian Victory before SyracuseThe Debate at CamarinaAlcibiades in SpartaMore Athenian Successes at SyracuseBook VIIGylippus Arrives in SyracuseLetter of NiciasFortification of DeceleaAthenian Defeat in the Great HarbourAthenian Defeat at EpipolaeSyracusan Victory at SeaDestruction of the Athenian ExpeditionBook VIIIAlarm at AthensBeginning of Persian InterventionThe Oligarchic CoupAthenian Victory at CynossemaAppendicesBibliographyMapsIndex
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd The Iliad
Book SynopsisTells the story of darkest episode in "Trojan War". At its centre is Achilles, greatest warrior-champion of Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader Agamemnon. But when Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - even though he knows this may ensure his own death.Trade Review“Fitzgerald has solved virtually every problem that has plagued translators of Homer. The narrative runs, the dialogue speaks, the military action is clear, and the repetitive epithets become useful text rather than exotic relics.” –Atlantic Monthly “Fitzgerald’s swift rhythms, bright images, and superb English make Homer live as never before…This is for every reader in our time and possibly for all time.”–Library Journal “[Fitzgerald’s Odyssey and Iliad] open up once more the unique greatness of Homer’s art at the level above the formula; yet at the same time they do not neglect the brilliant texture of Homeric verse at the level of the line and the phrase.” –The Yale Review“What an age can read in Homer, what its translators can manage to say in his presence, is one gauge of its morale, one index to its system of exultations and reticences. The supple, the iridescent, the ironic, these modes are among our strengths, and among Mr. Fitzgerald’s.” –National ReviewWith an Introduction by Gregory NagyTable of ContentsThe IliadForewordIntroductionIntroduction to the 1950 EditionNotes on this RevisionThe Main CharactersFurther ReadingMaps:1. A reconstruction of Homer's imagined battlefields2. The Troad3. Trojan places and contingents4. Homeric Greece5. Greek contingents at TroyPreliminariesThe Iliad1. Plague and Wrath2. A Dream, a Testing and the Catalogue of Ships3. A Duel and a Trojan View of the Greeks4. The Oath is Broken and Battle Joined5. Diomedes' Heroics6. Hector and Andromache7. Ajax Fights Hector8. Hector Triumphant9. The Embassy to Achilles10. Diomedes and Odysseus: The Night Attack11. Achilles Takes Notice12. Hector Storms the Wall13. The Battle at the Ships14. Zeus Outmanoeuvred15. The Greeks at Bay16. The Death of Patroclus17. The Struggle Over Patroclus18. Achilles' Decision19. The Feud Ends20. Achilles on the Rampage21. Achilles Fights the River22. The Death of Hector23. The Funeral and the Games24. Priam and AchillesAppendices1. A Brief Glossary2. Ommitted Fathers' NamesIndex
£9.49
Bonnier Books Ltd The Swell
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£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Monkey King
Book SynopsisOne of the world''s greatest fantasy novels, Monkey King: Journey to the West is the inspiration for the new blockbuster game Black Myth: Wukong. Published in a sparkling modern translation and available in the Penguin Clothbound Classics series, this is the perfect introduction to the seminal Chinese classic. A shape-shifting trickster on a kung-fu quest for eternal life, Monkey King is one of the most memorable superheroes in world literature. High-spirited and omni-talented, he can transform himself into whatever he chooses and turn each of his body''s 84,000 hairs into an army of clones. But his penchant for mischief repeatedly gets him into trouble, and when he raids Heaven''s Orchard of Immortal Peaches, the Buddha pins him beneath a mountain. Five hundred years later, Monkey King is finally given a chance to redeem himself: he must protect the pious monk Tripitaka on his journey in search of precious Buddhist sutras that will bring enlightenment to the Chinese empire. Joined by two other fallen immortals - Pigsy, a rice-loving flying pig, and Sandy, a depressive river-sand monster - Monkey King does battle with Red Boy, Princess Jade-Face, the Monstress Dowager, and all manner of dragons, ogres, wizards and femmes fatales; navigates the perils of Fire-Cloud Cave, the River of Flowing Sand and the Water-Crystal Palace; and is serially captured, lacquered, sautéed, steamed and liquefied - but always hatches an ingenious plan to get himself and his fellow pilgrims out of their latest jam. Comparable to The Canterbury Tales or Don Quixote, Monkey King is at once a gripping adventure, a comic satire and a spring of spiritual insight. With this new translation by the award-winning Julia Lovell, the irrepressible rogue hero of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature has the potential to vault, with his signature cloud-somersault, into the hearts of a whole new generation of readers.Trade ReviewA monument of world literature, Monkey King is also one of the funniest, most subversive satires ever written ... If you've not read Journey to the West, prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime and know that like Monkey himself, you are about to be transformed. Even if you have read it, Julia Lovell's magnificent new translation becomes its own cloud somersault, its own gold-hooped staff -- Junot DíazVisit one of the greatest countries in the world through the pages of this Chinese epic [and] Julia Lovell's new contemporary translation, with exquisite maps of 'somewhat mythical lands' by Laura Hartman Maestro -- Piers Torday * Guardian *I marvelled at the ingenuity, cheek and charm of Monkey King by Wu Cheng'en in Julia Lovell's lively new translation: what a book to return to! -- Daniel Medin * The White Review *A new translation of Monkey King is a cause for joy! Imaginative and mischievous, exhilarating and timeless, this sixteenth-century superhero saga is a delight to readers of all ages. -- Yiyun LiAn exhilarating new translation of my favourite of all the classic Chinese novels - a great, wild epic that expands and fires one's imagination -- Ha JinThe Monkey King, one of Chinese literature's great characters, should add many new disciples to his existing fans through this compelling new version of his adventures. Julia Lovell here conveys a vibrant sense of the richness and also the sheer fun of this Ming dynasty text, a classic of world fiction -- Craig Clunas, University of OxfordAn all-new translation of one of the greatest stories ever written . . . An out-and-out fantasy adventure that has captivated audiences and influenced creatives for centuries * Bustle *Jam-packed with outrageous danger and outlandish transformations . . . Lovell does an admirable job condensing the original text . . . while capturing the essence of Chinese fantastical storytelling and parody. Readers who enjoy nutty adventures and nonsensical plots will get a kick out of this madcap fable * Publishers Weekly *Uproarious and action-filled, this highly readable new translation captures the most beloved of Chinese characters in all his impossible charm. Irrepressible and irresistible, Monkey speaks to us across the centuries, and here makes us laugh anew -- Gish JenThis new translation . . . breathes fresh life, humour, wit and charm into the 16th-century classic. . . . If you did not know that this was an abridged version you never would. . . . [It] is exactly as long as it needs to be, with the fat cut and the story paced perfectly. . . . If you've ever wanted to read Journey to the West but have been put off by fears of it being too long, too dense, too dry, then put those fears aside. Julia Lovell's translation is nothing but fun, frantic fantasy writing. . . . I can't imagine having more fun than I did with Lovell's hilarious translation -- Will Heath * Books & Bao *Monkey King: Journey to the West is rich with imaginative world-building that evokes the best Pixar films... With this new readable version of 'Monkey King,' Western readers will also have plenty of fun * San Francisco Chronicle *A mirthful tale of endless mischief, deception, irony and combat . . . Impish and adventurous . . . Thanks to this fresh translation . . . the adventures of superhero simian Sun Wukong are newly accessible to English readers around the world. * Global Asia *
£18.70
HarperCollins Publishers How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator
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£10.44
Union Square & Co. Dracula Deluxe Bookmark
Book SynopsisThis deluxe vegan leather bookmark, evoking gilded leather tomes of old, features gold foil stamping and a silken tassel, making it the perfect addition to any book lover?s collection. Union Square and Co.?s Classic Vegan Leather Bookmark series feature iconic titles sure to appeal to book lovers of all stripe: the series is launching with designs based on the leather-bound classics editions of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, The Iliad and the Odyssey, Grimm?s Complete Fairy Tales, Alice?s Adventures in Wonderland and Jane Austen: Seven Novels.
£10.25
Penguin Books Ltd The Iliad
Book SynopsisA story that centres on the critical events in four days of the tenth and final year of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. It describes how the quarrel of Agamemnon and Achilleus sets in motion a tragic sequence of events, which leads to Achilleus' killing of Hektor and determines the ultimate fate of Troy.Trade ReviewMuch the best modern prose translation of the Iliad -- Robin Lane Fox * Financial Times *This new prose translation of the Iliad is outstandingly good . . . to read it is to be gripped by it * Classical Review *Superbly direct and eloquent . . . by its sensitivity, fluency, and flexibility, it will win a permanent place on the shelves of Homer-lovers -- Martin Fagg * Times Educational Supplement *Martin Hammond's new version is the best and most accurate there has ever been, as smooth as cream but as clear as water . . . Hammond's Iliad deserves to become a standard book -- Peter Levi * Independent *Surely the best Iliad in quite a few decades * Greece & Rome Journal *Here is a fine Iliad for our times, to be read with great pleasure -- Philip Howard * The Times *Table of ContentsThe background to "The Iliad"; the theme of "The Iliad"; a critical summary of "The Iliad"; a note on names. "The Iliad": book 1 - the anger of Achilleus; book 2 - the catalogue of ships; book 3 - Paris, Helen, Aphrodite; book 4 - the breaking of the truce; book 5 - Diomedes triumphant; book 6 - Hektor in Troy; book 7 - duel of Hektor and Aias; book 8 - Trojan success; book 9 - the embassy to Achilleus; book 10 - night operations; book 11 - Achaian retreat; book 12 - the assault on the wall; book 13 - the Achains rally; book 14 - the seduction of Zeus; book 15 - fighting at the ships; book 16 - the death of Patroklos; book 17 - the battle over Patroklos; book 18 - Thetis, Achilleus, and new armour; book 19 - Achilleus and Agamemnon reconciled; book 20 - the return of Achilleus; book 21 - the battle of the Gods; book 22 - the death of Hektor; book 23 - funeral games for Patroklos; book 24 - Achilleus and Priam.
£9.49
Pan Macmillan The Odyssey
Book SynopsisHomer's great epic, The Odyssey, is perhaps Western literature's first adventure story, and certainly remains one of its finest. It describes King Odysseus of Ithaca's epic, ten-year quest to return home after the Trojan War. He encounters giants, sorceresses, sea-monsters and sirens, while his wife Penelope is forced to resist the suitors who besiege her on Ithaca. Both an enchanting fairy tale and a gripping drama, The Odyssey is immensely influential, not least for its rich complexity and the magnetism of its hero. This Macmillan Collector's Library edition uses a translation by T. E. Lawrence, now remembered as 'Lawrence of Arabia' and the author of Seven Pillars of Wisdom. First published in 1932, his translation took four years to complete and has been continuously in print ever since. It is recognized as the first translation to be both faithful to the original text and written in accessible language. This edition also features an afterword by Ben Shaw.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.
£9.89
Penguin Books Ltd The Last Days of Socrates
Book Synopsis''Consider just this, and give your minds to this alone: whether or not what I say is just'' Plato''s account of Socrates'' trial and death (399 BC) is a significant moment in Classical literature and the life of Classical Athens. In these four dialogues, Plato develops the Socratic belief in responsibility for one''s self and shows Socrates living and dying under his philosophy. In Euthyphro, Socrates debates goodness outside the courthouse; Apology sees him in court, rebutting all charges of impiety; in Crito, he refuses an entreaty to escape from prison; and in Phaedo, Socrates faces his impending death with calmness and skilful discussion of immortality.Christopher Rowe''s introduction to his powerful new translation examines the book''s themes of identity and confrontation, and explores how its content is less historical fact than a promotion of Plato''s Socratic philosophy.
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Of Human Freedom
Book SynopsisIn this personal and practical guide to moral self-improvement and living a good life, the second-century philosopher Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, stubbornness and fear, family, friendship and love, and leaves an intriguing document of daily life in the classical world.GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.
£7.59
Oxford University Press The Odyssey
Book SynopsisThe Odyssey tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus' epic ten year journey home after the end of the Trojan War of the Iliad. Its epic sweep has gripped generations of readers.Trade ReviewVerity offers an excellent, clear, traditionally literal but avowedly non-poetic [translation]. * Colin Burrow, London Review of Books *Undoubtedly a leader in its genre... It is a distinguished addition to the Oxford 'World's Classics' series. * Roger Barnes, Classics for All *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Note on the Translation Select Bibliography Map THE ODYSSEY Explanatory Notes Index of Personal Names
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Metamorphoses
Book SynopsisOvid?s deliciously clever and exuberant epic, now in a gorgeous new clothbound edition Ovid?s sensuous and witty poetry brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation?often as a result of love or lust?where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy. Erudite but lighthearted, dramatic yet playful, the Metamorphoses has influenced writers and artists throughout the centuries from Shakespeare and Titian to Picasso and Ted Hughes. This edition includes David Raeburn?s modern verse translation, an introduction by Denis Feeney, and other features to help readers fully appreciate Ovid?s epic.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Trade Review“The true brilliance, that is, the true reading, the accessibility, of McCarter’s tapestry lies in her use of poetic form.(…) Throughout, McCarter produces gorgeous basso continuo undertones juxtaposed against sharp and high-pitched rhymes. Such formal elements of the translation ultimately represent McCarter’s interpretation of Metamorphoses and the art of translation itself—that humble human craft that has the capacity to stand against and despite the will of gods, power, and time. McCarter has produced her own masterpiece that ‘Jove’s wrath cannot / destroy, nor flame, nor steel, nor gnawing time.’ ‘My name,’ she writes, ‘can’t be erased.’” —Anna Deeny Morales, 2023 American Poets Prize citation for The Academy of American Poets“The best translation of a work of ancient literature that I read this year was Stephanie McCarter's marvellous new translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses, in fresh, readable, vivid iambic pentameter. McCarter captures Ovid's wit and cleverness, making us laugh at the escapades of abusive, lust-crazed, arrogant gods and hapless, also lust-crazed and arrogant mortals. But she also brilliantly evokes Ovid's more serious sides, including his attentiveness to power and the magical vivacity of the natural world. Her wonderful handling of the metrical poetic form is a fitting match for Ovid's artful, fluent Latin verse.”—Emily Wilson, The New Statesman“McCarter confronts the tricky issues associated with both the poet and his epic not only in her forthright introduction but in the translation itself, where, like an art restorer removing decades of browned varnish from an Old Master, she strips away a number of inaccuracies and embellishments that have accreted in translations over the decades and centuries, obscuring the sense of certain passages, particularly those portraying women and sexual violence… McCarter’s translation reproduces Ovid’s speed and clarity. Even better, she is alert to many of the sparkling verbal effects for which the poet was famous in his own time… If you didn’t know she was writing about the concerns of someone who died twenty centuries ago, you’d think her subject was still alive.”—Daniel Mendelsohn, The New Yorker“McCarter adroitly captures Ovid’s glittering darkness. There is horror here but there is also so much wonder and delight, all conveyed in nimble, fresh language.” —Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire“The Metamorphoses has it all: sex, death, love, violence, gods, mortals, monsters, nymphs, all the great forces, human and natural. With this vital new translation, Stephanie McCarter has not only updated Ovid's epic of transformation for the modern ear and era --- she's done something far more powerful. She's paid rigorous attention to the language of the original and brought to us its ferocity, its sensuality, its beauty, its wit, showing us how we are changed, by time, by violence, by love, by stories, and especially by power. Here is Ovid, in McCarter's masterful hands, refreshed, renewed, and pulsing with life.” —Nina MacLaughlin, author of Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung“Stephanie McCarter’s gorgeous verse translation of the Metamorphoses is ground-breaking not just in its refreshingly accessible approach to Ovid’s syntax and formal devices but for how she reframes the controversial subjects that have made Ovid, and Ovidian scholarship, so fraught for contemporary readers. McCarter’s translation understands that the Metamorphoses is a complex study of power and desire, and the dehumanizing ways that power asserts itself through and on a variety of bodies. McCarter’s deft, musical, and forthright translation returns much needed nuance to Ovid’s tropes of violence and change, demonstrating to a new generation of readers how our identities are always in flux, while reminding us all of the Metamorphoses’ enduring relevance.” —Paisley Rekdal, author of Nightingale"A graceful and fluid and deeply meaningful translation. Compared to the other translations of the Metamorphoses on which I’ve relied in the past, it’s as though this is of an entirely different book. The reader follows the lines with genuine emotion. And so do worlds open up—" —Alexander Nemerov, Carl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor in the Arts and Humanities, Stanford University "Stephanie McCarter’s translation offers an attractive alternative to the finest versions to appear in recent decades, while the abundance of her introductory and explanatory material gives her work a clear advantage over those predecessors. As a vehicle for serious engagement with Ovid’s poem in English, McCarter has no rival." – Richard Tarrant, Harvard University, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
£21.25
Penguin Books Ltd Medea and Other Plays
Book SynopsisAn accessible prose translation that is accompanied by a general introduction and individual prefaces to each play.Table of ContentsMedea and Other PlaysGeneral IntroductionNote on the TextChronological TableTranslator's NotePreface to AlcestisAlcestisPreface to MedeaMedeaPreface to The Children of HeracleaThe Children of HeraclesPreface to HippolytusHippolytusNotesBibliographyGlossary of Mythological and Geographical Names
£9.49
Union Square & Co. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Deluxe Bookmark
Book SynopsisThis deluxe vegan leather bookmark, evoking gilded leather tomes of old, features gold foil stamping and a silken tassel, making it the perfect addition to any book lover’s collection. Union Square and Co.’s Classic Vegan Leather Bookmark series feature iconic titles sure to appeal to book lovers of all stripe: the series is launching with designs based on the leather-bound classics editions of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, The Iliad and the Odyssey, Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Jane Austen: Seven Novels.
£10.25
Faber & Faber Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Book SynopsisWhen a mysterious green knight arrives unbidden at Camelot one Christmas, only the young and inexperienced Gawain is brave or foolhardy enough to take up his challenge . . .This story, first told in the late fourteenth century, is one of the most enthralling, enigmatic and beloved poems in the English language. Simon Armitage''s version is meticulously responsive to the tact, sophistication and dramatic intensity of the original. It is as if, six hundred years apart, two poets set out on a journey through the same mesmeric landscape physical, allegorical and acoustic in the course of which the Gawain poet has finally found his true translator.The poem''s key episodes have been visualised into a series of bold, richly textured screen-prints by British artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins. They are reproduced here, alongside Armitage''s revised text, to create a special edition of this marvellous classic.
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd The Last Days of Socrates
Book SynopsisEuthyphro/Apology/Crito/Phaedo''Nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death''The trial and condemnation of Socrates on charges of heresy and corrupting young minds is a defining moment in the history of classical Athens. In tracing these events through four dialogues, Plato also developed his own philosophy of a life guided by self-responsibility. Euthyphro finds Socrates outside the court-house, debating the nature of piety, while the Apology is his robust rebuttal of the charges against him. In the Crito, awaiting execution in prison, Socrates counters the arguments of friends urging him to escape. Finally, in the Phaedo, he is shown calmly confident in the face of death.Translated by HUGH TREDENNICK and HAROLD TARRANT with an Introduction and notes by HAROLD TARRANTTable of ContentsThe Last Days of SocratesChronologyPrefaceGeneral IntroductionFurther ReadingA Note on the TextsEuthyphroHolinessSocrates in ConfrontationApologyJustice and Duty (i)Socrates Speaks at his TrialCritoJustice and Duty (ii)Socrates in PrisonPhaedoWisdom and the SoulSocrates about to DiePostscript: The Theory of Ideas in the PhaedoNotesIndex
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd Stung with Love Poems and Fragments of Sappho
Book SynopsisMore or less 150 years after Homer's Iliad, Sappho lived on the island of Lesbos, west off the coast of what is present Turkey. Little remains today of her writings, which are said to have filled nine papyrus rolls in the great library at Alexandria some 500 years after her death. The surviving texts consist of a lamentably small and fragmented body of lyric poetry—among them poems of invocation, desire, spite, celebration, resignation and remembrance—that nevertheless enables us to hear the living voice of the poet Plato called the tenth Muse. This is a new translation of her surviving poetry.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes b
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Nicomachean Ethics
Book Synopsis
£10.44
Pan Macmillan Meditations
Book SynopsisA timely book for today's world, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations explores how to endure hardship, how to cope with change and how to find something positive out of adversity.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated by A. S. L. Farquharson and features an introduction by John Sellars.The Meditations are a set of personal reflections by Marcus Aurelius. He writes about the vicissitudes of his own life and explores how to live wisely and virtuously in an unpredictable world. He was a follower of the Stoic tradition of philosophy, and one of its finest advocates, both in the clarity of his writing and in the uprightness of his life. The aphorisms show how for him, as perhaps for us all, the answer to life lies in keeping a calm and rational mind, and in refusing to be cast down or alarmed by things over which we have no control.Trade ReviewHis meditations can indeed still offer all of us, historians included, worthwhile advice -- Tom Holland * Guardian *For many thinkers of the 19th century – from Darwin to Nietzsche – Marcus was an intellectual hero -- Mary Beard * London Review of Books *
£9.89
Penguin Books Ltd Medea and Other Plays Medea Hecabe Electra
Book SynopsisFour plays which exemplify his interest in flawed, characters who defy the expectations of Greek society The four tragedies collected in this volume all focus on a central character, once powerful, brought down by betrayal, jealousy, guilt and hatred. The first playwright to depict suffering without reference to the gods, Euripides made his characters speak in human terms and face the consequences of their actions. In Medea, a woman rejected by her lover takes hideous revenge by murdering the children they both love, and Hecabe depicts the former queen of Troy, driven mad by the prospect of her daughter's sacrifice to Achilles. Electra portrays a young woman planning to avenge the brutal death of her father at the hands of her mother, while in Heracles the hero seeks vengeance against the evil king who has caused bloodshed in his family. Philip Vellacott's lucid translation is accompanied by an introduction, which discusses the literary background of Classical Athens aTable of ContentsMedea and Other PlaysIntroductionMedeaHecabeElectraHeraclesNotes
£9.86
Pan Macmillan Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth
Book SynopsisGet ready to meet the goddesses.In Divine Might, Natalie Haynes, the bestselling author of Stone Blind and Pandora's Jar, introduces us to the stories of the Greek goddesses. As fearsome, powerful and beloved as their male counterparts, it’s time to look beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within . . .We meet Hera, who, whilst most often known for enacting vicious, creative revenge on the women – mortal or otherwise – who catch the wandering eye of her husband Zeus, turns out not to be such a villain after all.We meet Demeter, a mother who will go to any lengths, no matter the cost, to retrieve her daughter Persephone from Hades’ clutches.We’ll be introduced to The Furies, three women who will literally go to the ends of the earth to enact bloody vengeance but who, surprisingly, are the goddesses who can teach us the most about the way we live now.Examining the role of these goddesses and more, Divine Might will change everything you thought you knew about our most ancient stories. Full of fire, fury and devotion, Natalie Haynes brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age.Trade ReviewCheerfully erudite . . . academically rigorous . . . combining immense scholarship with a sarky easy-going tone * The Times *Full of wonderful stories . . . packed with detail from ancient source material * The New Statesman *Incredible stories about timeless emotions. * NB Magazine *The great champion of women in Greek myth . . . One of the delights of the book is that Haynes reacquaints us with forgotten goddesses. * Daily Mail *A powerful read that really opens a new dialogue on the Greek goddesses * Independent *
£17.00
Union Square Gift This Classic Belongs to . . .
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Tao Te Ching
Book SynopsisLao Tzu's Tao Te Ching is the source of Zen Buddhism, and is probably the most broadly influential spiritual text in human history.Complete & Unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated and introduced by David Hinton. Fluent in ancient Chinese and an acclaimed poet, he skilfully reveals how remarkably current and even innovative this text is after 2500 years.According to legend, Lao Tzu left China at the age of eighty, saddened that men would not follow the path to natural goodness. At the border with Tibet, a guard asked him to record his teachings and the Tao Te Ching is what he wrote down before leaving. Lao Tzu's spirituality describes the Cosmos as a harmonious and generative organism, and it shows how the human is an integral part of that cosmos.
£9.89
Oxford University Press The Complete Writings
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£10.44
