Ancient, classical and medieval texts Books

Book SynopsisAncient Greek literature begins with the epic verses of Homer. Epic then continued as a fundamental literary form throughout antiquity and the influence of the poems produced extends beyond antiquity and down to the present. This Companion presents a fresh and boundary-breaking account of the ancient Greek epic tradition. It includes wide-ranging close readings of epics from Homer to Nonnus, traces their dialogues with other modes such as ancient Mesopotamian poetry, Greek lyric and didactic writing, and explores their afterlives in Byzantium, early Christianity, modern fiction and cinema, and the identity politics of Greece and Turkey. Plot summaries are provided for those unfamiliar with individual poems. Drawing on cutting-edge new research in a number of fields, such as racecraft, geopolitics and the theory of emotions, the volume demonstrates the sustained and often surprising power of this renowned ancient genre, and sheds new light on its continued impact and relevance today.

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Book SynopsisNigel of Canterbury's Miracles of the Virgin, the oldest Latin poem about miracles performed by Mary, features lively tales illustrating her boundless mercy. Tract on Abuses rails against ecclesiastical corruption. Alongside authoritative editions of the Latin texts, this volume offers the first translations of both works into English.Trade ReviewOffer[s] a fascinating amalgam of devotion, imagination, and wonder…Ziolkowski is to be congratulated for his skillful and meticulous work in bringing these little-known works to a contemporary readership. There is no doubt that many of today’s monastic readers will find these Marian miracles as fascinating and enchanting as did their medieval counterparts. -- Robert Nixon, O.S.B. * American Benedictine Review *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Students of ancient Christianity and general readers will find here a lucid translation and a helpful guide to the study of an important source for early Christian history." * Church History and Religious Culture *"This outstanding version will soon become standard in courses, for it is in every way superior to its competition." * Review of Biblical Literature *"Schott's translation was a bold undertaking; it has generated a monumental achievement. It certainly deserves to become the next generation's standard English version of Eusebius' History." * Studies in Late Antiquity *"A singular achievement in Eusebian studies. . . . This volume will become the standard translation." * Journal of Classics Teaching *"This new translation offers contemporary readers an accessible text with insights into the cultural and social influences that shaped Eusebius’ story of Christianity." * Reading Religion *"A remarkable work of scholarship. . . . Schott’s translation has certainly become the first I turn to." * Ancient Jew Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations General Introduction the ecclesiastical history Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6 Book 7 Book 8 Book 9 Book 10Appendix A. Maps Appendix B. Eusebius’s Bishop Lists and Chronology Glossary Selected Bibliography Index Nominum (Index of Names) Index Locorum (Eusebius’s Sources)

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Book SynopsisThe world''s oldest work of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh recounts the adventures of the semimythical Sumerian king of Uruk and his ultimately futile quest for immortality after the death of his friend and companion, Enkidu, a wildman sent by the gods. Gilgamesh was deified by the Sumerians around 2500 BCE, and his tale as we know it today was codified in cuneiform tablets around 1750 BCE and continued to influence ancient cultureswhether in specific incidents like a world-consuming flood or in its quest structureinto Roman times. The epic was, however, largely forgotten, until the cuneiform tablets were rediscovered in 1872 in the British Museum''s collection of recently unearthed Mesopotamian artifacts. In the decades that followed its translation into modern languages, the Epic of Gilgamesh has become a point of reference throughout Western culture.In Gilgamesh among Us, Theodore Ziolkowski explores the surprising legacy of the poem and its hero, aTrade ReviewThis book represents a fascinating foray—written by a scholar known for his scrupulous research, clarity of expression, subtlety and wit—into the relatively new field of reception history. It offers us a complex history of the reception of the Gilgamesh cycle, rather than an analysis of the constitutive role played by an ancient epic in the emerging modern world. -- Louis A. Ruprecht, Jr. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Ziolkowski brings together an extraordinary assemblage of creative endeavors—literary, musical and artistic—all bound in some way to the ancient poem recovered by Assyriology.... Gilgamesh's emergence into the company of what are now identified as the 'great books’ is fully explained by the reception history that Ziolkowski describes. -- Andrew R. George * Reviews in History *Ziolkowski's treatment [of the reception of the epic of Gilgamesh] is immensely thorough and supported by rich documentation. He sees the story of Gilgamesh as 'a finely tuned seismograph whose reception registers to a significant degree many of the major intellectual upheavals of the past century.' Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Story * The Text * The Rediscovery * The Early Translations1. The Initial Reception (1884–1935) The First Literarization * Babel and Bible * The German Connection * The Spread of the Epic2. Representative Beginnings (1941–1958) Modes of Modernization * Four Poets in English * Four German Initiatives * A Major German Thematization * The First Musical Settings3. The Popularization of Gilgamesh (1959–1978) Poetic Adaptations * The First Fictionalization * The Gay Gilgamesh * Gilgamesh and the Philosophers * A Comic Interlude * Three American Fictional Exuberances * The Operatic Gilgamesh4. The Contemporization of Gilgamesh (1979–1999) New Contexts * Gilgamesh Psychoanalyzed * Gilgamesh Deconstructed * Gilgamesh Historicized * Gilgamesh Drums for the Greens * Gilgamesh Postfigured * Gilgamesh Personalized * Gilgamesh Hispanicized * Gilgameshiana * Gilgamesh at Millennium's End5. Gilgamesh in the Twenty-First Century (2000–2009) Poetic Versions in English and French * A New Focus * Gilgamesh as Ritual Drama * Two Fictional Re-Visions * The Politicization of GilgameshConclusionChronology Notes Index

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Book SynopsisWritten after he had been banished to the Black Sea city of Tomis by Emperor Augustus, the Fasti is Ovid's last major poetic work. Both a calendar of daily rituals and a witty sequence of stories recounted in a variety of styles, it weaves together tales of gods and citizens together to explore Rome's history, religious beliefs and traditions. It may also be read as a subtle but powerful political manifesto which derides Augustus' attempts to control his subjects by imposing his own mythology upon them: after celebrating the emperor as a Jupiter-on-earth, for example, Ovid deliberately juxtaposes a story showing the king of the gods as a savage rapist. Endlessly playful, this is also a work of integrity and courage, and a superb climax to the life of one of Rome's greatest writers.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 bookshelTrade Review"Fasti has burst upon the scholarly scene as a work of tremendous importance for our understanding of religion under the Principate...have provided us with what must be seen as a new commentary upon the poem...But the real value of this new Fasti, of course, lies not in its front or back material but in the lively rendition of Ovid's own words...Boyle and Woodard have given us a fresh-sounding poem with updated diction." —Christopher Brunelle, Boston CollegeTable of ContentsTranslated and Edited with an Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by A.J. Boyle and R.D. WoodardPrefaceMaps:The World of Ovid's FastiGreece in Ovid's FastiItaly and Sicily Ovid's FastiOvid's Rome: Major Sites and MonumentsIntroductionFurther ReadingTranslation and Latin TextSummary of FastiOmissions from FastiOvid's FastiBook 1Book 2Book 3Book 4Book 5Book 6NotesList of AbbreviationsGlossary

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Book SynopsisOne of the most versatile of Roman poets, Catullus wrote verse of an almost unparalleled diversity and stylistic agility, from the brevity of the epigram to the sustained elegance of the elegy. This collection contains all of Catullus' extant work and includes his lyrics to the notorious Clodia Metelli - married, seductive and corrupt - charting the course from rapturous delight in a new affair to the torment of love gone sour; poems to his young friend Iuventius; and longer verse, such as the extraordinary tale of Attis, a Greek youth who castrates himself in a fit of religious ecstasy. Ranging from the tender, moving and passionate to the vicious and even obscene, these are poems of astonishingly modern force and content.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 anTable of ContentsThe PoemsAcknowledgementsIntroductionThe PoemsGlossary of Proper Names

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Book SynopsisClassical stories about women who wield power, from the Amazons to Dido to CleopatraIn this fascinating anthology, ancient women threaten male power by stepping into the roles traditionally held by men. They command armies, exercise sexual autonomy, speak in public, issue laws and subject others (even masculine heroes and citizen men) to their control. All of these stories were written by men and none of them can be read as affirmations or celebrations of women in power. Instead, their sexist attitudes continue to justify women's exclusion from power.Yet despite the fear and suspicion the male authors direct toward these women, we can find much to admire in their tales, from the coordinated action of the women of Aristophanes's Assemblywomen, to the righteous anger of Boudicca against sexual violence by men in power, to the successful resistance of Amanirenas against Rome's colonial expansion. Read differently, these tales testify to the long history of women in power and suggest new paths for female empowerment.

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Book Synopsis''No matter which way you look at us, you''ll find that we''re in all respects; Remarkably wasp-like in our habits, in every aspect of our lives.''Aristophanes is the only surviving representative of Greek Old Comedy, an exuberant form of festival drama which flourished in Athens during the fifth century BCE. One of the most original playwrights in the entire Western tradition, his comedies are remarkable for their brilliant combination of fantasy and satire, their constantly inventive manipulation of language, and their use of absurd characters and plots to expose his society''s institutions and values to the bracing challenge of laughter.This is the third and final volume of a new verse translation of the complete plays of Aristophanes. It contains four of his most overtly political plays: Acharnians, in which an Athenian farmer rebels against the city''s war policies; Knights, a biting satire of populist demagogues; Wasps, whose main theme is the Athenian system of lawcourts; and Pe

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Book SynopsisAlcibiades was one of the most dazzling figures of Athens's Golden Age. A friend of Socrates, he was spectacularly rich, bewitchingly handsome and charismatic, a skilled general, and a ruthless politician. He was also a serial traitor. David Stuttard tells a spellbinding story of Alcibiades's life and the turbulent world he set out to conquer.Trade ReviewAlcibiades will always be remembered as one of the slipperiest statesmen in history…Nemesis is a rich and rewarding biography, as thorough as it is bracing and as measured as it is entertaining. Stuttard is to be praised for capturing the complexity of both the man and the world he lived in with such sensitivity and clarity. -- Daisy Dunn * New Criterion *Stuttard is skilled at drawing together background information that adds context to his characters’ actions, seamlessly smuggling exposition of Greek and Persian society and customs into his narrative. Nemesis demonstrates how readable and entertaining popular narrative ancient history can be. -- Carol Atack * Times Literary Supplement *Stuttard’s new life of Alcibiades is a lively, fast-paced and eminently readable attempt to bring the insolent young monster back to life. -- Peter Thonemann * Literary Review *[A] robust new biography of Alcibiades. -- Thomas W. Hodgkinson * Spectator *It’s quite the tale, told with rare gusto and precision by David Stuttard—an astute inquisitor of the conflicting sources with an eye for the telling anecdote. -- Jonathan Wright * Catholic Herald *Stuttard’s work is laudable especially in its depth and its use of available sources. -- Samuel Ortencio Flores * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *As an entertaining biography of a scoundrel, Nemesis is superb…Stuttard eloquently tells the reader of the rise and fall of a man and his city, who both angered the gods through their acts and attitudes. * Choice *No one before has come anything like as near as David Stuttard to penetrating the inner recesses of the mainsprings of Alcibiades’ often outrageous, sometimes statesmanlike, always commanding public performances. Dr. Stuttard’s mastery of the ancient sources and his narrative exposition are dazzling throughout, bringing to singing life the mercurial, magnetic, passionate, and persuasive personality of this still hugely controversial Athenian aristocrat of the fifth century BC. -- Paul Cartledge, author of Democracy: A LifeDavid Stuttard is a recognized expert at making the ancient Greek world come alive for modern audiences. In Nemesis, he conveys the horror and the glory of the years of Athens’ greatness and decline. Central to these processes was the flamboyant Alcibiades, and Stuttard, wearing his learning lightly, gives us a hugely entertaining biography that is simultaneously an exciting adventure story and a pithy history of the period. -- Robin Waterfield, author of Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient GreeceStuttard has offered us a colorful, lively, engaging analysis of one of ancient Greece’s most fascinating and slippery characters: Alcibiades. With deft skill, Stuttard navigates the ancient sources to offer the portrait not simply of a hero, or a villain, but of a man with equal talents and failings who managed to captivate the attention of the ancient world. -- Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds: An Epic History of East and West

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Book SynopsisRevised edition of the pioneering Reading Greek Tragedy, which serves as an advanced, critical introduction for non-specialist readers who want to appreciate the plays in all their complexity. Includes a substantial new Introduction which engages with critical and scholarly developments in Greek tragedy since the original publication.Table of ContentsPreface; 1. The drama of logos; 2. The language of appropriation; 3. The city of words; 4. Relations and relationships; 5. Sexuality and difference; 6. Text and tradition; 7. Mind and madness; 8. Blindness and insight; 9. Sophistry, philosophy, rhetoric; 10. Genre and transgression; 11. Performance and performability; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis is the OCR-endorsed edition covering the Latin AS and A-Level (Group 3) prescription of Juvenal, Satire 6 and the A-Level (Group 4) prescription of Satires 14 and 15, giving full Latin text, commentary and vocabulary, with a detailed introduction that also covers the prescribed material to be read in English for A Level. Juvenal was the last and the greatest of the Roman verse satirists and his poetry gives us an exuberant and outrageously jaundiced view of the early Roman Empire. This book contains a selection from three of his satires: Satire 6 attacks women and marriage, Satire 14 critiques the role played by parents in the education of children and Satire 15 describes all too vividly the cannibalism perpetrated by warring Egyptians. These Satires expose the folly and the wickedness of the world in some of the finest Latin to have survived from antiquity.Supporting resources are available on the Companion Website: https://www.bloomsburTable of ContentsPreface Introduction Text Commentary Notes Vocabulary

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Book SynopsisThe reputed author of both the Odyssey and its prequel, the Iliad, is the enigmatic Greek poet Homer. Although no biographical details have been discovered, he is believed to have been an historical figure whose poems were transmitted in song, following the Ancient Greek oral tradition.T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) was a British scholar and military officer, also known by the names T.E. Shaw and Lawrence of Arabia. He is best known for his legendary war activities in the Middle East during World War I and for his book on the conflict The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He is also celebrated as one of the major letter writers of his generation and for his prose translation of the Odyssey.

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Book SynopsisLiburnians and Illyrian Lembs: Iron Age Ships of the Eastern Adriatic explores the origins of two types of ancient ship which appear in the written sources connected with the protohistoric eastern Adriatic area: the ‘Liburnian’ (liburna or liburnica) and the southern Adriatic (Illyrian) ‘lemb’. The relative abundance of written sources suggests that both ships played significant roles in ancient times, especially the Liburnian, which became the main type of light warship in early Roman imperial fleets and ultimately evolved into a generic name for warships in the Roman Imperial period and Late Antiquity. The book provides an extensive overview of written, iconographic and archaeological evidence on eastern Adriatic shipbuilding traditions before the Roman conquest in the late first century BC / early first century AD, questioning the existing scholarly assumption that the liburna and lemb were closely related, or even that they represent two sub-types of the same ship. The analysis shows that identification of the Liburnian liburna and Illyrian lemb as more or less the same ship originates from the stereotypical and essentially wrong assumption in older scholarship that the prehistoric indigenous population of the eastern Adriatic shared the same culture and, roughly, the same identities. The main point made in the book is that two different terms, liburna and lemb, were used in the sources depicting these as two different kinds of ship, rather than being interchangeable terms depicting the same ship type.Trade Review‘Insgesamt betrachtet handelt es sich bei der vorliegenden Studie um ein Buch, das die Forschung definitiv ein gutes Stück weiterbringt, da sich die Autor*innen nicht auf vermeintliche Gewissheiten der älteren Forschung verlassen, sondern in Form einer systematischen Auswertung der vorhandenen Zeugnisse, die in dieser Form völlig neu ist, durchaus spannende Ergebnisse liefern. Somit ist nun eine sehr schöne Grundlage geschaffen, auf der die zukünftige Forschung aufbauen kann, um nach Antworten auf die noch verbliebenen Fragen zu den Themenfelder Lembos und Liburne zu suchen.’ – Michael Kleu (2022): Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of ContentsPreface ; 1. Introduction ; Research problems and previous scholarship ; Overview of the book ; Terminology ; 2. Geographical context ; 3. Eastern Adriatic populations in the 1st millennium BC ; The Liburni ; Other Iron Age Eastern Adriatic indigenous seafaring groups ; Greek colonising activities in the eastern Adriatic ; Piracy in the eastern Adriatic? ; Conclusion ; 4. Archaeological and iconographic evidence in protohistoric eastern Adriatic ; Underwater finds ; Iconography ; Protohistoric archaeological and iconographical sources for eastern Adriatic ships ; 5. Written Sources on Lembs And Liburnians from the 4th c. BC to Late Antiquity ; Introduction ; Lemb ; Liburnian ; 6. Discussion ; Lemb ; Liburnian ; Etymology ; Overview of usage of the terms lemb and liburnian in ancient sources from the 4th century BC until Late Antiquity ; Lemb and liburnian: the same ship? ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Ancient authors not listed in Chapter 5 ; Modern sources

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book SynopsisTraces the evolution of Roman tragedy from the earliest tragedians to the dramatist SenecaTrade Review"This book is bold and original. I know of no other work in which the evolution of the tragic form is treated as a form, within its context, over time." oGuy MacLean Rogers, Professor of Classics and History, Wellesley CollegeTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: Theatre to Theatricality Chapter 1: Creating Tragedy Livius Andronicus Naevius Ennius The Audience Chapter 2: Theatricalizing Tragedy Pacuvius Accius Chapter 3: Dramatizing History Theatricality of History Staging History Chapter 4: Creating Metatragedy Pompey's Theatre Opening Staging Brutus Thyestes on the Roman Stage Nero: Imperator Scaenicus Chapter 5: Metatragedy Seneca's Actor-Audience From Tragedy to Metatragedy Appendix Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is an anthology of Greek poetry written during the third to first centuries BC, the Hellenistic period. It is intended to make available to undergraduates and graduate students a selection of texts which are for the most part not easily accessible elsewhere. The volume contains a wide and representative range of poetry including hymns, didactic verse, pastoral poetry, epigrams and epic. An introduction provides cultural and historical background, and a full commentary elucidates problems of language and reference in the texts. In this second edition, many notes have been rewritten and the bibliography has been updated. The selection has also been augmented with three hundred more lines of Greek text (Theocritus poems 5 and 15), and is now more than 2000 lines in length.Trade Review'This A Hellenistic Anthology - now issued as a second edition, with a greater contribution from Theocritus - is a welcome addition to the Green-and-Yellow series. The Introduction manages to convey a lot of information in a relatively short space … We then have the Commentary. [Hopkinson] introduces each poet, at greater or lesser length with a terse bibliography. The notes are a model of their kind: relevant, concise, precise … This is unequivocally excellent.' Colin Leach, Classics for All'I feel confident that Professor Hopkinson will continue to live on as a 'brilliant and devoted teacher' in this and in his other well-received publications.' James J. Clauss, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The apparatus criticus; Commentary; Appendix. Doric dialect; Indexes.

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Book SynopsisEnglish drama between the late fifteenth century and the late sixteenth centuries is as diverse as it is engaging; this anthology brings together eighteen of the most interesting and important dramatic works from the period. The plays have been chosen to give a broad view of the drama produced in Tudor England. They testify to the eclectic tastes of sixteenth-century audiences, ranging from morality plays (Mankind, Everyman), to comedies inspired by the Roman plays of Terence and Plautus (Ralph Roister Doister), to tragedies inspired by the plays of Seneca (Gorboduc, Cambises). In later plays, morality plots rub shoulders with slapstick comic business (The Longer Thou Livest The More Fool Thou Art, The Three Ladies of London), and classical gods intervene in the affairs of England’s regions (Gallathea). While some of the plays offer pure entertainment, others have a clear political agenda. King Johan is presented as a prototype for English resistance to Rome's Catholicism; Gorboduc's decision to abdicate and divide his kingdom highlights the vexed question of the English succession under a childless queen. Other plays comment more obliquely on contemporary events. Play of the Four Elements reflects on England's nascent maritime expeditions to the New World, while The Three Ladies of London comments topically on immigrant overcrowding in England's port towns, and the dangers of England's trade in the Mediterranean. Some plays push the boundaries of what the theatre can do in staging violence (Cambises) and questioning gender roles (Gallathea).Designed for undergraduate use, the anthology includes extensive explanatory annotations and a substantial introduction to each play; spelling and punctuation have been partially modernized in the interests of making the texts more accessible to students. In all this, the anthology follows principles similar to those developed for Christina M. Fitzgerald's and John T. Sebastian's Broadview Anthology of Medieval Drama; several of the plays from that anthology are also included here, while the rest have been newly edited for this volume, under the supervision of General Editor Alan Stewart.Trade Review“This is a superb teaching resource, opening up the study of Tudor drama through modernized, lightly annotated editions of eighteen well-chosen plays, ranging from the late fifteenth century to the late 1580s and encompassing a variety of genres (‘morality’, ‘interlude’, comedy, tragedy). Scholarly, but accessibly pitched, introductions situate each text, paying attention to performance and original audiences as well as textual and contextual issues. Notes on the texts, preceding each play, provide clear explanations of editorial policy and the source of the text on which the edition is based. The editors are also impressively attuned to shifts in pronunciation, using annotations to highlight where rhyme or meaning is obscured by changes to how words are sounded.” — Cathy Shrank, University of Sheffield“Interest in that curious creature, ‘Tudor literature,’ has grown enormously in the last several decades. But accessible and readable editions of Tudor writings have lagged behind. In the important case of drama, The Broadview Anthology of Tudor Drama completely changes the landscape. Alan Stewart and his excellent team of editors have put together an immensely readable collection, with brief and knowledgeable introductions, thorough glosses, and helpful explanatory notes, focused on a perfect selection of plays. The collection showcases the fascinating range, experimentalism, and vitality of Tudor drama: morality plays, humanist comedies, court farces, Protestant history places, Romanesque school comedies, political tragedies, coterie satire, and much more, from the household drama of Henry VII’s reign up to the foundational early playhouse drama of the Elizabethan years. This anthology will become the new standard. If you want to take up the pleasures of studying, teaching, or just reading Tudor drama, this collection is for you.” —Kent Cartwright, University of Maryland“The Broadview of Anthology of Tudor Drama is essential reading. Generously annotated and contextualized, it enriches our sense of performance culture in sixteenth-century England. Its contents demonstrate the eclecticism and variety of this performance culture; staples in theatre history (Mankind and Everyman) and plays that have garnered new scholarly interest (Gallathea and Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay) rub elbows with less well-known titles and examples of under-studied genres, including the proverb play. The result is a textual electricity that proves a dramatic companion to the conflicts and debates about government and society which typify Tudor England.” — Vin Nardizzi, University of British Columbia“A splendid anthology that shows the range and diversity of English drama from the late Middle Ages to the rise of the commercial theatres in London. This expertly edited work contains a variety of comedies, tragedies, moralities, allegorical plays, and interludes to give any reader a proper overview of English theatre during the transitional dynasty of the Tudors. There are relatively familiar plays such as Everyman and Gorboduc, as well as a number of lesser-known gems such as Like Will to Like and The Longer Thou Livest, The More Fool Thou Art as well as a vital work, The Three Ladies of London, by one of the first stars of the public theatre, Robert Wilson. The anthology will be a great asset for teachers and students, and also for general readers and scholars eager to have a readily available guide to the theatre of the long sixteenth century.” — Andrew Hadfield, University of Sussex“With its breadth of coverage, concise and informative introductions, and accessible texts, The Broadview Anthology of Tudor Drama makes an ideal textbook for teaching English drama from 1485-1603. This volume showcases a range of dramatic materials, from medieval morality plays to Elizabethan interludes, both highlighting and questioning their importance to the history of English drama. Alan Stewart and the contributing editors judiciously modernize spelling, offer helpful glosses and explanatory footnotes, and, in their introductions, synthesize scholarship to date while positioning the works in larger historical, cultural, religious, literary, and performance traditions. This volume is a valuable contribution to scholarship about Tudor Drama that will, in turn, surely precipitate further study.” — Laura Estill, St. Francis Xavier UniversityTable of Contents Mankind (c.1470) Everyman (late 15th century) Henry Medwall - Fulgens and Lucres (1497) The Interlude of Youth (early 16th century) John Rastell - The Four Elements (1519) John Skelton - Magnificence (late 1510s-early 1520s) John Heywood - The Play of the Weather (1533) John Bale - King Johan (1538) John Redford - The Play of Wit and Science (1544) Nicholas Udall – Ralph Roister Doister (1552) Gammer Gurton's Needle (1553) Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville - Gorboduc (1562) Ulpian Fulwell - Like Will to Like (1568) William Wager - The Longer Thou Livest The More Fool Thou Art (1569) Thomas Preston - Cambyses (1569) Robert Wilson - Three Ladies of London (1581) John Lyly - Gallathea (1584) Robert Greene - Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (1589)

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Book SynopsisFirst published in Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff's Sophocles: Four Tragedies , this riveting translation by Peter Meineck of Sophocles' Philoctetes features a new Introduction by Paul Woodruff. "Peter Meineck has given us a superbly vivid rendering of the play, informed throughout by his practical experience in the theater. His is a Philoctetes that is supremely alive, from start to finish. . . . [I]deal for classroom use . . . accompanied by a new and thoughtful introduction from philosopher and classicist Paul Woodruff. Woodruff anchors the play in the complex web of fears and anxieties of 409 BCE, as both Sophocles' life and Athens' imperial heyday drew to a close. . . . [A]n exceptionally fine work of translation and scholarship that will go far toward demolishing dismissals of the play as inaccessible or unengaging for the modern reader. Sophocles, Meineck and Woodruff eloquently remind us, speaks to every age, not least our own." —Thomas R. Keith, Loyola University Chicago in CJ-OnlineTrade ReviewIn these new translations [of Four Tragedies] Meineck and Woodruff have struck a near-ideal balance between accuracy and readability, formality and colloquialism. Their versions are simply a pleasure to read, conveying with remarkable vividness the powerful characterizations and poetic variety of the originals. The addition of succinct but illuminating notes makes this an exemplary volume for anyone interested in Sophocles' dramatic art. Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Department of Classics, Wesleyan University

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Book SynopsisAn acclaimed translator of Euripidean tragedy in its earlier and more familiar modes, Diane Arnson Svarlien now turns to three plays that showcase the special qualities of Euripides’ late dramatic art. Like her earlier volumes, Ion, Helen, Orestes offers modern, accurate, accessible, and stageworthy versions that preserve the metrical and musical form of the originals. Matthew Wright’s Introduction and notes offer illuminating guidance to first-time readers of Euripides, while pointing up the appeal of this distinctive grouping of plays.Trade Review"Diane Arnson Svarlien's lively and accessible translations give an excellent sense of Euripides' poetic resources, from his artful blend of conversational idiom and high style, to his powerful displays of rhetoric and emotion, to the expressive rhythms and images of his songs. They are sure to delight readers and listeners alike. Moreover, they have been shaped by judicious use of the best and latest scholarship. The plays in this volume will surprise readers used to tragedy on the Aristotelian pattern and stimulate reflection about what tragedy is and what it is for." —John Gibert, Department of Classics, University of Colorado, Boulder

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Book SynopsisAn acclaimed translator of Euripidean tragedy in its earlier and more familiar modes, Diane Arnson Svarlien now turns to three plays that showcase the special qualities of Euripides’ late dramatic art. Like her earlier volumes, Ion, Helen, Orestes offers modern, accurate, accessible, and stageworthy versions that preserve the metrical and musical form of the originals. Matthew Wright’s Introduction and notes offer illuminating guidance to first-time readers of Euripides, while pointing up the appeal of this distinctive grouping of plays.Trade Review"Diane Arnson Svarlien's lively and accessible translations give an excellent sense of Euripides' poetic resources, from his artful blend of conversational idiom and high style, to his powerful displays of rhetoric and emotion, to the expressive rhythms and images of his songs. They are sure to delight readers and listeners alike. Moreover, they have been shaped by judicious use of the best and latest scholarship. The plays in this volume will surprise readers used to tragedy on the Aristotelian pattern and stimulate reflection about what tragedy is and what it is for." —John Gibert, Department of Classics, University of Colorado, Boulder

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Book SynopsisLike his groundbreaking Inferno (Hackett, 2009) and Paradiso (Hackett, 2017), Stanley Lombardo's Purgatorio features a close yet dynamic verse translation, innovative verse paragraphing for reader-friendliness, and a facing-page Italian text. It also offers judicious headnotes and notes by Ruth Chester and an Introduction by Claire E. Honess and Matthew Treherne.Trade Review"Fresh, lively, and reliable, Stanley Lombardo's Purgatorio easily earns its place in the great tradition of English-language renderings of Dante. Excellent introductory material and footnotes help to make this a version that will appeal to scholars, students, and general readers alike." —Steven Botterill, Associate Professor of Italian Studies, University of California, Berkeley"To read Dante is to be triply overwhelmed: by his vast classical and biblical erudition, by the ingenuity and innovation of his narrative conception, by the constant allure of his diction. The cumulative effect is almost too much to take. This is where Stanley Lombardo comes in. As Virgil guided Dante himself, so Lombardo's lucent translations guide the English-language reader through the labyrinthine magnificence of the Divine Comedy. Ma qui la morta poesì resurga, ‘here let poetry rise from the dead,' prays the narrator Dante: a wish richly fulfilled in Lombardo's renderings, whose unprepossessing dignity and clarity give an authentic sense of the enduring beauty of the Tuscan original. This new translation of the Purgatorio continues the project that was so splendidly launched by Lombardo's Inferno. As before, the translation itself is presented with the original text in facing pages, and is accompanied by clear-headed introductory material and helpful notes. And Hackett once again delights the eye with elegant layout and exquisite typeface. All in all, this central panel of Dante's immortal triptych is superlatively presented." —John T. Kirby, Professor of Classics, University of Miami"With the arrival of Lombardo's distinguished translation of the Purgatorio, the second installment of Dante's grand tour of the afterlife becomes a viable option in literature surveys—and in more specialized undergraduate courses as well. Dante is no longer the Inferno alone when it is a question of reaching typical undergraduate audiences. Lombardo's flowing verse is supple and highly readable, and Ruth Chester's explanatory notes are abundant, lucid, and very useful. And not the least of the attractions of Lombardo's Purgatorio is the presence of the Italian text on facing pages, a valuable tool for readers whose Italian is adequate or at least at the "working" level." —Nathaniel Wallace, South Carolina State University"A musical Purgatorio that asks to be read aloud in the classroom, where it will undoubtedly enchant. The Introduction, by Claire Honess and Matthew Treherne, provides an insightful overview to the myriad issues of Purgatorio that is well aimed at a general reader. The notes by Ruth Chester are both informative and measured in their stance. Lombardo straddles a middle ground, in this case of technical accuracy and colloquial verve, that lends an eminently readable air to his work. With an easy diction and a limpid style, he opens the text up to a new generation of readers and asks all of us, scholars and students alike, to bring this text alive with our voices.” —Akash Kumar, in Speculum"Purgatorio is the central volume in Stanley Lombardo’s complete facing-page verse translation of the Comedy, with advice, introductory matter and detailed notes provided by eminent Dantists, following the pattern set in his Inferno volume (2009), and now completed in his Paradiso (2017). Lombardo, a classical scholar known for his versions of Homer and Virgil, not only provides a solid explanatory text, but offers a poetic experience based on a creative approach which he sets out in an interesting Translator’s Preface, foregrounding elements such as sound, performability, communication. . . . The voice in Lombardo’s Purgatorio strikes a steady, moderate note, unpretentious in its vocabulary choice, unassuming in its elegant deviations. . . . Lombardo provides a valuable addition to the range of English Dantes. . . . The book’s apparatus is first-rate. An elegant and substantial introduction outlines the diverse doctrinal foundation of Purgatory, showing how Dante found the freedom to shape his own bespoke mountain. The life-affirming morality of the canticle is expounded, with its subtle account of human motivation based on inclinations rather than outcomes. Other topics include the pressures of time, prayer and penitance, the links between local chaos and world disorder, the central importance of poetry, and the continuity of hope that binds purgatory to paradise. Ruth Chester’s contribution is discreet, informative, and lively. Often linking scenes and episodes to other moments in the Commedia, her notes help readers to grasp the poem as a whole. Points of beauty and emotion are quietly highlighted; we are prompted, rather than pushed, to appreciate what’s happening."—Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, Trinity College Dublin, in Italian Studies

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Book SynopsisCompiled during the Song dynasty (960–1279) at the behest of Emperor Taizong, the Taiping Guangji anthologized thousands of pages of unofficial histories, accounts, and minor stories from the Tang dynasty (618–907). The twenty-two tales translated in this volume, many appearing for the first time in English, reveal the dynamism and diversity of society in Tang China. A lengthy Introduction as well as introductions to each selection further illuminate the social and historical contexts within which these narratives unfold. This collection offers a wealth of information for anyone interested in medieval Chinese history, religion, or everyday life.Trade Review"This new collection of Tang dynasty tales translated from the Taiping Guangji is an outstanding new resource for students of China. The stories are well-chosen to represent the fascinating breadth of medieval Chinese culture—tales of romance, politics, revenge, and interactions with the supernatural bring to life the richness of medieval religion and society. The translations themselves are accurate and compelling. The authors and translators provide concise, clear introductions to each story and to the volume as a whole, and the collection is carefully organized and indexed so that teachers and students can explore stories on different topics. Lively and accessible to the non-specialist reader, this volume will make a terrific addition to any course on China." —Anna M. Shields, Princeton University

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Book SynopsisHorace's Odes enjoys a long tradition of translation into English, most famously in versions that seek to replicate the quantitative rhythms of the Latin verse in rhymed quatrains. Stanley Lombardo, one of our preeminent translators of classical literature, now gives us a Horace for our own day that focuses on the dynamics, sense, and tone of the Odes, while still respecting its architectonic qualities. In addition to notes on each of the odes, Anthony Corbeill offers an Introduction that sketches the poet's tumultuous political and literary careers, highlights the Odes' intricate construction and thematic breadth, and identifies some qualities of this work that shed light on a disputed question in its reception: Are these poems or lyrics? This dual-language edition will prove a boon to students of classical civilization, Roman literature, and lovers of one of the great masters of Latin verse.Trade Review"Yet again, Stanley Lombardo has produced a superb translation, this time of the Odes of Horace. The greatest virtue of his translation is that he represents the stanzas of Horace’s lyric stanzas with his own poetic version, closely hewing to the stanzas of the Horatian original. The translation, with the Latin text facing—the first time he has given us the original language in a translation from classical antiquity—will instantly become the go-to text for courses in translation and will also be a resource for anyone interested in Rome’s greatest lyric poet." —Richard F. Thomas, George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics, Harvard University"One important feature of this volume is the facing page Latin text. Lombardo's translation, wherever possible and nearly always with clear and idiomatic English, tidily conforms clause by clause to the shape and sense of each of Horace's stanzas. Additionally, the translations generally flow well in almost Horatian rhythm, and occasionally sound devices add to the poetic quality of the English. Corbeill's Introduction to Horace's life and political context is the ideal length and level for its audience. This Introduction will effectively equip readers to begin their voyage into the Odes and the Carmen Saeculare. New readers will find Corbeill's succinct notes at the end of the book to be useful guides to each ode. An excellent choice as an entry point into Horace's poetry." —Blanche Conger McCune, Baylor University, in The Classical Review

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Book SynopsisHorace's Odes enjoys a long tradition of translation into English, most famously in versions that seek to replicate the quantitative rhythms of the Latin verse in rhymed quatrains. Stanley Lombardo, one of our preeminent translators of classical literature, now gives us a Horace for our own day that focuses on the dynamics, sense, and tone of the Odes, while still respecting its architectonic qualities. In addition to notes on each of the odes, Anthony Corbeill offers an Introduction that sketches the poet's tumultuous political and literary careers, highlights the Odes' intricate construction and thematic breadth, and identifies some qualities of this work that shed light on a disputed question in its reception: Are these poems or lyrics? This dual-language edition will prove a boon to students of classical civilization, Roman literature, and lovers of one of the great masters of Latin verse.Trade Review"Yet again, Stanley Lombardo has produced a superb translation, this time of the Odes of Horace. The greatest virtue of his translation is that he represents the stanzas of Horace’s lyric stanzas with his own poetic version, closely hewing to the stanzas of the Horatian original. The translation, with the Latin text facing—the first time he has given us the original language in a translation from classical antiquity—will instantly become the go-to text for courses in translation and will also be a resource for anyone interested in Rome’s greatest lyric poet." —Richard F. Thomas, George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics, Harvard University

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Book SynopsisAfter a long break, another volume of the international journal Nikephoros. Zeitschrift für Sport und Kultur im Altertum is now available, which will again be published annually from now on. Founded in 1988 by Wolfgang Decker, Joachim Ebert and Ingomar Weiler, the journal, which deals with sport in its most diverse forms as well as its embedding in religion, culture, politics and everyday life, is not limited in content to the so-called Classical Antiquity, but also deals with sport and related phenomena in the fields of prehistory and early history, Ancient Oriental Studies, Egyptology and Byzantine Studies as well as their reception history. Moreover, contributions on other early advanced civilisations, for example ancient China or the ancient American cultures, as well as ethnological works are included.

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Book SynopsisAndreas Laskaratos (1811-1901), a prominent figure in modern Greek letters, was a writer and poet, a social thinker and, in many ways, a controversialist. A life-long enemy of hypocrisy wherever he found it, on many occasions he turned against politicians, while he ceaselessly fought against corruption and religious prejudice and fanaticism. Much of his writing is savagely satirical, but his Reflections set out calmly, clearly and wittily his uncompromising and finely reasoned beliefs. As the essence of his thought they could be read with profit by present-day politicians and teachers of any nationality, and indeed by everybody with an interest in social and moral questions.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Andreas Laskaratos and his Reflections; Reflections; Reflections originally written in italian; Translators notes

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Book SynopsisThis book is a tribute to India's literary and religious heritage. For the last 25 years Dr. Winand M. Callewaert visited scores of libraries, temples and private collections to study and catalogue manuscripts on Bhakti literature. As the years passed by his admiration increased for the great medieval Bhaktas who meditated and sang. The result of their devotion is preserved in thousands of manuscripts. In order to make that treasure easily accessible to scholars and devotees these two volumes were produced with the help of computer facilities for printing and sorting words in alphabetical order. The basis for selection is the famous Rajasthani Pancavani collection of the works of five great Bhaktas: Dadu, Kabir, Namdev, Raidas and Hardas. In order to make a comparison possible, the authors have also included the Bijak of Kabir, the Hindi' songs of Gorakhnath and Sundardas, and a selection of Siddha literature. Permission given to reproduce a few edited texts now not easily available is gratefully acknowledged.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis Oxford Reader seeks to introduce some of the main philosophical questions raised by the Greek and Roman philosophers of classical antiquity. Selections from the writings of ancient philosophers are interspersed with Terence Irwin''s incisive commentary, and sometimes with contributions from modern philosophers expounding relevant philosophical positions or discussing particular aspects of classical philosophy. The arrangement of the book is thematic, rather than chronological, allowing the reader to focus on philosophical problems and ideas, but a general introduction places philosophers and schools within their historical context. Irwin brings together contributions which shaped debates about knowledge, freedom, ethics, politics, and religious belief - debates which continue to be contested today, 2500 years from their conception.Trade ReviewThe book is overwhelmingly good, and will certainly become a set text in universities throughout the English-speaking world. * Robin Waterfield, The Heythrop Journal,Vol.41, No.4 *Irwin ... has the ability to communicate the importance and interest of ancient philosophy for beginners in an accessible and lucid fashion, which is highly informative and deeply thoughtful without being dense. * Robin Waterfield, The Heythrop Journal,Vol.41, No.4 *Commentary is achieved through a series of remarkable introductions ... each edition is a mini-masterpiece of compression. * Robin Waterfield, The Heythrop Journal, Vol.41, No.4. *Table of ContentsI INTRODUCTION; II NATURE, CHANGE, AND CAUSE: NATURAL PHILOSOPHY BEFORE PLATO; III ORIGINS OF SCEPTICISM: KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF IN EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY; IV KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF: FROM SOCRATES TO SCEPTICISM; V KNOWLEDGE, BELIEF, AND FORMS: SOCRATES AND PLATO; VI FORM AND MATTER: ARISTOTLE AND STOICISM; VII KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF: ANSWERS TO SCEPTICISM; VIII SOUL AND BODY; IX FREE WILL; X GOOD, PLEASURE, AND HAPPINESS; XI KNOWLEDGE AND DESIRE IN VIRTUE; XII THE GOOD OF OTHERS; XIII VIRTUE AND HAPPINESS; XIV POLITICAL THEORY; XV PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY; INDEX OF AUTHORS; FURTHER READING; GENERAL INDEX

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to offer comprehensive discussion of the dynamics of Greek obscenity and a detailed commentary on the terminology itself. It sets the standard for scholarly work on ancient obscenity in language, and has established itself as a classic in the field. For this new edition, Jeffrey Henderson has corrected and updated the philological material and added a new introduction.Trade Review`An important, sound, scholarly contribution to our understanding of obscenity not only to Athenian culture generally, but especially as it is integral to the themes of ancient comic plays ... This study breaks new ground and will have wide appeal' Library Journal `For the first time in the history of scholarship on Greek Old Comedy in general and on Aristophanes in particular we have in Jeffrey Henderson's [book] a comprehensive study of the obscenity which is so prominent a feature of Old Comedy, and his discussions will be welcomed by all interested in this aspect of it ... A major contribution.' Classical Journal

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Book SynopsisHorace's Odes are one of the greatest achievements of Latin literature. Richard Tarrant situates the Odes in the context of Horace's poetic career and defines their relationship to earlier literature. A number of poems are analyzed in detail, illustrating Horace's range of subject matter and his characteristic techniques of form and structure.Trade ReviewA superbly readable book.... Tarrant gets in abundant contextual information while keeping the tone easy; the close readings of two dozen or so poems that make up the core of the book are similarly effective. * Greece & Rome *This is a superb introduction to Horace's Odes.... Clear, expert orientation for newcomers and their guides is thus a valuable commodity, and Tarrant provides it in generous supply. There is good coverage: 66 of the 88 poems in Odes 1–3 and all the poems of book 4 receive some comment or discussion. Throughout the book there is an easy control of this disparate material, frequent, illuminating comparisons within and beyond the poems themselves, and a wealth of observations pointing to a deep familiarity with these poems.... His lucid and insightful book can be warmly recommended to this audience and to readers more familiar with the Odes as one of the best introductions now available. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Table of ContentsEditors' Foreword Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction: Reading the Odes Today 1. Horace's Life 2. Before the Odes 3. To the Cool Grove: The Ascent to Lyric 4. Odes 1-3: The Collection 5. Three Odes 6. Friendship and Advice 7. Amatory Poems 8. Political Poems 9. After the Odes I: The Book of Epistles 10. Lyric Revisited: The Carmen saeculare and the Fourth Book of Odes 11. After the Odes II: The Literary Epistles 12. Reception of the Odes: From Propertius to Seamus Heaney Further Reading Works Cited Indexes

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