Ancient, classical and medieval texts Books
Oxford University Press The Nicomachean Ethics
Book SynopsisIn the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle examines the nature of happiness, which he defines as a specially good kind of life. He considers the nature of practical reasoning, friendship, and the role and importance of the moral virtues in the best life. This new edition features a revised translation and valuable new introduction and notes.
£7.99
Penguin Books Ltd I Hate and I Love
Book SynopsisDazzling modern lyrical poems from Catullus - by turns smutty, abusive, romantic and deeply moving.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.Catullus (c.84-54 BCE). Catullus''s The Poems is available in Penguin Classics.
£5.63
Quarto Publishing PLC Literary Gardens
Book SynopsisThis book celebrates the most enchanting gardens from literature and re-imagines them with beautiful artworks.
£16.99
Chartwell Books Irish Folk and Fairy Tales
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Bacchae and Other Plays Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisThe plays of Euripides have stimulated audiences since the fifth century BC. This volume, containing Phoenician Women, Bacchae, Iphigenia at Aulis, Orestes, and Rhesuscompletes the new editions of Euripides in Penguin Classics.Features a general introduction, individual prefaces to each play, chronology, notes, bibliography, and glossaryTable of ContentsThe Bacchae and Other PlaysGeneral IntroductionChronological TableNote on the TextTranslator's NotePreface to Phoenician WomenPhoenician WomenPreface to OrestesOrestesPreface to BacchaeBacchaePreface to Iphigenia at AulisIphigenia at AulisPreface to RhesusRhesusNotesBibliographyGlossary of Mythological and Geographical Names
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Age of Alexander
Book SynopsisOffers a collection of ten biographies that spans the period from the start of the fourth century BC to the early third, and covers some of the most important figures in Greek history, such as the orator Demosthenes and Alexander the Great, as well as lesser known figures such as Plato's pupil Dion of Syracuse.
£15.29
Union Square & Co. Grimms Complete Fairy Tales 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 Penguin Book of Elegy
Book Synopsis''A tremendous sentimental education of a book ... scholarly discernment mixed with a wild-card flair ... an exceptional anthology, fascinating and unignorable'' Kate Kellaway, Observer (Poetry Book of the Month)Elegy is among the world''s oldest forms of literature. Born in Ancient Greece, practised by the Romans, revitalized by the poets of the Renaissance and continuing down to the present day, it speaks eloquently and affectingly of the experience of loss and the yearning for consolation. It gives shape and meaning to memories too painful to contemplate, and answers our desire to fix in words what would otherwise slip our grasp.In The Penguin Book of Elegy, Andrew Motion and Stephen Regan trace the history of this tradition, from its Classical roots in the work of Theocritus, Virgil and Ovid down to modern compositions exploring personal tragedy and collective grief by such celebrated voices of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries as Dylan Thomas, Elizabeth Bishop, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Denise Riley.The only comprehensive anthology of its kind in the English language, The Penguin Book of Elegy is a profound and moving compendium of the fundamentally human urges to remember and honour the dead, and to give comfort to those who survive them.
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers Aesops Fables
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.'Living in Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BC, Aesop was said to be a slave and story-teller. His much-loved, enduring fables are revered the world over and remain popular as moral tales for children. With infamous vignettes, such as the race between the hare and the tortoise, the vain jackdaw, and the wolf in sheep's clothing, the themes of the fables remain as fresh today as when they were first told and give an insight into the Ancient Greek world.
£5.62
Penguin Books Ltd The Aeneid
Book SynopsisVirgil''s masterpiece and one of the greatest works in all of literature, now in a beautiful clothbound edition designed by Coralie Bickford-SmithVirgil''s Aeneid, inspired by Homer and the inspiration for Dante and Milton, is an immortal poem that sits at the heart of Western life and culture. Virgil took as his hero Aeneas, legendary survivor of the fall of Troy and father of the Roman race. In telling a story of dispossession and defeat, love and war, he portrayed human life in all its nobility and suffering, in its physicality and its mystery.Trade Review"A new and noble standard bearer . . . There's a capriciousness to Fagles's line well suited to this vast story's ebb and flow." -The New York Times Book Review (front page review) "Fagles's new version of Virgil's epic delicately melds the stately rhythms of the original to a contemporary cadence. . . . He illuminates the poem's Homeric echoes while remaining faithful to Virgil's distinctive voice." -The New Yorker "Robert Fagles gives the full range of Virgil's drama, grandeur, and pathos in vigorous, supple modern English. It is fitting that one of the great translators of The Iliad and The Odyssey in our times should also emerge as a surpassing translator of The Aeneid." -J. M. Coetzee
£15.29
Wordsworth Editions Ltd The Iliad and the Odyssey
Book SynopsisTranslated by George Chapman, with Introductions by Jan Parker. Hector bidding farewell to his wife and baby son, Odysseus bound to the mast listening to the Sirens, Penelope at the loom, Achilles dragging Hector's body round the walls of Troy - scenes from Homer have been reportrayed in every generation. The questions about mortality and identity that Homer's heroes ask, the bonds of love, respect and fellowship that motivate them, have gripped audiences for three millennia. Chapman's Iliad and Odyssey are great English epic poems, but they are also two of the liveliest and readable translations of Homer. Chapman's freshness makes the everyday world of nature and the craftsman as vivid as the battlefield and Mount Olympus. His poetry is driven by the excitement of the Renaissance discovery of classical civilisation as at once vital and distant, and is enriched by the perspectives of humanist thought.
£7.46
Penguin Books Ltd Lysistrata and Other Plays
Book SynopsisThe Acharnians/The Clouds/Lysistrata''We women have the salvation of Greece in our hands''Writing at a time of political and social crisis in Athens, the ancient Greek comic playwright Aristophanes was an eloquent, yet bawdy, challenger to the demagogue and the sophist. In Lysistrata and The Acharnians, two pleas for an end to the long war between Athens and Sparta, a band of women on a sex strike and a lone peasant respectively defeat the political establishment. The darker comedy of The Clouds satirizes Athenian philosophers, Socrates in particular, and reflects the uncertainties of a generation in which all traditional religious and ethical beliefs were being challenged. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Alan H. SommersteinTable of ContentsLysistrata and Other PlaysChronologyIntroductionFurther ReadingTranslator's NoteNote on the TextPreface to The AcharniansTHE ACHARNIANSPreface to The CloudsTHE CLOUDSPreface to LysistrataLYSISTRATANotes
£10.44
Chiltern Publishing Persuasion: Chiltern Edition
Book Synopsis Chiltern 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 layers, fine details and beautiful colours of these remarkable covers make these titles feel extra special and will look striking on any shelf. This book has matching lined and blank journals (sold separately) . They make a great gift when paired together but are also just as beautiful on their own. Persuasion is a novel by Jane Austen in which the 27-year-old Anne Russell, who broke off a youthful engagement with Captain Frederick Wentworth, reconciles with him before the two again become engaged. Years after their engagement, Anne and Wentworth meet again. Anne still cares for him, but he is aloof to her. Anne is courted by her cousin, Mr. William Elliot, a widower, though Anne is not interested in Elliott, Wentworth is jealous of Elliot?s interest in Anne. Wentworth writes Anne a long, emotional letter, and soon they are engaged again..
£17.00
Union Square & Co. Little Women Deluxe Bookmark
£9.11
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Republic
Book SynopsisThe newest deluxe edition in the bestselling Capstone Classics Series This ancient classic has had a make-over. In recent years these Capstone Classic deluxe editions have caught the book buying public's imagination.Table of ContentsAn Introduction by Tom Butler-Bowdon vii About Tom Butler-Bowdon xxiii The Republic 1
£10.79
British Museum Press Cuneiform
Book SynopsisA unique and accessible insight into the world's oldest writing system, revealing how ancient inscriptions lead to a new way of thinking about the past.
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers How to Be
Book SynopsisA TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARWhat is the nature of things? Must I think my own way through the world? What is justice? How can I be me? How should we treat each other?Before the Greeks, the idea of the world was dominated by god-kings and their priests, in a life ruled by imagined metaphysical monsters. 2,500 years ago, in a succession of small eastern Mediterranean harbour-cities, that way of thinking began to change. Men (and some women) decided to cast off mental subservience and apply their own worrying and thinking minds to the conundrums of life.These great innovators shaped the beginnings of philosophy. Through the questioning voyager Odysseus, Homer explored how we might navigate our way through the world. Heraclitus in Ephesus was the first to consider the interrelatedness of things. Xenophanes of Colophon was the first champion of civility. In Lesbos, the Aegean island of Sappho and Alcaeus, the early lyric poets asked themselves How can I be true to myself?' In Samos, Pythagoras Trade Review A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘What links all Nicolson’s writing, though, is a tireless and tigerish sense of wonder and curiosity; a bounding willingness to immerse himself and his reader deeply in his subject: life… I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that marries such profundity with such a sense of fun. How to Be delivers wholeheartedly on the promise of its vaunting title. It is like a net strung between the deep past and the present, a blueprint for a life well lived’ OBSERVER ‘This eminently readable tour of Greek philosophy from approximately 650 to 450 B.C. brings the ‘sea-and-city world’ of Heraclitus and Homer to life . . . [He shows] the early Greeks developed intellectual habits, chief among them the use of questioning as the basis of knowing, which laid the groundwork for Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and for how we reason today’ NEW YORKER ‘Wise, elegant . . . richer and more unusual than [the self-help genre], an exploration of the origins of Western subjectivity’ WASHINGTON POST 'Seductive… a poetic tour of philosophical thought’ SPECTATOR ‘Passionate, poetic, and hauntingly beautiful, Adam Nicolson’s account of the west’s earliest philosophers brings vividly alive the mercantile hustle and bustle of ideas traded and transformed in a web of maritime Greek cities.. In this life-affirming, vital book, those ideas sing with the excitement of a new discovery’ David Stuttard ‘It’s hard not to be dazzled by this book … No one else writes with the originality, energy and persuasiveness of Adam Nicolson. It’s like encountering the Greek sea. It takes your breath away’ Laura Beatty, bestselling author of Lost Property
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Women of Troy
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£11.99
Crumps Barn Studio Later Icarus
Book SynopsisMyths and legends capture the intensity of human experience - but there are gaps in the stories. Thoroughly relatable, Later, Icarus uncovers what happens beyond the headlines, in the aftermath. These are the voices of ordinary people in poetry - the legends and the forgotten - as they reveal their own truths, and experience what comes next
£10.79
Chartwell Books Sense and Sensibility
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Theban Plays King Oedipus Oedipus at Colonus
Book SynopsisKing Oedipus/Oedipus at Colonus/AntigoneThree towering works of Greek tragedy depicting the inexorable downfall of a doomed royal dynastyThe legends surrounding the house of Thebes inspired Sophocles to create this powerful trilogy about humanity''s struggle against fate. King Oedipus is the devastating portrayal of a ruler who brings pestilence to Thebes for crimes he does not realize he has committed and then inflicts a brutal punishment upon himself. Oedipus at Colonus provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the aged and blinded king, while Antigone depicts the fall of the next generation, through the conflict between a young woman ruled by her conscience and a king too confident of his own authority.Translated with an Introduction by E. F. WATLINGTrade Review“[Oedipus the King] is Sophocles’ most famous play and the most celebrated play of Greek drama . . . Aristotle cites it as the best model for a tragic plot . . . Freud recognized the play’s power to dramatize the process by which we uncover hidden truths about ourselves . . . Sophocles is more interested in how Oedipus pieces together the isolated fragments of his past to discover who and what he is and in tracing the hero’s response to this new vision of himself.”—from the Introduction by Charles SegalTable of ContentsThe Theban legend; "King Oedipus"; the legend continued; "Oedipus at Colonus"; the legend continued; "Antigone"; notes to "King Oedipus"; notes to "Oedipus at Colonus"; notes to "Antigone".
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Metamorphoses
Book SynopsisMary Innes's classic prose translation of one of the supreme masterpieces of Latin literatureThe most beautiful book in the language (my opinion and I suspect it was Shakespeare's). -Ezra Pound Ovid drew on Greek mythology, Latin folklore and legend from ever further afield to create a series of narrative poems, ingeniously linked by the common theme of transformation. Here a chaotic universe is subdued into harmonious order: animals turn to stone; men and women become trees and stars. Ovid himself transformed the art of storytelling, infusing these stories with new life through his subtley, humour and understanding of human nature, and elegantly tailoring tone and pace to fit a variety of subjects. The result is a lasting treasure-house of myth and legend. 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 bTrade ReviewThe most beautiful book in the language (my opinion and I suspect it was Shakespeare's) -- Ezra Pound
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Aeneid Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition
Book SynopsisFrom the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's great epicFleeing the ashes of Troy, Aeneas, Achilles’ mighty foe in the Iliad, begins an incredible journey to fulfill his destiny as the founder of Rome. His voyage will take him through stormy seas, entangle him in a tragic love affair, and lure him into the world of the dead itself--all the way tormented by the vengeful Juno, Queen of the Gods. Ultimately, he reaches the promised land of Italy where, after bloody battles and with high hopes, he founds what will become the Roman empire. An unsparing portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and fate, the Aeneid redefines passion, nobility, and courage for our times. Robert Fagles, whose acclaimed translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey were welcomed as major publishing events, brings the AenTrade Review"A new and noble standard bearer . . . There's a capriciousness to Fagles's line well suited to this vast story's ebb and flow." -The New York Times Book Review (front page review) "Fagles's new version of Virgil's epic delicately melds the stately rhythms of the original to a contemporary cadence. . . . He illuminates the poem's Homeric echoes while remaining faithful to Virgil's distinctive voice." -The New Yorker "Robert Fagles gives the full range of Virgil's drama, grandeur, and pathos in vigorous, supple modern English. It is fitting that one of the great translators of The Iliad and The Odyssey in our times should also emerge as a surpassing translator of The Aeneid." -J. M. Coetzee
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Book of Hell Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisFrom the Bible through Dante and up to Treblinka and Guantánamo Bay, here is a rich source for nightmares. --The New York Times Book ReviewThree thousand years of visions of Hell, from the ancient Near East to modern AmericaA Penguin ClassicFrom the Hebrew Bible's shadowy realm of Sheol to twenty-first-century visions of Hell on earth, The Penguin Book of Hell takes us through three thousand years of eternal damnation. Along the way, you'll take a ferry ride with Aeneas to Hades, across the river Acheron; meet the Devil as imagined by a twelfth-century Irish monk--a monster with a thousand giant hands; wander the nine circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno, in which gluttons, liars, heretics, murderers, and hypocrites are made to endure crime-appropriate torture; and witness the debates that raged in Victorian England when new scientific advances cast doubt on the idea of an eternal hereafter. Drawing upon religious poetry, epics, Trade Review“Now that I know what Hell is like, I shall take more pains to avoid it. This is an amazing collection.” —Philip Pullman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Compass“Quite terrifying.” —The New Yorker“You will be [frightened] by The Penguin Book of Hell, in which writers from antiquity to the 20th century describe the eternal, infernal hereafter. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” —The Washington Post“This fascinating collection kept me reading long after midnight, and the images it put in my head kept me up even longer. A deeply engaging read.” —Amy Brady, Chicago Review of Books, “The Best Horror Nonfiction Books of 2018”“One of the prime motives of these texts is rage, rage against people occupying positions of exceptional trust and power who lie and cheat and trample on the most basic values and yet who escape the punishment they so manifestly deserve. History is an unending chronicle of such knaves, and it is a chronicle too of frustration and impotence, certainly among the mass of ordinary people but even among those who feel that they are stakeholders in the system. Hell is the last recourse of political impotence. You console yourself . . . by imagining that the loathsome characters you detest will meet their comeuppance in the afterlife.” —Stephen Greenblatt, The New York Review of Books“Disturbing . . . Full of classic representations of eternal punishment.” —America: The Jesuit Review“Harrowing . . . To recognize hell in the realm of reality is to understand its true role in our lives right now—and to begin to articulate the good life we hope someday to earn. Be not distracted: the glimpses of hell do us good.” —Lapham’s Quarterly“Includes a hefty (and fascinating) selection of readings from medieval manuals . . . Bruce’s most fascinating section is his final, which examines how the rhetoric of hell has utility in the contemporary era, including . . . an astounding essay by an American prisoner in solitary confinement with the unlikely name of William Blake, and the track list for torturers at the Guantánamo Bay detention center whose ‘enhanced interrogation’ techniques included repeatedly blasting at ear-splitting decibels songs like Marilyn Manson’s ‘The Beautiful People,’ Britney Spears’s ‘…Baby One More Time,’ and the ‘Meow Mix’ commercial jingle.” —Los Angeles Review of Books “Like so many of the Penguin Classics collections, it is thoughtful, expansive, accessible to the intelligent reader and the inquiring mind. . . . It’s quite a read, and it’s certainly not something you probably want to read right before bedtime, not right before going to sleep, but certainly a book that will make you think about life, about being human, and about what might await us in the future.” —WBAA
£10.79
Union Square & Co. Alices Adventures in Wonderland Deluxe Bookmark
Book SynopsisUnion Square and Co.'s Classic Vegan Leather Bookmark series feature iconic titles sure to appeal to book lovers of all stripe
£10.25
Oxford University Press The Collected Poems
Book Synopsis''a Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe'' E. M. ForsterE. M. Forster''s description of C. P. Cavafy (1863-1933) perfectly encapsulates the unique perspective Cavafy brought to bear on history and geography, sexuality and language in his poems. Cavafy writes about people on the periphery, whose religious, ethnic and cultural identities are blurred, and he was one of the pioneers in expressing a specifically homosexual sensibility. His poems present brief and vivid evocations of historical scenes and sensual moments, often infused with his distinctive sense of irony. They have established him as one of the most important poets of the twentieth century.This volume presents the most authentic Greek text of the 154 authorized poems ever published, together with a new English translation that conveys the accent and rhythm of Cavafy''s individual tone of voice. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made a
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd A History of My Times
Book SynopsisXenophon''s History recounts nearly fifty turbulent years of warfare in Greece between 411 and 362 BC. Continuing the story of the Peloponnesian War at the point where Thucydides finished his magisterial history, this is a fascinating chronicle of the conflicts that ultimately led to the decline of Greece, and the wars with both Thebes and the might of Persia. An Athenian by birth, Xenophon became a firm supporter of the Spartan cause, and fought against the Athenians in the battle of Coronea. Combining history and memoir, this is a brilliant account of the triumphs and failures of city-states, and a portrait of Greece at a time of crisis.Table of ContentsA History of My TimesIntroductionSelect BibliographyA Note on the NotesA History of My TimesBook OneBook TwoBook ThreeBook FourBook SixBook SevenAppendixMaps:1. The Aegean2. Asia Minor3. Northern Peloponnese and North West Greece4. Central Greece5. Area of the Isthmus and the Saronic Gulf6. Central and Southern Peloponnese7. ChalcidiceIndex
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tacitus Annals XIV A Selection
Book SynopsisThis is the OCR-endorsed edition covering the Latin A-Level (Group 2) prescription of Annals XIV, 113, 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.Tacitus is one of the great Roman historians. His Annals, written in the early-2nd century CE, described the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius and Nero, covering the years 1468 CE. In this selection he provides a memorable vignette of Nero's decadence and cruelty in the failed and then successful murder of his own mother, Agrippina. The drama of Nero's reign must be read in the context of Tacitus' perspective as an author writing within living memory of the events he describes, events which shaped the further development of imperial rule.Supporting resources are available on the Companion Website: https://www.bloomsbury.pub/OCR-editions-2024-2026Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Text Commentary Notes Vocabulary
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Book of Dragons Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisTwo thousand years of legend and lore about the menace and majesty of dragons, which have breathed fire into our imaginations from ancient Rome to Game of ThronesA Penguin ClassicThe most popular mythological creature in the human imagination, dragons have provoked fear and fascination for their lethal venom and crushing coils, and as avatars of the Antichrist, servants of Satan, couriers of the damned to Hell, portents of disaster, and harbingers of the last days. Here are accounts spanning millennia and continents of these monsters that mark the boundary between the known and the unknown, including: their origins in the deserts of Africa; their struggles with their mortal enemies, elephants, in the jungles of South Asia; their fear of lightning; the world’s first dragon slayer, in an ancient collection of Sanskrit hymns; the colossal sea monster Leviathan; the seven-headed “great red dragon” of the Book of Revelation; the Loch NeTrade ReviewI love the way Scott Bruce has scoured so much ancient lore to bring us this treasury of dragon-related information, and I shall turn to it frequently -- Philip PullmanScholarly and thrilling. By collecting some of the foundational - and also most surprising - historical sources on these guardians of the 'boundary between the known and unknown', Scott Bruce has created the new indispensable resource for anyone who cares about dragons -- Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and The Inquisitor’s Tale
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Virgil Aeneid IV A Selection
Book SynopsisThe only exam-board approved book for OCR's Latin AS and A-Level prescription of Virgil's Aeneid Book IV for examination in 20262028.
£16.14
Penguin Books Ltd The Metaphysics Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisAristotle's probing inquiry into some of the fundamental problems of philosophy, The Metaphysics is one of the classical Greek foundation-stones of western thought The Metaphysics presents Aristotle's mature rejection of both the Platonic theory that what we perceive is just a pale reflection of reality and the hard-headed view that all processes are ultimately material. He argued instead that the reality or substance of things lies in their concrete forms, and in so doing he probed some of the deepest questions of philosophy: What is existence? How is change possible? And are there certain things that must exist for anything else to exist at all? The seminal notions discussed in The Metaphysics - of 'substance' and associated concepts of matter and form, essence and accident, potentiality and actuality - have had a profound and enduring influence, and laid the foundations for one of the central branches of Western philosophy. In this editionTable of ContentsThe Metaphysics - Aristotle Translated with an Introduction by Hugh Lawson-TancredPrefaceIntroductionTHE METAPHYSICSBook AlphaBook Alpha the LesserBook BetaBook GammaBook DeltaBook EpsilonBook ZetaBook EtaBook ThetaBook IotaBook KappaBook LambdaBook MuBook NuBibliography
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Histories Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisDescribes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. Frequently giving rise to colorful digressions, this book blends fact and legend to offer a compelling Greek view of the world of the fifth century BC.Trade Review“De Sélincourt’s pacy, natural-sounding, rendering, as superbly revised and annotated by John Marincola…was a game-changer…still reads freshly and is a bestseller six decades after its first publication.”--Edith Hall, Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsThe HistoriesPrefaceIntroduction1. Herodotus' Life and Work2. The Subject-Matter of The Histories3. Herodotus' sources and Metho Histories4. Structure and Themes in The Histories5. Herodotus' Later ReputationFurther ReadingA Note on the TextMapsHerodotus The HistoriesBook OneBook TwoBook ThreeBook FourBook FiveBook SixBook SevenBook EightBook NineGlossaryStructural OutlineChronologyAbbreviationsNotesIndex
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd The Nicomachean Ethics
Book SynopsisAddresses the question of how to live well, and originates the concept of cultivating a virtuous character as the basis of his ethical system. In this title, the author sets out to examine the nature of happiness. It discusses the nature of practical reasoning, the value and the objects of pleasure, and the different forms of friendship.Table of ContentsThe Nicomachean EthicsPrefaceChronologyIntroductionFurther ReadingA Note on the TextSynopsisThe Nicomachean EthicsBook I: The Object of LifeBook II: Moral GoodnessBook III: Moral Responsibility: Two VirtuesBook IV: Other Moral VirtuesBook V: JusticeBook VI: Intellectual VirtuesBook VII: Continence and Incontinence: THe Nature of PleasureBook VIII: The Kinds of FriendshipBook IX: The Grounds of FriendshipBook X: Pleasure and the Life of HappinessAppendix 1: Table of Virtues and VicesAppendix 2: PythagoreanismAppendix 3: The Sophists and SocratesAppendix 4: Plato's Theory of FormsAppendix 5: The CatagoriesAppendix 6: Substance and ChangeAppendix 7: Nature and TheologyAppendix 8: The Practical SyllogismAppendix 9: Pleasure and ProcessAppendix 10: LiturgiesAppendix 11: Aristotle in the Middle AgesGlossary of Greek WordsIndex of NamesSubject Index
£10.44
Oxford University Press Symposium
Book SynopsisIn his celebrated masterpiece, Symposium, Plato imagines a high-society dinner-party in Athens in 416 BC at which the guests - including the comic poet Aristophanes and, of course, Plato''s mentor Socrates - each deliver a short speech in praise of love. The sequence of dazzling speeches culminates in Socrates'' famous account of the views of Diotima, a prophetess who taught him that love is our means of trying to attain goodness. And then into the party bursts the drunken Alcibiades, the most popular and notorious Athenian of the time, who insists on praising Socrates himself rather than love, and gives us a brilliant sketch of this enigmatic character.The power, humour, and pathos of Plato''s creation engages the reader on every page. This new translation is complemented by full explanatory notes and an illuminating introduction. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volumTrade Review'In his lucid introduction Waterfield highlights the artistry and subtleties which might elude non-classicists. He emphasises that Plato's Symposium is fun.' Sophia Sackville-West, London Evening Standard
£9.49
Profile Books Ltd The Aeneid: A New Translation
Book Synopsis'Gripping ... A remarkable achievement' TLS On his deathbed in 19 BCE, Vergil asked that his epic, the Aeneid, be burned. If his wishes had been obeyed, western literature - maybe even western civilization - might have taken a different course. The Aeneid has remained a foundational text since the rise of universities, and has been invoked at key points of human history - whether by Saint Augustine to illustrate the fallen nature of the soul, by settlers to justify manifest destiny in North America, or by Mussolini in support of his Fascist regime. In this fresh and fast-paced translation of the Aeneid, Shadi Bartsch brings the poem to the modern reader. Along with the translation, her introduction will guide the reader to a deeper understanding of the epic's enduring influence.Trade ReviewGripping ... A remarkable achievement -- Llewelyn Morgan * TLS *This ambitious and successful translation is probably the best version of the Aeneid in modern English -- Professor Jim O'Hara, George L. Paddison Professor of Latin University of North CarolinaA tight, readable translation with a welcome feminist outlook and savvy engagement with the poem's political and imperial themes -- Ada Palmer, author * Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Metamorphoses A New Verse Translation Penguin
Book SynopsisOvid’s sensuous and witty poem, in an accessible translation by David RaeburnIn Metamophoses, Ovid 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 light-hearted, dramatic and yet playful, Metamorphoses has influenced writers and artists throughout the centuries from Shakespeare and Titian to Picasso and Ted Hughes.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more thanTrade ReviewA good translation in clear, dignified, poetic English -- Prof Elaine Fantham, PrincetonI think this version is terrific. The light enjambed English hexameters are a great success. The effect is properly propulsive -- Prof A D Nuttall, OxfordTable of ContentsMetamorphosesPrefaceChronologyIntroductionFurther ReadingTranslator's NoteMetamorphosesBook 1Prologue - The Creation - The Four Ages - The Giants - Lycaön - The Flood - Deucalion and Pyrrha - Python - Daphne - Io (1) - Interlude: Pan and Syrinx - Io (2) - Phaëton (1)Book 2Phaëton (2) - Callisto - The Raven and the Crow - Ocyrho#235; - Battus - Aglauros - EuropaBook 3Cadmus - Actaeon - Semele - Teiresias - Narcissus and Echo - Pentheus and Bacchus (1) - Acotetes and the Lydian Sailors - Pentheus and Bacchus (2)Book 4The Daughters of Miniyas (1) - Pyramus and Thisbe - Mars and Venus - Leucotho#235; and Lyti#235; - Slmacis and Hermaphroditus - The Daughters of Miniyas (2) - Ino and Athamas - Cadmus and Harmonia - Perseus (1)Book 5Perseus (2) - Minerva and the Muses - Calliope's Song: The Rape of Proserpina; Arethusa; Triptolemus and Lyncus - The Daughters of PierusBook 6Arachne - Niobe - The Lycian Peasants - Marsyas - Pelops - Tereus, Procne and Philomela - Boreas and OrithyiaBook 7Medea and Jason - The Rejuvenation of Aeson - The Punishment of Pelias - Medea's Flight - Theseus and Aegeus - Minos and Aeacus - The Plague at Aegina - The Birth of the Myrmidons - Cephalus and ProcrisBook 8Scylla and Minos - The Minotaur and Ariadne - Daedalus and Perdix - Meleäger and the Calyydonian Boar - Acheloüs, the Naiads and Perimele - Philemon and Baucis - ErysichthonBook 9Acheloüs and Hercules - Hercules and Nessus - The Death of Hercules - Alcmena and Galanthis - Dryope - Iolaüs and Callirhoë's Sons - Miletus - Byblis - IphisBook 10Orpheus and Eurydice - Cyparissus - Orpheus' Song: Introduction; Ganymede; Hyacinthus; The Cerastae and Propoetides; Pygmalion; Myrrha; Venus and Adonis (1) - Venus' Story: Atalanta and Hippomenes - Orpheus' Song: Venus and Adonis (2)Book 11The Death of Orpheus - The Punishment of the Maenads - Midas - Laömedon's Treachery - Peleus and Thetis - Peleus at the Court of Ceÿx (1) - Ceÿx's Story: Daedalion - Peleus at the Court of Ceÿx (2) - Ceÿx and Alcyone - AesacusBook 12The Greeks at Aulis - Rumour - Cycnus - Achilles' Victory Celebration - Caenis - The Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs - Periclymenus - The Death of AchillesBook 13The Judgement of Arms - Ajax's Suicide - The Fall of Troy - The Sufferings of Hecuba - Memnon - The Wanderings of Aeneas (1) - The Daughters of Anius - The Daughters of Orion - The Wanderings of Aeneas (2) - Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus - Glaucus and Scylla (1)Book 14Glaucus and Scylla (2) - The Wanderings of Aeneas (3) - The Sibyl of Cumae - Achaemenides' Story: Ulysses' Men in Plyphemus' Cave - Macareus' Story: Ulysses and Circe; Picus, Canens and Circe - The Wanderings of Aeneus (4) - The Mutinous Companions of Diomedes - The Apulian Shepherd - The Ships of Aeneus - Ardea - The Apotheosis of Aeneus - Aeneus' Descendants - Pomona and Vertumnus - Iphis and Anaxarete - Romulus - The Apotheosis of RomulusBook 15Myscelus - Pythagoras - Egeria and Hippolytus - Tages, Romulus' Spear, Cipus - Aesculapius - The Apotheosis of Julius Caesar- EpilogueNotesGlossary IndexMap of Ovid's Mediterranean World
£9.49
Quarto Publishing PLC Warriors, Witches, Women: Mythology's Fiercest
Book SynopsisMeet mythology’s fifty fiercest females in this modern retelling of the world’s greatest legends. From feminist fairies to bloodsucking temptresses, half-human harpies and protective Vodou goddesses, these are women who go beyond long-haired, smiling stereotypes. Their stories are so powerful, so entrancing, that they have survived for millennia. Lovingly retold and updated, Kate Hodges places each heroine, rebel and provocateur fimly at the centre of their own narrative. Players include: Bewitching, banished Circe, an introvert famed and feared for her transfigurative powers. The righteous Furies, defiantly unrepentant about their dedication to justice. Fun-loving Ame-no-Uzume who makes quarrelling friends laugh and terrifies monsters by flashing at them. The fateful Morai sisters who spin a complex web of birth, life and death. Find your tribe, fire your imagination and be empowered by this essential anthology of notorious, demonised and overlooked women.Trade ReviewHodges looks at mythology through a feminist lens, showcasing 50 of the fiercest females in this modern retelling of the world’s greatest legends...Lee-Merrion’s illustrations bring these strong personalities to life. * Publishers Weekly *With subjects ranging from Kali and Baba Yaga to La Llorona and Maman Brigitte, this is an appealing overview of mythical women who have become mainstream icons. * Booklist | ALA *From the famous Greek bringer of misfortune Medusa, to the Jewish demon Lilith and the Japanese supernatural beast Futakuchi-Onna, this collection of tales explores both the myths that saturate Western fame and the legends you’ve yet to hear about — but trust me, after you get to know them, these magical ladies are impossible to forget. * BookTrib *Table of ContentsFOREWORD INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 WITCHES Wise women, soothsayers and healers HECATE Greek: goddess MORGAN LE FAY. British: enchantress and fairy CIRCE Greek: goddess/witch BABA YAGA Slavic: witch CASSANDRA. Greek: prophet THE PYTHIA. Greek: priestess/witch BERCHTA. Southern German/Austrian: goddess WHITE BUFFALO CALF WOMAN Indigenous American/Lakotan: spirit RHIANNON Celtic: goddess/fairy CHAPTER 2 WARRIORS Fighters, strategists and bringers of justice ARTEMIS Greek: goddess ANATH Northwest Semitic: goddess DIVOKA SARKA Bohemian: warrior FREYJA Norse: goddess THE FURIES Roman/Greek: goddesses CIHUATETEO Meso-American: spirits KALT Hindu: goddess YENNENGA Mossi, African: princess JEZEBEL Hebrew/Christian: queen CHAPTER 3 BRINGERS OF MISFORTUNE Destructors, havoc-wreakers, harbingers of doom HEL Norse: goddess MORR.GAN Celtic: goddess THE VALKYRIES Norse: spirits PONTIANAK Malay: ghost BAOBHAN SITH Scottish: vampire LILITH Jewish: demon LOVIATAR Finnish: goddess HARPIES Greek: monsters MEDUSA Greek/Roman: monster LA LLORONA Mexican: spirit BANSHEE Celtic: spirit, fairy FUTAKUCHI-ONNA Japanese: supernatural beast CHAPTER 4 ELEMENTAL SPIRITS Lightning bolt-throwers, commanders of fire and ice, creators of the planet TIAMAT Babylonian: goddess MAMI WATA African/American: goddess PELE Hawaiian: goddess SELKIES Scottish: creatures MARI Basque: goddess THE LADY OF LLYN Y FAN FACH Welsh: fairy THE RAINBOW SERPENT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Australia: gender-fluid goddess/god MAZU Mazuism/Buddhism/Taoism/Confucianism: goddess EGLĖ THE QUEEN OF SERPENTS Lithuanian: woman CHAPTER 5 MUNIFICENT SPIRITS Bountiful deities, generous spirits, domestic goddesses TARA Buddhism/Hinduism: goddess MADDERAKKA Sámi: spirits THE MOIRAI Greek: incarnations of destiny BRIGID Celtic: goddess and saint ERZULIE DANTOR AND ERZULIE FREDA Vodou: goddesses BONA DEA Roman: goddess AME-NO-UZUME Japanese: goddess INANNA Mesopotamian: goddess MA’AT Egyptian: goddess LIEU HANH Vietnamese: goddess MAMAN BRIGITTE Voudou: goddess GLOSSARY FURTHER READING MYTHOLOGICAL WOMEN PLAYLIST ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd Hesiod and Theognis Theogony Works and Days and
Book SynopsisTogether these two poets-Hesiod, the epic poet, and Theognis, the elegist-offer a superb introduction to the life and thought of ancient Greece.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.Table of ContentsTheology and Works and Days; ElegiesHESIODIntroductionTheologyWorks and DaysTHEOGNISIntroductionElegiesNotesSelect Glossary
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Histories
Book SynopsisTom Holland''s ''stirring new translation'' (Telegraph) of Herodotus'' Histories, one of the great books in Western history - now in paperbackThe Histories of Herodotus, completed in the second half of the 5th century BC, is generally regarded as the first work of history and the first great masterpiece of non-fiction writing. Joined here are the sheer drama of Herodotus'' narrative of the Persian invasions of Greece, and the endless curiosity - turning now to cannabis, now to the Pyramids - which make his book the source of so much of our knowledge of the ancient world.This absorbing new translation, by one of Britain''s most admired young historians, allows all the drama and mysteriousness of this great book to be fully appreciated by modern readers.TOM HOLLAND is the author of Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History and was shortlisted for the Samuel JTrade ReviewHolland's text makes for energizing reading . . . unquestionably the best English translation of Herodotus to have appeared in the last half-century . . . fast, funny, opinionated, clear and erudite . . . I am in awe of Tom Holland's achievement -- Edith Hall * TLS *Tom Holland has been captivated by Herodotus since he was a child. His pleasure shines through his relaxed, idiomatic, expansive and often dramatic translation . . . He, like Herodotus, is a storyteller par excellence -- Peter Jones * New Statesman *A labour of love . . . full of rattling good yarns . . . the minister for education should present each of his cabinet colleagues with a copy of Holland's admirable translation * Economist *
£11.69
Chartwell Books Jane Eyre
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Union Square & Co. The Iliad and The Odyssey 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 Heroides Penguin Classics xx
Book SynopsisIn the twenty-one poems of the Heroides, Ovid gave voice to the heroines and heroes of epic and myth. These deeply moving literary epistles reveal the happiness and torment of love, as the writers tell of their pain at separation, forgiveness of infidelity or anger at betrayal. The faithful Penelope wonders at the suspiciously long absence of Ulysses, while Dido bitterly reproaches Aeneas for too eagerly leaving her bed to follow his destiny, and Sappho—the only historical figure portrayed here—describes her passion for the cruelly rejecting Phaon. In the poetic letters between Paris and Helen the lovers seem oblivious to the tragedy prophesied for them, while in another exchange the youthful Leander asserts his foolhardy eagerness to risk his life to be with his beloved Hero.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 gTable of ContentsHeroidesIntroductionI: Penelope to UlyssesII: Phyllis to DemophoonIII: Briseis to AchillesIV: Phaedra to HippolytusV: Oenone to ParisVI: Hypsipyle to JasonVII: Dido to AeneasVIII: Hermione to OrestesIX: Deianira to HerculesX: Ariadne to TheseusXI: Canace to MacareusXII: Medea to JasonXIII: Laodamia to ProtesilausXIV: Hypermestra to LynceusXV: Sappho to PhaonXVI: Paris to HelenXVII: Helen to ParisXVIII: Leander to HeroXIX: Hero to LeanderXX: Acontius to CydippeXXI: Cydippe to AcontiusAppendix 1: Principal CharactersAppendix 2: Index of Names
£10.44
Chartwell Books Dracula
Book Synopsis
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Great Book of King Arthur and His Knights of
Book SynopsisThe most famous and influential work of English fantasy ever published, reimagined for a new generation of readers by John Matthews, one of the world's leading Arthurian experts, and illustrated by internationally acclaimed Tolkien artist, John Howe.Journey back to the legendary time of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, of Merlin and dragons, of the Great Quest for the Grail and the mysterious Otherworld of Faerie. A time of bravery, treachery and love.Here, you will read of Avenable, the girl brought up as a boy who becomes a famous knight, and of Gawain''s strange birth and his rise to the highest possible rank: Emperor of Rome. Here too are some of the earliest Celtic tales of Arthur, and a completely new version of Merlin the Enchanter''s story. There is also the story of Morien, whose adventures are as fantastic and exciting as any to be found in Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur.THE GREAT BOOK OF KING ARTHUR presents for the first time many long-forgotten tales, dramatical
£9.49
Cambridge University Press Seneca
Book SynopsisThe letters of Seneca are uniquely engaging among the works that have survived from antiquity. They offer an urgent guide to Stoic self-improvement but also cast light on Roman attitudes towards slavery, gladiatorial combat and suicide. This selection of letters conveys their range and variety, with a particular focus on letters from the earlier part of the collection. As well as a general introduction, it features a brief introductory essay on each letter, which draws out its themes and sets it in context. The commentary explains the more challenging aspects of Seneca''s Latin. It also casts light on his engagement with Stoic (and Epicurean) ideas, on the historical context within which the letters were written and on their literary sophistication. This edition will be invaluable for undergraduate and graduate students and scholars of Seneca''s moral and intellectual development.Table of ContentsIntroduction: 1. Seneca's life and works; 2. The Epistulae Morales and their addressee; 3. Letters as a genre; 4. Stoic terms and concepts; 5. Stoic background; 6. Other philosophical influences; 7. Ethical focus and techniques of the self; 8. Seneca and earlier Latin poetic authors; 9. Senecan style; 10. Clauslae in Seneca; 11. Reception of the letters; 12. The selection; 13. The text; Epistulae Morales: Letter 1; Letter 7; Letter 12; Letter 18; Letter 21; Letter 24; Letter 33; Letter 34; Letter 46; Letter 47; Letter 53; Letter 64; Letter 70; Letter 86; Letter 90; Letter 114; Commentary.
£26.59
Union Square & Co. The Art of War
Book Synopsis
£16.20
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Propertius Tibullus and Ovid A Selection of Love
Book SynopsisAnita Nikkanen is a Research Fellow in Classical Philology at the Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University, USA. She taught Classics at Northwood College, London, UK, and has been a Departmental Teaching Fellow for Classics and Comparative Literature at Harvard University, USATrade Review[This book] cover[s] necessary ground admirably, as well as offering the intellectually curious plenty to take beyond the exam. Strongly recommended. * Classics For All Reviews *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Latin Text Commentary Vocabulary
£18.04
Penguin Books Ltd The Erotic Poems
Book SynopsisThis collection of Ovid's poems deals with the whole spectrum of sexual desire, ranging from deeply emotional declarations of eternal devotion to flippant arguments for promiscuity. In the Amores, Ovid addresses himself in a series of elegies to Corinna, his beautiful, elusive mistress. The intimate and vulnerable nature of the poet revealed in these early poems vanishes in the notorious Art of Love, in which he provides a knowing and witty guide to sexual conquest - a work whose alleged obscenity led to Ovid's banishment from Rome in AD 8. This volume also includes the Cures for Love, with instructions on how to terminate a love affair, and On Facial Treatment for Ladies, an incomplete poem on the art of cosmetics.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 discipTable of ContentsThe Erotic PoemsList of AbbreviationsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe AmoresThe Art of LoveCures for LoveOn Facial Treatment for LadiesNotes and ReferencesSelect Reading List
£11.69
