ELT & Literary Studies Books

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".

Read more less

Book SynopsisXenophon’s epic march into the heart of Persia has stirred the imagination of free men for centuries. Possibly written from diaries compiled at the time, there is no doubt that The Persian Expedition is one of the best pictures we have of Greeks confronting the ‘barbarian’ world. We see the soldiers debate leaders and strategy in open assembly; we see them falling on their knees in superstitious fear; we see them planning a piratical colony on barbarian land. And at the same time we share the rigors of the march to Babylon, the dismay of unexpected defeat, the uncertainty of the long road home through wild Armenia, and the relief at last when the Ten Thousand reach ‘the sea, the sea!’.Table of ContentsThe Persian ExpeditionIntroductionTranslator's NoteMapBook I: The Attempt of Cyrus1. Cyrus Builds up His Army2. The March from Sardis to Tarsus3. Clearchus Deals with a Mutiny4. Through the Syrian Gates and Across the Euphrates5. The Arabian Desert. Quarrel Between Menon and Clearchus6. Cyrus Deals with a Traitor7. Cyrus Prepares for Battle, but the King Retreats8. The Battle of Cunaxa and Death of Cyrus9. The Character of Cyrus10. After the BattleBook II: The Greeks are Isolated1. The King's Messenger2. The Greeks Join Arieaeus3. The Greeks sign a Treaty with Tissaphernes4. The March Begins with Mutual Suspicion5. Tissaphernes' Treachery6. Characters of the Five GeneralsBook III: The March to Kurdestan1. Xenophon Takes the Initiative2. The Council of War3. The Greeks Suffer from Slings and Arrows4. Tissaphernes Still in Pursuit5. Between the Tigris and the MountainsBook IV: The March to the Sea1. The Entry into Kurdestan2. Fighting in the Mountains3. The Crossing into Armenia4. They Sack the Camp of Tiribazus5. Marching Through the Snow6. They Capture a Pass by a Manoeuvre7. The Greeks Catch Sight of the Sea8. They Arrive at TrapezusBook V: The March to Paphlagénia1. Chirisophus Goes to Get Ships2. A Plundering Expedition3. The Greeks Leave Trapezus, Xenophon's Estate in Later Years4. The Barbarous Mossynoeici5. Xenophon Speaks for the Army6. Xenophon Thinks of Founding a City7. Xenophon Defends Himself8. Xenophon Justifies Discipline in EmergencyBook VI: The March to the Bosporus1. Xenophon Refuses the Offer of the Supreme Command2. The Army Splits into Three3. Xenophon Rescues the Arcadians4. The Army Reunited. Difficulties About Provisions5. A Greek Victory6. Some Trouble with the SpartansBook VII: Byzantium, Thrace and Asia Minor1. Trouble at Byzantium2. Xenophon Negotiates with Seuthes3. The Greeks March with Seuthes4. Successful Fighting with Seuthes5. Trouble About the Pay6. Xenophon is Attacked and Defends Himself7. Xenophon Speaks to Seuthes8. Xenophon Leaves the ArmyGlossaryIndex

Read more less

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 PlaysPreface to the Second EditionIntroductionIonThe Women Of TroyHelenThe BacchaeNotes to IonNotes to HelenNotes to The Bacchae

Read more less

Book SynopsisAeneas the True - son of Venus and of a mortal father - escapes from Troy after it is sacked by the conquering Greeks. He undergoes many trials and adventures on a long sea journey, from a doomed love affair in Carthage with the tragic Queen Dido to a sojourn in the underworld. All the way, the hero is tormented by the meddling of the vengeful Juno, Queen of the Gods and a bitter enemy of Troy, but his mother and other gods protect Aeneas from despair and remind him of his ultimate destiny - to found the great city of Rome. Reflecting the Roman peoples'' great interest in the ''myth'' of their origins, Virgil (70-19 BC) made the story of Aeneas glow with a new light in his majestic epic.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAeschylus (525-c.456 bc) set his great trilogy in the immediate aftermath of the Fall of Troy, when King Agamemnon returns to Argos, a victor in war. Agamemnon depicts the hero''s discovery that his family has been destroyed by his wife''s infidelity and ends with his death at her callous hand. Clytemnestra''s crime is repaid in The Choephori when her outraged son Orestes kills both her and her lover. The Eumenides then follows Orestes as he is hounded to Athens by the Furies'' law of vengeance and depicts Athene replacing the bloody cycle of revenge with a system of civil justice. Written in the years after the Battle of Marathon, The Oresteian Trilogy affirmed the deliverance of democratic Athens not only from Persian conquest, but also from its own barbaric past.Table of ContentsThe Oreteian TrilogyIntroductionAgamemnonThe Choephori or The Libation-BearersThe EumenidesNotes to 'Agamemnon'Notes to 'The Choephori'Notes to 'The Eumenides'AppendixSelect BibliographyThe Pronunciation of Greek NamesGenealogical Table of the House of Atreus

Read more less

Book SynopsisCollecting the most incisive and influential writings of one of Rome''s finest orators, Cicero''s Selected Works is translated with an introduction by Michael Grant in Penguin Classics.Lawyer, philosopher, statesman and defender of Rome''s Republic, Cicero was a master of eloquence, and his pure literary and oratorical style and strict sense of morality have been a powerful influence on European literature and thought for over two thousand years in matters of politics, philosophy, and faith. This selection demonstrates the diversity of his writings, and includes letters to friends and statesmen on Roman life and politics; the vitriolic Second Philippic Against Antony; and his two most famous philosophical treatises, On Duties and On Old Age - a celebration of his own declining years. Written at a time of brutal political and social change, Cicero''s lucid ethical writings formed the foundation of the Western liberal tradition in political and moral thought that continues to this day.This translation by Michael Grant conveys the elegance of Cicero''s writings. His introduction describes their social and political background, while maps, genealogical charts, timelines and a glossary place the works in context.Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), Roman orator and statesman, was born at Arpinium to a wealthy local family. Having been educated in Rome, by 70 BC he had established himself as a leading barrister and was beginning a successful political career. Cicero received honours usually reserved only for the Roman aristocracy and was one of the greatest Roman orators.If you enjoyed Selected Works, you might like Suetonius'' The Twelve Caesars, also available in Penguin Classics.Table of ContentsIntroduction:1. Cicero against Tyranny by Jerome2. How to Live: Human Cooperation by Jerome3. Cicero as Writer and Speaker: Translator's Problems by Jerome4. The Fame of Cicero by JeromePart One: Against Tyranny1. Attack on Misgovernment: Against Verres, I2. Cicero's Life and Letters: Selection from his Correspondence3. Attack on an Enemy of Freedom: The Second Philippic against AntonyPart Two: How to Live4. A Practical Code of Behaviour: On Duties, III5. Cato the Elder on Old Age: On Old AgeAppendixesA. List of Surviving Works of CiceroB. Genealogical TablesC. Key to Technical TermsD. Maps: The Roman Empire, 51 B.C.; Central Italy; Greece and West of Asia Minor; Plan of RomeIndex of Personal Names

Read more less

Book SynopsisAeschylus (525–456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. In Prometheus Bound the defiant Titan Prometheus is brutally punished by Zeus for daring to improve the state of wretchedness and servitude in which mankind is kept. The Suppliants tells the story of the fifty daughters of Danaus who must flee to escape enforced marriages, while Seven Against Thebes shows the inexorable downfall of the last members of the cursed family of Oedipus. And The Persians, the only Greek tragedy to deal with events from recent Athenian history, depicts the aftermath of the defeat of Persia in the battle of Salamis, with a sympathetic portrayal of its disgraced King Xerxes. Philip Vellacott’s evocative translation is accompanied by an introduction, with individual discussions of the plays, and their sources in history and mythology.For more than seventy years, Penguin has beTable of ContentsPrometheus Bound and Other PlaysIntroductionPrometheus BoundThe SuppliantsSeven Against ThebesThe PersiansNotes

Read more less

Book SynopsisShort narrative poems, religious and secular lyrics, and moral, political, and comic verses are all included in this comprehensive collection of works from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.Table of ContentsForewordIntroductionPoems of the Nativity1. "I sing of a Maiden"2. "Bringing us bliss now"3. "Holy Mary, mother mild"4. "Lady, Lady, fair and bright"5. "Of a Rose, a lovely Rose"6. "Jesus, son most sweet and dear"7. "Let us gather hand in hand"8. "As I was lying down at night"Poems on the Passion9. "Upon a Holy Thursday, up rose Our Lord"10. "Now sinks the sun beneath the wood"11. "White was his naked breast"12. "Lovely tear from lovely eye"13. "You who created everything"14. "Man and woman, look on me!"15. "Look on your Lord, Man, hanging on the Rood"16. "Mother and Maiden, come and see!"17. "My folk, what have I done to you"Poems of Adoration18. "All other love is like the moon"19. A Goodly Orison to Our Lady20. "Holy Mary, Lady bright"21. "A maid of Christ made warm request"22. "Adam lay in bondage"23. "Love made firm in Christ"Poems of Sin and Death24. "Merry it is while summer lasts"25. "The life of this world"26. "When the turf is your tower"27. "Now that man is hale and whole"28. "When my eyes are fogged"29. "Long life, O Man, you hope to gain"30. The Ten Ages of Man31. "Hard it is to flit"32. "Ubi Sunt qui ante Nos Fuerunt?"33. "Holy Lady Mary, Mother, Maid"Miscellaneous Religious Poems34. The Ten Commandments35. The Covetous Man36. "No longer will I wicked be!"37. "Lord, you called to me"38. The Thrush and the Nightingale39. "The man who would the truth tell"40. "Though you be king of tower and town"41. "Pride is out and pride is in"42. "Blowing was made for sport and game"43. The Adulterous Falmouth SquireSelections from the Bestiary44. The Lion45. The Stag46. The WhaleMiscellaneous Secular Poems47. "I am from Ireland"48. "Maiden on the moor lay"49. "Of every kind of tree"50. "All night by the rose, rose"51. "I am Rose, alas for me"52. "Tell me, broom wizard, tell me"53. "Now blossoms the spray"54. "Love is soft and love is sweet"55. "I newly have a garden"56. "I have a little sister"57. "I have a noble cockerel"58. The Servant Girl's Holiday59. "Not long ago I met a clerk"60. "Brainy teacher, is it your"61. "Swarthy smoke-blackened smiths"62. "The Man in the Moon can stand or stride"63. "Lord who grants us life and looks upon us all"64. The Lion65. The Bear66. The DragonPolitical Poems67. Song of the Battle of Lewes, 126468. The Battle of Bannockburn, by Lawrence Minot69. On the Death of Edward III70. Patiene, or Jonah and the Whale71. PearlThe Harley LyricsReligious Poems72. "This middle-earth was made for man"73. "O God above us, grant my boon"74. "The tears of weeping wet my cheek"75. "O God, who does all deeds of might"76. "Winter rouses all my grief"77. "Now fade the rose and lily-flower"78. "Jesu, through your noble might"79. "With sadness in my song"80. "Mother, stand firm beneath the Rood!"81. "When I see blossoms thronging"82. "The heart of Man can hardly know" (i)Secular Poems83. "The heart of Man can hardly know"84. "Spring's about with love again"85. "Between March and April"86. "Through Ribblesdale I'd like to ride"87. "A beauty white as whale's bone"88. "I know of a beauty, a beryl most bright"89. "Love hurts me with its craving"90. "In Maytime in the merry dawn"91. "In April, when, as all can hear"92. "Riding in a wood unknown"93. "My death I love, my life I hate"94. Sir OrfeoTwo Comic Verse Tales95. Dame Siriz and the Weeping Bitch96. The Fox and the Wolf in the WellAppendix I: Provenance of the PoemsAppendix II: Further Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn The War with Hannibal, Livy (59 BC-AD 17) chronicles the events of the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, until the Battle of Zama in 202 BC. He vividly recreates the immense armies of Hannibal, complete with elephants, crossing the Alps; the panic as they approached the gates of Rome; and the decimation of the Roman army at the Battle of Lake Trasimene. Yet it is also the clash of personalities that fascinates Livy, from great debates in the Senate to the historic meeting between Scipio and Hannibal before the decisive battle. Livy never hesitates to introduce both intense drama and moral lessons into his work, and here he brings a turbulent episode in history powerfully to life.Table of ContentsThe War with Hannibal - Livy Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt and Edited with an Introduction by Betty RadiceIntroductionBook XXIBook XXIIBook XXIIIBook XXIVBook XXVBook XXVIBook XXVIIBook XXVIIIBook XXIXBook XXXMapsChronological IndexIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisBased on the legends used in Greek drama, Seneca's plays are notable for the exuberant ruthlessness with which disastrous events are foretold and then pursued to their tragic and often bloodthirsty ends. Thyestes depicts the menace of an ancestral curse hanging over two feuding brothers, while Phaedra portrays a woman tormented by fatal passion for her stepson. In The Trojan Women, the widowed Hecuba and Andromache await their fates at the hands of the conquering Greeks, and Oedipus follows the downfall of the royal House of Thebes. Octavia is a grim commentary on Nero's tyrannical rule and the execution of his wife, with Seneca himself appearing as an ineffective counsellor attempting to curb the atrocities of the emperor.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 throTable of ContentsSeneca: Four Tragedies And OctaviaIntroductionAcknowledgementThyestesPhaedra (or Hippolytus)The Trojan WomenOedipusOctaviaAppendix I. Elizabethan translations and imitationsAppendix II. Passages from Seneca's prose

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis compelling Icelandic history describes the life of King Harald Hardradi, from his battles across Europe and Russia to his final assault on England in 1066, less than three weeks before the invasion of William the Conqueror. It was a battle that led to his death and marked the end of an era in which Europe had been dominated by the threat of Scandinavian forces. Despite England's triumph, it also played a crucial part in fatally weakening the English army immediately prior to the Norman Conquest, changing the course of history. Taken from the Heimskringla—Snorri Sturluson's complete account of Norway from prehistoric times to 1177—this is a brilliantly human depiction of the turbulent life and savage death of the last great Norse warrior-king.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 thr

Read more less

Book Synopsis'What Pindar catches is the joy beyond ordinary emotions as it transcends and transforms them' —C. M. BowraArguably the greatest Greek lyric poet, Pindar (518-438 B.C.) was a controversial figure in fifth-century Greece—a conservative Boiotian aristocrat who studied in Athens and a writer on physical prowess whose interest in the Games was largely philosophical. Pindar's Epinician Odes—choral songs extolling victories in the Games at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea and Korinth—cover the whole spectrum of the Greek moral order, from earthly competition to fate and mythology. But in C. M. Bowra's clear translation his one central image stands out—the successful athlete transformed and transfigured by the power of the gods.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 througTable of ContentsThe OdesPrefaceIntroductionMain Events in the GamesPythian XPythian VIPythian XIIOlympian XIVPythian VIINemean IINemean VIsthmian VIIsthmian VIsthmian VIIIIsthmians III-IVOlympian XIOlympian INemean IOlympian IIIOlympian IIPythian IXPythian IIINemean IIIOlympian XNemean IVNemean IXOlympian VIOlympian XIIPythian I

Read more less

Book SynopsisAmid the corruption and power struggles of the collapse of the Roman Republic, Cicero (106-43BC) produced some of the most stirring and eloquent speeches in history. A statesman and lawyer, he was one of the only outsiders to penetrate the aristocratic circles that controlled the Roman state, and became renowned for his speaking to the Assembly, Senate and courtrooms. Whether fighting corruption, quashing the Catiline conspiracy, defending the poet Archias or railing against Mark Antony in the Philippics - the magnificent arguments in defence of liberty which led to his banishment and death - Cicero''s speeches are oratory masterpieces, vividly evocative of the cut and thrust of Roman political life.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 On the Command of Cnaeus Pompeius (In Support of the Manilian Law)2 Against Lucius Sergius Catilina (i-iv)3 In Defence of the poet Aulus Licinius Archias4 In Defence of Marcus Caelius Rufus5 In Defence of Titus Annius Milo6 In Support of Marcus Claudius Marcellus7 The First Philippic against Marcus AntoniusAppendixesA). Key to Technical TermsB). Further ReadingC). MapsIndex of Personal Names

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritten around the thirteenth century AD by Icelandic monks, the seven tales collected here offer a combination of pagan elements tightly woven into the pattern of Christian ethics. They take as their subjects figures who are heroic, but do not fit into the mould of traditional heroes. Some stories concern characters in Iceland - among them Hrafknel's Saga, in which a poor man's son is murdered by his powerful neighbour, and Thorstein the Staff-Struck, which describes an ageing warrior's struggle to settle into a peaceful rural community. Others focus on the adventures of Icelanders abroad, including the compelling Audun's Story, which depicts a farmhand's pilgrimage to Rome. These fascinating tales deal with powerful human emotions, suffering and dignity at a time of profound transition, when traditional ideals were gradually yielding to a more peaceful pastoral lifestyle.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literaTable of ContentsHrafnkel's SagaIntroductionNote on the Translation1. Hrafnkel's Saga2. Thorstein the Staff-Struck3. Ale-Hood4. Hreidar the Fool5. Halldor Snorrason6. Audun's Story7. Ivar's StoryList of Personal NamesMaps

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhereas the place for prejudice is a public meeting, a court of law is the adobe of truth.   Cicero was still in his twenties when he got Sextus Roscius off a charge of murdering his father and nearly sixty when he defended King Deiotarus, accused of trying to murder Caesar. In between (with, among others, his speeches for Cluentius and Rabirius), he built a reputation as the greatest orator of his time.   Cicero defended his practice partly on moral or compassionate grounds of human decency -  sentiments with which we today would agree. His clients generally went free. And in vindicating men - who sometimes did not deserve it - he left us a mass of detail about Roman life, law and history and, in two of the speeches, graphic pictures of the gun-law of small provincial towns.   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 ContentsMurder Trials IntroductionI. In Defence of Sextus Roscius of Ameria1. The Innocence of Sextus Roscius2. The Guilt of Magnus and Capito3. Chrysogonus: the Criminal behind the ScenesII. In Defence of Aulus Cluentius Habitus1. The Trial and Crimes of Oppianicus2. Previous Verdicts Quoted AGainst Cluentius3. The Innocence of CluentiusIII. In Defence of Gaius RabiriusIV. Note on the Speeches in Defence of Caelius and MiloV. In Defence of King DeiotarusAppendix A: List of TermsAppendix B: Genealogical TablesAppendix C: Table of DatesAppendix D: Further ReadingMapsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Roman dramatist Terence (c. 186-159 BC) adapted many of his comedies from Greek sources, rendering them suitable for audiences of his own time by introducing subtler characterization and more complex plots. In his romantic play, The Girl from Andros, Terence portrays a love affair saved by a startling discovery. The Self-Tormentor focusses on a man's remorse after sending his son to war, and The Eunuch depicts a case of mistaken identity. Phormio is as rich in intrigue as a French farce, while The Mother-in-Law shows two families striving to save a marriage and The Brothers contrasts strict and lenient upbringings. With their tight plots and spare dialogue, Terence gave his plays a sense of humanity that became a model in the Renaissance and greatly influenced Molière.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 reTable of ContentsThe ComediesPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe Girl From AndrosAndriaThe Self-TormentorHeauton TimorumenosThe EunuchEunuchusPhormioThe Mother-In-LawHecyraThe BrothersAdelhoeAppendix A: 'The Life of Terrence' by SuetoniusAppendix B: The Order and Dates of the PlaysSelect Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the Oresteia Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration. In Agamemnon, a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution; The Libation Bearers deals with the aftermath of Clytemnestra's regicide, as her son Orestes sets out to avenge his father's death; and in The Eumenides, Orestes is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased. Forming an elegant and subtle discourse on the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, The Oresteia is a compelling tragedy of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a societyTrade Review"Conveys more vividly and powerfully than any of the ten competitors I have consulted the eternal power of this masterpiece ... a triumph." —Bernard Levin "How satisfying to read at last a modern translation which is rooted in Greek feeling and Greek thought ... both the stature and the profound instinctive genius of Aeschylus are recognised." —Mary Renault, author of The King Must DieTable of ContentsThe Oresteia - Aeschylus ForewordAcknowledgmentsA Reading of "The Oresteia": The Serpent and the EagleAESCHYLUS: THE ORESTEIAAgamemnonThe Libation BearersThe EumenidesThe Geneaology of OrestesSelect BibliographyNotes:AgamemnonThe Libation BearersThe EumenidesGlossary

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Greek statesman Polybius (c.200118 BC) wrote his account of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire in order to help his fellow countrymen understand how their world came to be dominated by Rome. Opening with the Punic War in 264 BC, he vividly records the critical stages of Roman expansion: its campaigns throughout the Mediterranean, the temporary setbacks inflicted by Hannibal and the final destruction of Carthage. An active participant of the politics of his time as well as a friend of many prominent Roman citizens, Polybius drew on many eyewitness accounts in writing this cornerstone work of history.Table of ContentsThe Rise of the Roman EmpireList of MapsIntroductionTranslator's NoteBook I: Introduction; The First Punic WarBook II: Affairs in Spain; The Romans in Illyria; Affairs in Spain; Rome and the Gauls; Affiars in Spain; Events in Greece: the Achaean LeagueBook III: Introduction; The Second Punic War; The Second Illyrian War; The Second Punic War; The Second Illyrian War; The Second Punic WarBook IV: Affairs in Greece; Civil War in Cynaetha; Byzantium and the Black SeaBook V: Affairs in Egypt: The Death of Cleomenes; Affairs in Greece: Philip and the GreeksBook VI: From the Preface; On the Forms of States; On the Roman Constitution at Its Prime; The Roman Military System; The Roman Republic Compared with Others; ConclusionBook VII: Affairs in Sicily; Affairs in Greece: The Treaty between Hannibal and Philip of Macedon, The Character of PhilipBook VIII: Affairs in Sicily: The Siege of Syracuse; Affairs in Greece: Philip of Macedon; Macedon; Affairs in Italy: The Siege of TarentumBook IX: Introduction; Affairs in Italy: The Seige of Capua; On Generalship; The Character of HannibalBook X: The Character of Scipio; Affairs in Spain: The Capture of New Carthage, Scipio and the SpaniardsBook XI: Affairs in Italy: The Battle of the Metaurus; The Character of HannibalBook XII: Criticisms of Timaeus and His Approach to History: Errors on the Fauna of Africa and Corsica, Errors Concerning Sicily, Intentional and Unintentional Falsehoods, Timaeus on Callisthenes, Demoshares of Athens, Agathocles of Sicily, Timaeus' Criticisms of Other Writers, Timaeus on the Bull of Phalaris, Timaeus' Methods in Composing Speeches, Comparison of History and Medicine, Timaeus' Lack of Political and Military Experience and Unwillingness to Travel, The Causes of Timaeus' Faults and Qualities of the Good HistorianBook XIV: Affairs in Africa: Scipio's CampaignsBook XV: Affairs in Africa: The Final Campaign; The End of the Second Punic War; Affaris in Macedonia, Syria and Egypt; Affairs in Egypt: A Palace RevolutionBook XVIII: Affairs in Greece: Flamininus and Philip; On Treachery; On the Phalanx; Affairs in Greece" Flamininus and the Peace SettlementBook XXIV: Affairs in Greece: Philopoemen and AristaenusBook XXXI: Affairs in Rome and Syria: The Escape of Demetrius; Affairs in Italy: Aemilius Paullus, Scipio and PolybiusBook XXXVI: Affairs in Rome and Carthage: The Third Punic War; On Fate and ChanceBook XXXIX: From the EpilogueMapsChronological TableIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritten around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history. The only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, it tells of an era when the islands were still part of the Viking world, beginning with their conquest by the kings of Norway in the ninth century. The saga describes the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney and the adventures of great Norsemen such as Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy. Savagely powerful and poetic, this is a fascinating depiction of an age of brutal battles, murder, sorcery and bitter family feuds.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 prov

Read more less

Book SynopsisPliny''s Natural History is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century AD, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first water-clock, or the use of asses'' milk to remove wrinkles. Pliny himself died while investigating the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79, and the natural curiosity that brought about his death is also very much evident in the Natural History - a book that proved highly influential right up until the Renaissance and that his nephew, Pliny the younger, described ''as full of variety as nature itself''.Table of ContentsIntroductionFurther ReadingTranslator's NoteNatural HistoryPrefaceThe Universe and the WorldBook II. AstronomyBook III. Spain and ItalyBook IV. Europe and BritainBook V. The Continents of Africa and AsiaBook VI. The Black Sea, India, and the Far EastZoologyBook VII. ManBook VIII. Land AnimalsBook IX. Creatures of the SeaBook X. BirdsBook XI. InsectsBotanyBooks XII-XIII. TreesBook XIV. Vines and ViticultureBook XV. The Olive and Other Fruit-TreesBook XVI. Forest TreesBook XVIII. AgricultureMateria MedicaBook XX. Drugs Obtained from Garden PlantsBooks XI-XXII. Flowers and HerbsBook XXIII. The Vine and the WalnutBook XXIV. Drugs Obtained from Foreign TreesBook XXV. The Nature of Wild PlantsBook XXVI. Diseases and Their RemediesBook XXVII. More Plants Used in MedicineBook XXVIII. Drugs Obtained from Man; Magic and SuperstitionBook XXIX. Medicine, Doctors and Medical PracticeBook XXX. MagicBook XXXI. WaterBook XXXII. Fish and Aquatic CreaturesMining and MineralsBook XXXIII. Gold and SilverBook XXXIV. Copper and Bronze Sculpture, Tin, Lead and IronBook XXXV. Painting, Sculpture and ArchitectureBook XXXVI. Stones, Minerals and MonumentsBook XXXVII. Precious StonesKey to Place-NamesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisAfter the execution of Socrates in 399 BC, a number of his followers wrote dialogues featuring him as the protagonist and, in so doing, transformed the great philosopher into a legendary figure. Xenophon's portrait is the only one other than Plato's to survive, and while it offers a very personal interpretation of Socratic thought, it also reveals much about the man and his philosophical views. In 'Socrates' Defence' Xenophon defends his mentor against charges of arrogance made at his trial, while the 'Memoirs of Socrates' also starts with an impassioned plea for the rehabilitation of a wronged reputation. Along with 'The Estate-Manager', a practical economic treatise, and 'The Dinner-Party', a sparkling exploration of love, Xenophon's dialogues offer fascinating insights into the Socratic world and into the intellectual atmosphere and daily life of ancient Greece.Table of ContentsConversations of Socrates - Xenophon PrefaceIntroductionSocrates' DefenceIntroductionSocrates' DefenceMemoirs of SocratesIntroductionMemoirs of SocratesThe Dinner-PartyIntroductionThe Dinner-PartyThe Estate-ManagerIntroductionThe Estate-ManagerBibliographyIndex of Proper Names

Read more less

Book SynopsisA work of tremendous influence that has inspired writers from his ancient Greek contemporaries to modernist writers such as T.S. Eliot, Homer''s epic poem The Iliad is translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction and notes by Bernard Knox in Penguin Classics.One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer''s Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles'' close friend Patroclus, Achilles storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death. Interwoven with this tragic sequence of events are powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle, of the domestic world inside Troy''s besieged city of Ilium, and of the conflicts between the Gods on Olympus as they argue over the fate of mortals.Table of ContentsThe IliadTranslator's PrefaceIntroductionIntroductionThe Spelling and Pronunciation of Homeric NamesMaps1. Homeric Geography: Mainland Greece2. Homeric Geography: The Peloponnese3. Homeric Geography: The Aegean and Asia MinorInset: Troy and VicinityHomer: The IliadBook 1: The Rage of AchillesBook 2: The Great Gathering of ArmiesBook 3: Helen Reviews the ChampionsBook 4: The Truce Erupts in WarBook 5: Diomedes Fights the GodsBook 6: Hector Returns to TroyBook 7: Ajax Duels with HectorBook 8: The Tide of Battle TurnsBook 9: The Embassy to AchillesBook 10: Marauding Through the NightBook 11: Agamemnon's Day of GloryBook 12: The Trojans Storm the RampartBook 13: Battling for the ShipsBook 14: Hera Outflanks ZeusBook 15: The Achaean Armies at BayBook 16: Patroclus Fights and DiesBook 17: Menelaus' Finest HourBook 18: The Shield of AchillesBook 19: The Champion Arms for BattleBook 20: Olympian Gods in ArmsBook 21: Achilles Fights the RiverBook 22: The Death of HectorBook 23: Funeral Games for PatroclusBook 24: Achilles and PriamNotesThe Genealogy of the Royal House of TroyTextual Variants from the Oxford Classical TextNotes on the TranslationSuggestions for Further ReadingPronouncing Glossary

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe creature you have to deal with, Romans, is not just a villainous crook   Cicero (106-43BC) was a key figure in the Roman Republic and a witness to its dramatic collapse into a dictatorship. The seven works collected here expound his passionate belief in national harmony, fully demonstrating his formidable powers as an orator and writer. Delivered after the assassination of Julius Caesar when Mark Antony looked set to take over Rome, the Philippics are a brilliant attack on one-man rule that ultimately cost cicero his life. In Against Verres, he argues for the impeachment of a corrupt provincial governor, yet Cicero's principles were tested in For Murena and Far Balbus when he was forced to defend guilty men in order to maintain political stability. On the State and On Laws are treatises on the art of government, while the Brutus is masterly survey oratory, a Roman Statesman's most important skill.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading Table of Contents"Against Verres" (II,5): how not to govern a province; "For Murena" - when to sacrifice a principle; "For Balbus" - the admission of foreigners to citizenship; "On the state" (III) - the ideal form of government; (V,VI) the good statesman; "On Laws" (III) - how to run the ideal government; the "Brutus" - the importance of oratory; the "Philippics" (IV), V, X) - against rule by one man. Appendices some of the arguments used in "For Balbus"; minor orators mentioned in the "Brutus".

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiscusses works by great painters such as Delacroix and Ingres. This title features writings on Poe, Flaubert and Gautier.Table of ContentsThe Salon of 1845 (extracts); the Salon of 1846 (extracts); of virtuous plays and novels; the universal exhibition of 1855 - the fine arts (extracts); of the essence of laughter, and generally of the comic in the plastic arts; Edgar Allan Poe, his life and works; further notes on Edgar Poe; some French caricaturists; "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert; Theophile Gautier; the Salon of 1859 (extracts); Richard Wagner and "Tannhauser" in Paris; the life and work of Eugene Delacroix; the painter and modern life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Life of Henry Brulard is the autobiography of one of France''s greatest writers. In this book, written with such frankness that it remained unpublishable for more than a century after its composition, the author of The Charterhouse of Parma and The Red and the Black tells the story of his unhappy childhood in a stuffy provincial town and uncovers the roots of his rebellious and skeptical temperament. Stendhal conjures up the elusive presence of his beloved mother, who died when he was only seven, while castigating the smug complacency and social climbing of his father, and the cruelty of the aunt whose care blighted his early years. At the same time he recalls the sights, sounds, places, and people of his youth, its pleasures and sorrows, with an almost preternatural clarity and immediacy. A book of brilliant images and burning emotions, The Life of Henry Brulard, like Nabokov''s Speak, Memory, is not only a vivid literary memoir but an extraordinary work of the imagination.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the most powerful, perceptive and influential works of criticism in Western literary history In his near-contemporary account of classical Greek tragedy, Aristotle examines the dramatic elements of plot, character, language and spectacle that combine to produce pity and fear in the audience, and asks why we derive pleasure from this apparently painful process. Taking examples from the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, the Poetics introduced into literary criticism such central concepts as mimesis (''imitation''), hamartia (''error'') and katharsis (''purification''). Aristotle explains how the most effective tragedies rely on complication and resolution, recognition and reversals. The Poetics has informed thinking about drama ever since.Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Malcolm HeathTable of ContentsTranslated with an Introduction and Notes by Malcolm HeathIntroduction1. Human culture, poetry and the Poetics2. Imitation3. Aristotle's history of poetry4. The analysis of tragedy5. Plot: the basics6. Reversal and recognition7. The best kinds of tragic plot8. The pleasures of tragedy9. The other parts of tragedy10. Tragedy: miscellaneous aspects11. Epic12. Comedy13. Further reading14. Reference conventionsNotes to the IntroductionSynopsis of the PoeticsPOETICSNotes to the translation

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis anthology brings together core classical texts for understanding literature. The selections from Plato illustrate the poetic philosopher's surprising exclusion of poets from his ideal republic. In his response, Poetics, Aristotle draws on the works of the great Greek playwrights to defend the value of the art. Horace's The Art of Poetry is a vivid practitioner's guide that promotes a style of poetic craftsmanship rooted in wisdom, ethical insight, and decorum. Longinus's On the Sublime explores the nature of inspiration in poetry and prose. This volume is a work of great value and interest to classicists, students, and writers.In her Introduction, Penelope Murray compares and contrasts the viewpoints of these formidable critics as well as their impact on the Western tradition. This edition also includes a new bibliography and chronology and comprehensive notes to each of the texts.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Homer and the Early Greek Poets2. Aristophanes3. Gorgias and the Sophists4. Plato5. Aristotle6. The Alexandrians7. Horace8. Longinus9. EpilogueFurther ReadingLiterary ChronologyPlatoIonRepublic 2Republic 3Republic 10AristotlePoeticsHoraceThe Art of PoetryLonginusOn the SublimeNotes

Read more less

Book SynopsisOf all the ancient Greek tragedians, Euripides was the most sensitive to the lives of women and other outcasts in Athenian society, and Electra and Other Plays collects five plays demonstrating his talent for bringing to life their plight. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by John Davie with an introduction and notes by Richard Rutherford.Written during a period overshadowed by the fierce struggle for supremacy between Sparta and Euripides'' native Athens, these five plays are haunted by the shadow of war - and in particular its impact on women. In Electra the children of Agamemnon take bloody revenge on their mother for murdering their father after his return from Troy, and Suppliant Women depicts the grieving mothers of those killed in battle. The other plays deal with the aftermath of the Trojan War for the defeated survivors, as Andromache shows Hector''s widow as a trophy of war in the house of her Greek captor, and Hecabe portrays a defeated queen avenging the murder of her last-remaining son, while Trojan Women tells of the plight of the city''s women in the hands of their victors.John Davie''s compelling translations are accompanied by an introduction by Richard Rutherford describing the tragic genre and Euripides innovations, along with a chronology, prefaces to each play, notes, a bibliography and a glossary of names.Euripides (c.485-07 BC) was an Athenian born into a family of considerable rank. Disdaining the public duties expected of him, Euripides spent a life of quiet introspection, spending much of his life in a cave on Salamis. Late in life he voluntarily exiled himself to the court of Archelaus, King of Macedon, where he wrote The Bacchae, regarded by many as his greatest work. Euripides is thought to have written 92 plays, only 18 of which survive.If you enjoyed Electra and Other Plays, you might like Euripides'' Medea and Other Plays, also available in Penguin Classics.''The most intensely tragic of all the poets''AristotleTable of ContentsElectra and Other PlaysGeneral IntroductionNote on the TextChronological TableTranslator's NotePreface to AndromacheAndromachePreface to HecabeHecabePreface to Suppliant WomenSuppliant WomenPreface to ElectraElectraPreface to Trojan WomenTrojan WomenNotesBibliographyGlossary of Mythological and Geographical Names

Read more less

Book SynopsisA major writer and a leading figure in the public life of Rome, Seneca (c. 4BC-AD 65) ranks among the most eloquent and influential masters of Latin prose. This selection explores his thoughts on philosophy and the trials of life. In the Consolation to Helvia he strives to offer solace to his mother, following his exile in AD 41, while On the Shortness of Life and On Tranquillity of Mind are lucid and compelling explorations of Stoic thought. Witty and self-critical, the Letters - written to his young friend Lucilius - explore Seneca''s struggle to acquire philosophical wisdom. A fascinating insight into one of the greatest minds of Ancient Rome, these works inspired writers and thinkers including Montaigne, Rousseau, and Bacon, and continue to intrigue and enlighten.Table of ContentsDialogues and Letters - Seneca PrefaceIntroductionA Note on the TextFurther ReadingDialoguesConsolation to HelviaOn Tranquillity of MindOn the Shortness of LifeLettersLetter 24Letter 57Letter 79Letter 110from Natural Questions1. praef. 1-10 [Seneca urges Lucilius to enjoy the inspiration and benefits of philosophical study]4A.2.4-6 [The Cataracts of the Nile]6.1.4-7 [The terrors of earthquakes]NotesIndex

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisJuvenal's Satires create a fascinating (and immediately familiar) world of whores, fortune-tellers, boozy politicians, slick lawyers, shameless sycophants, ageing flirts and downtrodden teachersPerhaps more than any other writer, Juvenal (c. 55-138 AD) captures the splendour, the squalor and the sheer vibrant energy of everyday Roman life. A member of the traditional land-owning class which was rapidly seeing power slip into the hands of dynamic outsiders, he offers equally savage portraits of decadent aristocrats; women interested only in 'rough trade' like actors and gladiators; and the jumped-up sons of panders and auctioneers. He constantly compares the corruption of his own generation with their stern upright forebears. And he makes us feel from within the deep humiliation of having to dance attendance on rich but odious patrons.Green's celebrated translation is fully annotated and clarifies all references and allusions in the text, making iTable of ContentsPREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITIONINTRODUCTIONSATIRE ISATIRE IISATIRE IIISATIRE IVSATIRE VSATIRE VISATIRE VIISATIRE VIIISATIRE IXSATIRE XSATIRE XISATIRE XIISATIRE XIIISATIRE XIVSATIRE XVSATIRE XVINOTESABBREVIATIONSSELECT BIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisThese sagas recount fierce feuds in which honour is fought for, sacrifice is demanded, and blood is shed. The fate of the characters at the centre of each saga, however, is very different. Gisli is a traditional Viking-age hero who is determined to exact revenge at any cost and whose death is tragic when it comes. In contrast his nephew, Snorri, represents a new generation and acts to strengthen the new social order. Taken together these sagas reveal the richness and variety of the saga tradition.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.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLucretius'' poem On the Nature of Things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour he demonstrates to humanity that in death there is nothing to fear since the soul is mortal, and the world and everything in it is governed by the mechanical laws of nature and not by gods; and that by believing this men can live in peace of mind and happiness. He bases this on the atomic theory expounded by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, and continues with an examination of sensation, sex, cosmology, meteorology, and geology, all of these subjects made more attractive by the poetry with which he illustrates them.Trade ReviewOne of the most extraordinary classical translations of recent times -- Peter Stothard * Times Literary Supplement *A.E. Stallings's brilliant recent translation -- Eric Orrmsby * Wall Street Journal *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Satyricon is one of the most outrageous and strikingly modern works to have survived from the ancient world. Most likely written by an advisor of Nero, it recounts the adventures of Encolpius and his companions as they travel around Italy, encountering courtesans, priestesses, con men, brothel-keepers, pompous professors and, above all, Trimalchio, the nouveau riche millionaire whose debauched feasting and pretentious vulgarity make him one of the great comic characters in literature. Estimated to date from 63 - 65 AD, and only surviving in fragments, The Satyricon nevertheless offers an unmatched satirical portrait of the age of Nero, in all its excesses and chaos.Trade Review"This version by a translator who understands the high art of low humor is conspicuously funny." —Time"William Arrowsmith's translation of The Satyricon meets the two fundamental requirements of the translator's art: perfect fidelity to the original and a vitality of style that tempts the reader to believe that the English version is not a translation.… A classic of literature." —Allen Tate"Arrowsmith's brilliant translation … at one stroke renders every other version obsolete." —London Times Literary Supplement

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisA tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats - from the witch Circe who turns his men into pigs, to the twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis.Trade Review“[Robert Fitzgerald’s translation is] a masterpiece . . . An Odyssey worthy of the original.” –The Nation “[Fitzgerald’s Odyssey and Iliad] open up once more the unique greatness of Homer’s art at the level above the formula; yet at the same time they do not neglect the brilliant texture of Homeric verse at the level of the line and the phrase.” –The Yale Review “[In] Robert Fitzgerald’s translation . . . there is no anxious straining after mighty effects, but rather a constant readiness for what the occasion demands, a kind of Odyssean adequacy to the task in hand, and this line-by-line vigilance builds up into a completely credible imagined world.” –from the Introduction by Seamus Heaney

Read more less

Book SynopsisA collection of Greek fiction written between the first and fourth centuries AD'Callirhoe' is the stirring tale of star-crossed lovers Chaereas and Callirhoe, torn apart when she is kidnapped and sold as a slave, while 'Daphnis and Chloe' tells of a boy and girl abandoned at birth, who grow up to fall in love and battle pirates. Greek Fiction - also containing 'Letters of Chion', an early thriller about tyranny and a political assassination - is a fascinating glimpse into an alternative view of Ancient Greece's literary culture.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 translat

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn accessible prose translation that is accompanied by a general introduction and individual prefaces to each play.Table of ContentsMedea and Other PlaysGeneral IntroductionNote on the TextChronological TableTranslator's NotePreface to AlcestisAlcestisPreface to MedeaMedeaPreface to The Children of HeracleaThe Children of HeraclesPreface to HippolytusHippolytusNotesBibliographyGlossary of Mythological and Geographical Names

Read more less

Book Synopsis''The most truthful translation ever, conveying as many nuances and whispers as are possible from the original'' The TimesAfter a century of civil strife in Rome and Italy, Virgil wrote the Aeneid to honour the emperor Augustus by praising his legendary ancestor Aeneas. As a patriotic epic imitating Homer, the Aeneid also set out to provide Rome with a literature equal to that of Greece. It tells of Aeneas, survivor of the sack of Troy, and of his seven-year journey: to Carthage, where he falls tragically in love with Queen Dido; then to the underworld,; and finally to Italy, where he founds Rome. It is a story of defeat and exile, of love and war, hailed by Tennyson as ''the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man''.Translated with an Introduction by DAVID WESTTrade Review"Fitzgerald's is so decisively the best modern Aeneid that it is unthinkable that anyone will want to use any other version for a long time to come." —New York Review of Books"From the beginning to the end of this English poem ... the reader will find the same sure control of English rhythms, the same deft phrasing, and an energy which urges the eye onward." —The New Republic"A rendering that is both marvelously readable and scrupulously faithful.... Fitzgerald has managed, by a sensitive use of faintly archaic vocabulary and a keen ear for sound and rhythm, to suggest the solemnity and the movement of Virgil's poetry as no previous translator has done (including Dryden).... This is a sustained achievement of beauty and power." —Boston Globe

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Their icy blasts are refreshing and restorative. They tell you the worst. And having heard the worst, you feel less bad'' Blake MorrisonWritten in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. While the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers throughout the centuries.Translated with notes by MARTIN HAMMOND with an Introduction by DISKIN CLAYTrade ReviewMartin Hammond's translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, like his Iliad and Odyssey, is the work of an unusually gifted translator, and one who understands the value added by careful attention to supplementary material. He writes natural English, direct and often eloquent; the text is well supported by effective notes and a characteristically thorough and well-planned index; Diskin Clay supplies a useful introduction. This is a fine volume -- Malcolm Heath * Greece & Rome Journal *Marcus is well served by this new translation. Hammond has a pithy turn of phrase to match the emperor's own . . . His notes abound in helpful explanation and illuminating cross-reference. Diskin Clay contributes a sparkling and sympathetic introduction. The combination of introduction, translation and notes is as good as they get -- John Taylor * Journal of Classics Teaching *

Read more less

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.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPlutarch?s vivid and engaging portraits of the Spartans and their customs are a major source of our knowledge about the rise and fall of their remarkable Greek city-state between the sixth and third centuries BC. Through his Lives of Sparta?s leaders and his recording of memorable Spartan Sayings, he depicts a people who lived frugally and mastered their emotions in all aspects of life, who disposed of unhealthy babies in a deep chasm, introduced a gruelling regimen of military training for boys, and treated their serfs brutally. Rich in anecdote and detail, Plutarch?s writing brings to life the personalities and achievements of Sparta with unparalleled flair and humanity.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA unique treatise by a poet, written for poets, on the art of poetry The La Vita Nuova is elaborately and symbolically patterned, consisting of a selection of Dante's early poems, interspersed with his own prose commentary. The poems themselves tell the story of his love for Beatrice, from their first meeting at a May Day party in her father's house, through Dante's sufferings and his attempts to conceal the true object of his devotion by the use of 'screen-loves', to his overwhelming grief at her death, ending with the transformative vision of her in heaven. These are some of the richest love poems in literature and the movement from self-pitying lament to praise for the beloved's beauty and virtue, illustrate the elevating power of love. 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

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn AD 68, Nero's suicide marked the end of the first dynasty of imperial Rome. The following year was one of drama and danger, with four emperors—Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian—emerging in succession. Based on authoritative sources, The Histories vividly recounts the details of the long but single year of revolution that brought the Roman empire to the brink of collapse.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.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAeschylus (525-456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. The Persians, the only Greek tragedy to deal with events from recent Athenian history, depicts the final defeat of Persia in the battle of Salamis, through the eyes of the Persian court of King Xerxes, becoming a tragic lesson in tyranny. In Prometheus Bound, the defiant Titan Prometheus is brutally punished by Zeus for daring to improve the state of wretchedness and servitude in which mankind is kept. Seven Against Thebes shows the inexorable downfall of the last members of the cursed family of Oedipus, while The Suppliants relates the pursuit of the fifty daughters of Danaus by the fifty sons of Aegyptus, and their final rescue by a heroic king.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRich in drama and humour, the Early Socratic Dialogues include the controversial Ion, a debate on poetic inspiration; Laches, in which Socrates seeks to define bravery; and Euthydemus, which considers the relationship between philosophy and politics. Together, these dialogues provide a definitive portrait of the real Socrates and raise issues still keenly debated by philosophers, forming an incisive overview of Plato's philosophy.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.

Read more less