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  1. Aeneid (Lombardo Edition)

    Virgil
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by W. R. Johnson

    "Crisp, idiomatic, and precise, this is a translation for our era. The list of further reading, grounded in the writings of W.R. Johnson (who also wrote the Introduction) and Michael C. J. Putnam, suggests the context that informs the translation: here, as the translator says in the Preface, you will find an Aeneid that works more in the shadows than in the light. . . . This translation would be excellent for classroom use: not only would it incite fascinating discussions about issues of war and empire, but it also reads well aloud. . . . Together with Johnson's Introduction, this volume offers the Aeneid in terms that will resonate strongly with the general reader of today." —Sarah Spence, New England Classical Journal 

    "Adapting words of the ancient critic Longinus, [Lombardo] refers to the intense light of noon of the Iliad, the magical glow of the setting sun in the Odyssey, and the chiaroscuro of the Aeneid, a darkness visible. This latter phrase is the title of a famous interpretation of the Aeneid by W. R. Johnson, who contributes a splendid essay to the translation. Whether recited or read, the present volume stands as another fine performance on Lombardo's part. Summing up: Highly recommended." 
    —C. Fantazzi, CHOICE

    "Lombardo...tends to let Virgil be Virgil, and so avoids imposing unwarranted interpretation on the unwary reader. . . . [W.R. Johnson's] introduction is masterful and illuminating." —Hayden Pelliccia, The New York Review of Books

     

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  2. Beowulf

    Translated, with an Introduction, by Dick Ringler

    "Ringler has produced a really good translation of the poem, free of Seamus Heaney's quirks and Irishisms, keeping the rhythm and alliteration, and retaining a simplicity which demonstrates how otiose film effects are when the poem is both powerful and moving. The translation is accompanied by a marvelously straightforward introduction, eschewing all modish modern criticism and thus a useful corrective for those student-readers confused by the liberties taken by [Robert Zemeckis'] Beowulf and its writers. Tolkien would have been pleased by Ringler's version." —Carolyne Larrington, The Times Literary Supplement

    "Although an audience of enamored nonspecialists embraced Heaney's version . . . other scholars gave only grudging respect to the poet whose 'Heaneywulf' often seemed to represent an Anglo-Saxon world re-created in the Irish poet's own image. Since 2002 new and revised translations have come and gone, none attracting as much attention as Heaney's. That should change with Ringler's new translation, and not just because scholars such as Tom Shippey, Frederick Rebsamen, and John Niles vouch for it. The proof is in the reading, whether one does so silently or aloud. In his comprehensive, insightful introduction and rhythmic replication of Old English poetry, Ringler offers the specialist what Heaney did not; this is a performative translation that re-creates the world of Beowulf as accurately as may be possible. Accessible and exciting for specialist and nonspecialist alike, this is the edition professors should be using to introduce the venerable poem to a new audience. Summing up: Essential."  —A.P. Church, CHOICE

     

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  3. Bhagavad Gita

    A New Verse Translation by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction and Afterword by Richard H. Davis

    Stanley Lombardo's new verse translation of the most famous free-standing sequence from the great Indian epic The Mahabharata hews closely to the meaning, verse structure, and performative quality of the original and is invigorated by its judicious incorporation of key Sanskrit terms in transliteration, for which a glossary is also provided The translation is accompanied by Richard H. Davis' brilliant Introduction and Afterword. The latter, "Krishna on Modern Fields of Battle," offers a fascinating look at the illuminating role the poem has played in the lives and struggles of a few of the most accomplished figures in recent world history.

    "Lucid, detailed, and erupting with fearsome visions, the Bhagavad Gita has baffled English-language translators for 250 years. Stanley Lombardo is the first to recognize that at its root the Sanskrit Gita was oral performance. Beyond word and meaning, past nuance or doctrine, Lombardo restores the archaic tradition of voice and conch shell. When you read this edition aloud the hair on your neck will stand up. Add a drum and it’s a performance. A grand old culture comes to life. Both essays by Richard Davis are superb, placing the Gita in historical context, back then, and more recently." —Andrew Schelling, Naropa University

     

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  4. Civil War

    Lucan
    Translated by Brian Walters
    Introduction by W.R. Johnson

    "Brian Walters has given us what too few translators of classical poetry do—an authorial presence. Here is Lucan himself in all his drastic modes—everything from his enraged indignation to his paradoxical aphorisms—recreating the ruptured Neronian world he lived in as he recounts the nefarious civil war that destroyed the Roman Republic."
         —Stanley Lombardo, University of Kansas

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  5. Gilgamesh

    A New Verse Rendering by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Gary Beckman

    This stirring new version of the great Babylonian epic includes material from the recently discovered “monkey tablet” as well as an Introduction, timeline, glossary, and correspondences between lines of the translation and those of the original texts.

    "A comprehensive Introduction with a light touch (Beckman), a poetic rendering with verve and moxie (Lombardo): This edition of the colossal Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic should satisfy all readers who seek to plumb its wealth and depth without stumbling over its many inconvenient gaps and cruxes. A fine gift to all lovers of great literature." —Jack M. Sasson, Emeritus Professor, Vanderbilt University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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  6. Iliad

    Homer
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan

    "Gripping. . . . Lombardo's achievement is all the more striking when you consider the difficulties of his task. . . . [He] manages to be respectful of Homer's dire spirit while providing on nearly every page some wonderfully fresh refashioning of his Greek. The result is a vivid and disarmingly hardbitten reworking of a great classic." —Daniel Mendelsohn, The New York Times Book Review

    "It is hard to overstate the attractions of this translation. In a rhythm sinewy and flexible, with language that is precise, lyrical and fresh, Lombardo's Iliad pulses with all the power and luminosity of the Greek. He shows extraordinary sensitivity to the images and aural effects of the ancient poem. There are brilliant touches on every page. . . . Altogether this is as good as Homer gets in English." —Richard P. Martin, Princeton University

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  7. Inferno (Lombardo Edition)

    Dante
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Steven Botterill
    Notes by Anthony Oldcorn

    "This new Inferno is very quickly going to become a favorite. The translation itself is unusually dynamic and returns to the poem a register of daily speech that increases clarity and energy. It never loses sight of the fact that the Inferno tells an intensely involving story. This volume also offers real help to the novice reader. The synopsis printed at the beginning of each canto; the detailed commentary on each canto, at the end of the book; and, most importantly, a really excellent Introduction—all these give the reader constant and multileveled guides to the journey."
         —F. Regina Psaki, The Giustina Family Professor of Italian Language and Literature, University of Oregon

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  8. Inferno (Simone Edition)

    Dante
    Translated and Illustrated, with Notes and an Introductory Essay, by Tom Simone

    "Tom Simone's translation is simply superb. Of all the translations with which I am familiar, this is the one that is the most faithful to what's there in the Italian: no frills, no poetic sallies, no choosing a word because it brings the line closer to iambic pentameter—just unadulterated Dante with good old Anglo-Saxon words and in highly readable prose."
        —Peter Kalkavage, St. John's University

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  9. Metamorphoses (Lombardo Edition)

    Ovid
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by W. R. Johnson

    "Stanley Lombardo successfully matches Ovid’s human drama, imaginative brio, and irresistible momentum; and Ralph Johnson’s superb Introduction to Ovid's 'narratological paradise' is a bonus to this new and vigorous translation that should not be missed. Together, Introduction and text bring out the delightful unpredictability of Ovid’s 'history of the world' down to his times."
         —Elaine Fantham, Giger Professor of Latin, Emerita, Princeton University

    "Lombardo’s translation is the most readable I’ve seen. . . . Its language is modern, accessible, and unpretentious. . . . I can imagine reading all the way through this version with students. I also admire the catalog of transformations . . . and, as usual, an Introduction by Ralph Johnson is worth the price of the book." —Margaret Musgrove, University of Central Oklahoma

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  10. Odyssey

    Homer
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan

    "[Lombardo] has brought his laconic wit and love of the ribald. . . . to his version of the Odyssey. His carefully honed syntax gives the narrative energy and a whirlwind pace. The lines, rhythmic and clipped, have the tautness and force of Odysseus' bow." —Chris Hedges, The New York Times Book Review

    "The definitive English version of Homer for our time." —The Common Review: The Magazine of the Great Books Foundation

    "Lombardo weaves his cherished idioms into important patterns of repetition and transformation so familiar to the telling of the Odyssey. . . . Above all, such familiar phrases serve to remind us of the oral character of the original Odyssey, providing the reader with an uncanny immediacy and relevance." —Christina Zwarg, The Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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  11. Paradiso (Lombardo Edition)

    Dante
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction, Notes, and Headnotes, by Alison Cornish

    "This translation and commentary are an essential contribution to Dante's reception in English. Stanley Lombardo's translation is accurate, elegant, and transparent, a mirror of the original text. Alison Cornish's commentary is lucid, graceful, and precise, with just the right level of detail; it penetrates and opens the Paradiso's philosophical, scientific, and theological dimensions with authority, balance, sensitivity, and simplicity. Perhaps now more readers will follow Dante to Paradise." —Christian Moevs, Associate Professor of Italian, University of Notre Dame

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  12. Paradiso (Simone Edition)

    Dante
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Tom Simone

    "The Paradiso concludes Simone's excellent translation of Dante's Commedia. Consistent with the previous two volumes, the translation is accurate and graceful, and Simone’s introductions and apparatus provide a helpful entrée to the text, especially for first-time readers who are one of its primary audiences." —William Stephany, Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont

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  13. Purgatorio (Lombardo Edition)

    Dante
    Translated by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Claire E. Honess and Matthew Treherne
    Notes and Headnotes by Ruth Chester

    "Fresh, lively, and reliable, Stanley Lombardo's Purgatorio easily earns its place in the great tradition of English-language renderings of Dante. Excellent introductory material and footnotes help to make this a version that will appeal to scholars, students, and general readers alike." —Steven Botterill, Associate Professor of Italian Studies, University of California, Berkeley

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  14. Purgatorio (Simone Edition)

    Dante
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Tom Simone

    Designed to provide the modern student with access to this important work, Tom Simone's Purgatorio translation offers a text that is as close to Dante's meter and style as possible using modern English. It provides students with a feel for the structure and impact of the original, and it could also provide an easy segue to the original Italian. Also included is an extensive introduction, ample footnotes for references that may not be clear to the reader, and each Canto is preceded by a prose overview of the poetry.

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  15. Sunjata

    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by David Conrad
    From a Performance by Djanka Tassey Condé

    "Thanks to his careful editing and translating of Condé's narrative, Conrad offers a highly readable version of the epic that is about a third of its original length. The translation communicates not only the poetic qualities and the essential events of the Sunjata legend but also the master bard's performance values. Thus, this rendering will fascinate those who already know the story and culture and those coming to the epic for the first time. Conrad provides an excellent introduction to Mande oral tradition, the role of the griot, and the Manding belief system. Though he makes no claim for this as the complete scholarly edition, he does provide helpful scholarly notes, a glossary, and a good bibliography. . . . Summing up: Highly recommended." —L. W. Yoder, CHOICE

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  16. Sunjata: A New Prose Version

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by David C. Conrad

    "After existing orally for hundreds of years, Sunjata was written down in the twentieth century. David Conrad, who recorded a new version of the epic, has now crafted a prose translation that preserves the oral flavor of live performance. The result is a captivating work of literature that will finally give the story of Sunjata its well-deserved place among the great epics of world literature."
         —Martin Puchner, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature, Harvard University

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  17. The Epic of The Cid

    Translated and Edited, with an Introduction, by Michael Harney

    "Harney’s translation and literary panorama will become a standard reference for students and scholars throughout the English-speaking world for decades to come. Harney’s profound knowledge of the cultural and creative ferment that surrounded the birth of this masterpiece is unchallenged. . . . The complementary medieval texts that Harney assembles—all the bright fragments that make up this mosaic of a ferocious warrior, clan chieftain, family man, and hero—have never before been brought together in one place with reliable translations from the Arabic, Latin, and Spanish."  —George Greenia, College of William & Mary

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  18. The Essential Aeneid

    Virgil
    Translated and Abridged by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by W. R. Johnson

    Stanley Lombardo's deft abridgment of his 2005 translation of the Aeneid preserves the arc and weight of Virgil's epic by presenting major books in their entirety and abridged books in extended passages seamlessly fitted together with narrative bridges. W. R. Johnson's Introduction, a shortened version of his masterly Introduction to that translation, will be welcomed by both beginning and seasoned students of the Aeneid, and by students of Roman history, classical mythology, and Western civilization.

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  19. The Essential Homer

    Homer
    Translated and Edited by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan

    "Not only does one get an excellent translation of both Homer's Iliad and Odyssey under one cover, but the selections included are infinitely better and longer than what one normally gets in anthologies of Greek literature. For courses in which entire texts cannot be used, this is by far the best choice available today." —Kostas Myrsiades, Westchester University

    "A good idea—its utility far outweighs qualms purists have about students not reading every last item in the catalogue of ships. The translation is vigorous and readable." —Andrew Ford, Princeton University

     

     

    "The Essential Homer fills a long-felt need for an edition that offers a sizable selection of the books and passages most likely to be used in undergraduate courses. It's a wonderful help." —Richard P. Martin, Stanford University

     

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  20. The Essential Iliad

    Homer
    Translated and Abridged by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan

    While preserving the basic narrative of the Iliad, this selection also highlights the epic's high poetic moments and essential mythological content, and will prove especially useful in surveys of world literature.

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  21. The Essential Odyssey

    Homer
    Translated and Edited by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan

    This generous abridgment of Stanley Lombardo’s translation of the Odyssey offers more than half of the epic, including all of its best-known episodes and finest poetry, while providing concise summaries for omitted books and passages. Sheila Murnaghan’s Introduction, a shortened version of her essay for the unabridged edition, is ideal for readers new to this remarkable tale of the homecoming of Odysseus.

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  22. The Song of Roland

    Translated by John DuVal
    Introduced by David Staines

    "The true poetry of the most well-known French epic springs vividly to life here in an entirely new way. DuVal's unique translation captures the meter and assonance of the original at the same time that it conveys the breathless pace, as simple as it is complex, of one of the most moving tales of all time. One can hear—and feel—the singer of tales speaking to us today. I cannot wait to teach this text in the classroom." —Jody Enders, University of California, Santa Barbara

    "This translation is a substantial improvement over what is otherwise available. . . . The editorial remarks provide a healthy perspective on the religious chauvinism of the poem. . . . I appreciate having the Old French version included. The narrative is clear and engaging and it effectively captures the fast-paced intensity of the original." —Linda Marie Zaerr, Boise State University 

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  23. Tristan and Isolde: with Ulrich von Türheim’s Continuation

    Gottfried von Strassburg
    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by William T. Whobrey

    "William T. Whobrey conducts Gottfried von Strassburg’s great medieval epic into the twenty-first century. The reader will come for the elegant translation and stay for the scholarship." Alexander Sager, University of Georgia

    "I believe this fluent, accurate, readable translation of Tristan and Isolde will become the standard English edition of Gottfried’s literary masterpiece. Wisely choosing not to recreate the end rhyme of the original, Whobrey has created a text that stays true to the original Middle High German while rendering it into modern English prose. The inclusion of Ulrich von Türheim's Continuation is a great strength of this book. For the first time, English speakers will be able to read Gottfried's work in tandem with Ulrich's and explore—via Whobrey’s discussion of Ulrich's sources—the rich Tristan literary tradition in the Middle Ages and the ways in which Gottfried’s achievement resonated well after his death. The footnotes provide helpful cultural, historical, and interpretive information, and Whobrey's Introduction offers a nice overview of Gottfried's biography, a discussion of Gottfried's important literary excursus, his place within the literature and genres of his time, and the source material for his Tristan. Particularly useful is Whobrey's discussion of the intricate and masterful structure of Gottfried’s text." Scott Pincikowski, Hood College

     

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