Folklore & Mythology

Filter
Set Descending Direction

47 Items

per page
View as List Grid
  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

     

    Learn More
  2. Alcestis, Medea, Hippolytus

    Euripides
    Translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien
    Introduction and Notes by Robin Mitchell-Boyask

    This new volume of three of Euripides' most celebrated plays offers graceful, economical, metrical translations that convey the wide range of effects of the playwright's verse, from the idiomatic speech of its dialogue to the high formality of its choral odes.

    "Many scholars translate the works of Euripides as they should be, but Diane Arnson Svarlien translates them as they are. . . . Arnson Svarlien shows admirable modesty and restraint in avoiding . . . pitfalls, and makes choices that reveal the meaning of the text she is translating with the least imposition of her own personality.  The ambiguity of Euripides is transmitted to us but not imposed on us by [her] translation. . . . The translations are both readable and playable." —Edmond Chibeau, New England Theatre Journal 

    Learn More
  3. Andromache, Hecuba, Trojan Women

    Euripides
    Translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien
    Introduction and Notes by Ruth Scodel

    Diane Arnson Svarlien’s translation of Euripides’ Andromache, Hecuba, and Trojan Women exhibits the same scholarly and poetic standards that have won praise for her Alcestis, Medea, Hippolytus. Ruth Scodel’s Introduction examines the cultural and political context in which Euripides wrote, and provides analysis of the themes, structure, and characters of the plays included. Her notes offer expert guidance to readers encountering these works for the first time.

    Includes the unabridged text of Diane Arnson Svarlien's Hecuba, a translation featured in Patrick Wang's critically acclaimed film, A Bread Factory.

    "Wang tracks a scene from a Bread Factory production of Hecuba from an uncertain rehearsal, to a breakthrough for its actors, to a searching discussion of the text and the characters, to a final performance so thrilling that I found myself wishing, while watching, that Wang would just shoot the whole play. Happily, he lets this Hecuba keep going." —Alan Scherstuhl, LA Weekly

    To see Patrick Wang's article "Hecuba: A Film Record" in Didaskalia, click here. To see clips from the Arnson Svarlien Hecuba featured in A Bread Factory, click here.

    Learn More
  4. Anthology of Classical Myth (Second Edition)

    Edited and Translated by Stephen M. Trzaskoma, R. Scott Smith, and Stephen Brunet, with an Appendix on Linear B Sources by Thomas G. Palaima

    This new edition of Anthology of Classical Myth offers selections from key Near Eastern texts—the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Epic of Creation (Enuma Elish), and Atrahasis; the Hittite Song of Emergence; and the flood story from the book of Genesis—thereby enabling students to explore the many similarities between ancient Greek and Mesopotamian mythology and enhancing its reputation as the best and most complete collection of its kind. Click here to see the full Table of Contents (PDF) for Anthology of Classical Myth (Second Edition).

    Learn More
  5. Antigone (Blondell Edition)

    Sophocles
    Translated, with Introduction and Essay, by Ruby Blondell

    "In her new translation of Antigone, Ruby Blondell demonstrates an unswerving sense of what the general reader needs to know in order not only to understand Sophocles, but to relish him as well… My own students have found that this edition not only makes the Antigone accessible, but also helps them understand why it continues to fascinate, to disturb, and to grip its readers century by century." —John T. Kirby, Comparative Literature, Purdue University

    Learn More
  6. Antigone (Woodruff Edition)

    Sophocles
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Paul Woodruff

    "A lucid, well-paced translation, natural enough sounding in the dialogue to make a good acting version, and remarkably successful in making the choruses clear, lyrical, and yet part of the dramatic movement. Woodruff’s rendering of the choruses especially impresses me by the way he manages to render complex syntax and imagery of the original—often tangled and occasionally obscure in its allusiveness—into clear and genuinely poetic English." —Joseph Russo, Haverford College

    Learn More
  7. Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae

    Apollodorus & Hyginus
    Translated, with Introduction, by Stephen M. Trzaskoma & R. Scott Smith

    "To refer to this volume as just a translation is misleading, because Smith and Trzaskoma have provided much more, most notably the best short introduction to ancient mythography—and these particular authors—available in English. . . . The translations themselves are clear and accurate.  [An] admirable volume.  Smith and Trzaskoma are to be commended."
         —Kris Fletcher, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

    Learn More
  8. Bacchae (Woodruff Edition)

    Euripides
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Paul Woodruff

    "[Woodruff’s translation] is clear, fluent, and vigorous, well thought out, readable and forceful. The rhythms are right, ever-present but not too insistent or obvious. It can be spoken instead of read and so is viable as an acting version; and it keeps the lines of the plot well focused. The Introduction offers a good survey of critical approaches. The notes at the foot of the page are suitably brief and nonintrusive and give basic information for the non-specialist."
         —Charles Segal, Harvard University

    Learn More
  9. 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

     

    Learn More
  10. 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

     

    Learn More
  11. Classical Mythology in Literature, Art, and Music

    Philip Mayerson

    Originally published in the 1960s, this standard illustrated work covers the gods and heroes of the Classical world, with special emphasis on the influence Classical mythology has had on literature, art and music in Western civilization.

    Learn More
  12. Electra

    Sophocles
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Hanna M. Roisman

    This is an English translation of Sophocles' tragedy of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother and step father for the murder of their father. This edition also includes an "afterlife" essay that discusses adaptations of the play, as well as touches on other ways Electra has had influence (Jung's identification of the Electra Complex, O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra). Focus Classical Library provides close translations with notes and essays to provide access to understanding Greek culture.

    Learn More
  13. Filial Piety and Its Divine Rewards

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Wilt L. Idema

    Of the many ballads, tales, and plays extolling filial piety (xiao)—the foundational virtue of imperial China—none was more popular in that era than the legend of Dong Yong and his heavenly helpmate, Weaving Maiden. Continually revised and embellished over a millennium, the tale's popularity remains, finding new expression in Chinese film and opera in the twentieth century. The five versions of the legend presented here, alongside a selection of related texts, illustrate changing perceptions of xiao from the tenth century through the first part of the twentieth in a variety of genres. An appendix traces the development of the related legend of Weaving Maiden and Buffalo Boy from myth to folktale.

    Learn More
  14. 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

    Learn More
  15. Heracles

    Euripides
    Edited by Michael Halleran

    Euripides' Heracles is an extraordinary play, innovative in its treatment of the myth, bold in its dramatic structure, and filled with affective human pathos. The play tells a tale of horror: Heracles, the greatest hero of the Greeks, is maddened by the gods to murder his wife and children. But this suffering and divine malevolence are leavened by the friendship between Heracles and Theseus, which allows the hero to survive this final and most painful labor. The Heracles raises profound questions about the gods and mortal values in a capricious and harsh world. 

    Learn More
  16. Homeric Hymns (Ruden Edition)

    Translated by Sarah Ruden
    Introduction and Notes by Sheila Murnaghan

    "Sarah Ruden's translation is clear, lean, intelligent, and delightfully readable. The notes provide guidance without encumbering the text. This will be marvelous for classroom use, for reading aloud, or simply for reading for pleasure."
         —Pamela Gordon, Department of Classics, University of Kansas

    Learn More
  17. 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

    Learn More
  18. Jackson Crawford Three-Book Boxed Set

    Translated and Edited, with Introductions, by Jackson Crawford

    Second (Nov. 2022) & final third (June 2023) printings -- NOW SHIPPING and available to order on the Hackett website for customers in the U.S. & Canada, while supplies last. The reprint copies are unnumbered, but otherwise identical to the first printing, including the bookplate in The Poetic Edda personally signed by Dr. Crawford.

    First printing (August 2022, 400 numbered copies worldwide -- SOLD OUT)

    Customers in the U.K. & Europe -- a limited number of reprint copies are available for sale from Gazelle Book Services

    Since the 2015 publication of The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes, Old Norse specialist Dr. Jackson Crawford has delighted readers with his English-language translations of Old Norse sagas and poems that tell the tales of Odin, Thor, Loki, dragon-slayer Sigurd, Brynhild the Valkyrie, Hrólf Kraki, and many more. This limited-edition set collects three of Dr. Crawford's Hackett Publishing books, The Poetic Edda (2015), The Saga of the Volsungs (2017), and Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes (2021) in a beautifully designed hand-crafted slipcase box. Each book in the set features smyth-sewn hardcover bindings with new custom artwork for the front covers. The Poetic Edda features a medallion of the wolf Fenrir, The Saga of the Volsungs a medallion of the dragon/serpent Fafnir, and Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes a medallion of a bear.

    Each volume in the set begins with a phrase hand-written by Dr. Crawford that best exemplifies the text to follow or Dr. Crawford's favorite passage from the book. The quotes in The Poetic Edda and Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes also contain the runic "originals." The Poetic Edda also includes a bookplate personally signed by Dr. Crawford and hand-tipped into the front of the book.

    Learn More
  19. Kalila and Dimna

    Nasrullah Munshi
    Translated from the Persian by Wheeler Thackston

    "This masterful translation of one of the most popular books of world literature makes available to an English readership the animal tales known collectively as Kalila and Dimna. Named after the two jackals of Pancatantra fame, this collection of stories is based on a 12th-century Persian translation of an 8th-century original Arabic rendition by Ibn al-Muqaffa‘. Set within a frame narrative of counsels given to the Raja of India by his Brahmin minister, the engaging tales about cats and mice, storks and crabs, tortoises and geese, owls and crows, and princes and ascetics, function as cautionary illustrations of human predicaments and all-too-human vices and virtues. Far from being a collection of children’s fables, Kalila and Dimna is a Machiavellian mirror for princes containing advice on how to preserve oneself from one’s enemies and get ahead at court and in life. The dialogues that constitute the bulk of the narrative harbor a dramatic immediacy, exerting a powerful effect even on a modern-day reader." —Maria Subtelny, University of Toronto

    Learn More
  20. Le Morte D'Arthur

    Sir Thomas Malory
    Condensed and modernized, with an Introduction, by Joseph Glaser

    "I've just finished reading Joseph Glaser's Le Morte D'Arthur. I'm very pleased with it: the introduction is helpful without becoming an extended essay, the suggested reading seems solid and diverse, and the index is VERY useful, even for someone who has read Malory before. At last, a reader can keep all the knights and ladies straight! A fine entry point to a grand text, and when I next have an occasion to teach a course involving chivalry, I'll plan to use this very affordable edition."  
          —Craig Caldwell, Department of History, Appalachian State University

    Learn More
  21. Le Morte Darthur: The Seventh & Eighth Tales

    Sir Thomas Malory
    Edited, with an Introduction and Commentary, by P. J. C. Field

     "P. J. C. Field, the world's preeminent Malory specialist, has wisely chosen to offer here Malory's seventh and eighth tales, recounting the decline and end of Camelot.  The authoritative text is accompanied by indispensable notes and preceded by a remarkably thorough and learned—but never obscure—Introduction sufficient to prepare students and other readers to profit fully from the texts. This book is ideal for those coming to Malory for the first time and a distinct pleasure for those who already know him well."
         —Norris J. Lacy, E. E. Sparks Professor of French and Medieval Studies, Penn State University

    Learn More
  22. Medea (Svarlien Edition)

    Euripides
    Translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien
    Introduction and Notes by Robin Mitchell-Boyask

    "This is the Medea we have been waiting for.  It offers clarity without banality, eloquence without pretension, meter without doggerel, accuracy without clumsiness.  No English Medea can ever be Euripides', but this is as close as anyone has come so far, and a good deal closer than I thought anyone would ever come.  Arnson-Svarlien has shown herself exceedingly skillful in making Euripides sound Euripidean." —David M. Schaps, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

    "Fluid, lively, and accurate!" —Amy Vail, Department of Classics, Baylor University

     

    Learn More
  23. 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

    Learn More
  24. 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

    Learn More
  25. Oedipus Tyrannus

    Sophocles
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff

    "A clear, vigorous, spare, actable translation, and with it, excellent apparatus (Intro., notes, bibliography); all in a slim and affordable volume. I will use when I next teach Oedipus. Hackett is an invaluable resource!” —Rachel Hadas, Rutgers University

    "I have enjoyed all of the recent Hackett editions of translations of Greek literature and "Oedipus Tyrannus” is certainly no exception. Meineck and Woodruff got things just right, from employing "Tyrannus” instead of "Rex” in the title (as has become traditional, though it lends an erroneous sense to the play from the outset) to Woodruff’s very fine and accessible Introduction to the suspenseful, poetic and powerful rendering of the play itself. Meineck’s theatrical sensibility and knowledge are evident, yet the text never becomes too "stagey” nor wanders far from the Greek. I will definitely use this text along with other terrific Hackett editions in my courses." —Lisa Rengs George, Arizona State University

    Learn More
  26. Oresteia

    Aeschylus
    Translated, with Notes, by Peter Meineck
    Introduction by Helene P. Foley

    “Peter Meineck’s new rendition of the Oresteia is that rare and wonderful thing: a text accessible to the Greekless audience while still preserving the vocabulary of Aeschylus. Those of us who have seen Peter Meineck's performances have long marveled at his ability to turn Greek into clear English, how he does not do ‘versions’ of the plays, how he does not rewrite the ancients into modern jargon (even his comedies maintain more Aristophanic text than is usual). Here lines that students have always needed explicated stand clear. . . . Helene Foley has provided a fine introduction for this translation. Introduction and translation together provide an exciting text, one that should be widely read, widely used.” —Karelisa Hartigan, University of Florida, in The Classical Outlook

    Learn More
  27. Philoctetes

    Sophocles
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff

    "Peter Meineck has given us a superbly vivid rendering of the play, informed throughout by his practical experience in the theater. His is a Philoctetes that is supremely alive, from start to finish. . . . [I]deal for classroom use. . . . accompanied by a new and thoughtful introduction from philosopher and classicist Paul Woodruff. Woodruff anchors the play in the complex web of fears and anxieties of 409 BCE, as both Sophocles' life and Athens' imperial heyday drew to a close. . . . [A]n exceptionally fine work of translation and scholarship that will go far toward demolishing dismissals of the play as inaccessible or unengaging for the modern reader. Sophocles, Meineck and Woodruff eloquently remind us, speaks to every age, not least our own."
         —Thomas R. Keith, Loyola University Chicago in CJ-Online

    Learn More
  28. Philoktetes

    Sophocles
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Seth L. Schein

    "Seth Schein's new translation of the Philoctetes will serve as a useful text for upper-year classical literature courses in translation. As is typical of the Focus Classical Library series, Schein's translation aims to give a faithful rendering of the Greek that is at the same time readable, if not poetic. It also situates the work in its historical context and generally provides the supplementary material required for readers new to Attic tragedy. . . . Given that it provides more contextual information and interpretive detail than the average translation, and that the translation itself strives for greater fidelity to the original, Schein's work will be most welcome in upper-year translation courses, where it will encourage students to develop a more detailed and subtle understanding of the play."
          —Brad Levett, Carleton University

    Learn More
  29. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    Translated, with notes, by Joseph Glaser
    Introduction by Christine Chism

    “A dazzling recreation of the most memorable Middle English poem, and one that captures the original alliterative verse in all its dimensions: sense, sound, and rhythm.”—Ad Putter, Professor of Medieval English Literature, University of Bristol

    "Nicely fills the gap between overly technical scholarly editions and too-simplified student editions. The translation and overview provide a solid introduction to the Middle English masterpiece and assures that future readers will be as willing as Glaser has been to devote the time and energy necessary to explore the poem's many facets. A worthy effort to bring the complex poem to modern students." —Ryan Naughton, Ohio University, in The Medieval Review

    Learn More
  30. Sophocles: Four Tragedies

    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff

    Meineck and Woodruff's new annotated translations of Sophocles' Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, and Philoctetes combine the same standards of accuracy, concision, clarity, and powerful speech that have so often made their Theban Plays a source of epiphany in the classroom and of understanding in the theatre.  Woodruff's Introduction offers a brisk and stimulating discussion of central themes in Sophoclean drama, the life of the playwright, staging issues, and each of the four featured plays.

    Learn More
  31. 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.

    Learn More
  32. 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

     

    Learn More
  33. 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.

    Learn More
  34. The Essential Metamorphoses

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

    The Essential Metamorphoses, Stanley Lombardo’s abridgment of his translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, preserves the epic frame of the poem as a whole while offering the best-known tales in a rendering remarkable for its clarity, wit, and vigor.  While making no pretense of offering an experience comparable to that of reading the whole of Ovid’s self-styled history “from the world’s first origins down to my own time,” this practical and judicious selection of myths at the heart of Roman mythology and literature yet manages to relate many of the most fascinating episodes in that world-historical march toward the Age of Augustus—and is accompanied by an Introduction that deftly sets them in their cosmological, theological, and Augustan contexts.

    Learn More
  35. 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.

    Learn More
  36. The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales

    Edited, with Introduction and Translations, by Jack Zipes

    "Jack Zipes is back with a massive, beautifully produced volume. It is basically an anthology of mostly translated texts, but with a thirty-seven-page presentation and illuminating introductions to each of the eighteen thematic sections. At the end, we get fifteen pages of short biographies of the collectors of the tales and a twenty-eight-page bibliography of collections, reference works, and criticism. . . . A master in his field has to be congratulated on yet another achievement." —Hans Kuhn, Australian National University, in Journal of Folklore Research

    Learn More
  37. The Golden Ass

    Apuleius
    Translated, with Introduction, by Joel C. Relihan

    "This is easily the best English translation of The Golden Ass. I find that undergraduates with little or no knowledge of classical literature or the Greco-Roman world can readily read and enjoy it—as accessible as Graves or Ruden, but much more true to Apuleius's text and sensibility. Relihan's introduction is a great distillation of scholarly commentary—superb in all aspects." —Robin Walz, University of Alaska Southeast

    "Relihan is an American Euphues. I like everything about this edition from the title page to the index. The translation is magnificent." —Stanley Lombardo, University of Kansas

    Learn More
  38. The Nibelungenlied: with The Klage

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

    "Whobrey's masterful translation of this pair of thirteenth-century texts brings the entire Middle High German story to life for contemporary English-speaking audiences. His Introduction and notes guide the reader’s understanding of the texts and provide an overview of scholarly approaches to them. Scholars will be particularly grateful to Whobrey for providing manuscript variants from the three oldest manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied, allowing modern readers access to medieval interpretations of the story for the first time in English, and showcasing the dynamic nature of medieval storytelling." Kathryn Starkey, Stanford University

    "To say that the translations of both works read well is an understatement. . . . A very significant contribution to medieval literary studies in general and an essential addendum to Nibelungenlied studies in particular. . . . Deserves—and is likely destined—to become the standard translation into English of both the Nibelungenlied and the Klage for decades to come." —Winder McConnell, Emeritus, University of California, Davis

    Learn More
  39. The Orestes Plays

    Euripides
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Cecelia Eaton Luschnig

    Featuring Cecelia Eaton Luschnig's annotated verse translations of Euripides' Electra, Iphigenia among the Tauri, and Orestes, this volume offers an ideal avenue for exploring the playwright's innovative treatment of both traditional and non-traditional stories concerning a central, fascinating member of the famous House of Atreus.

    Learn More
  40. The Poetic Edda

    Translated and Edited, with Introduction, by Jackson Crawford

    "The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a Modern English translation that would do them justice. Here it is at last (Odin be praised!) and well worth the wait. These amazing texts from a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological and literary importance, containing the lion's share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavians, their unique vision of the beginning and end of the world, etc. Jackson Crawford's modern versions of these poems are authoritative and fluent and often very gripping.  With their individual headnotes and complementary general introduction, they supply today's readers with most of what they need to know in order to understand and appreciate the beliefs, motivations, and values of the Vikings."  —Dick Ringler, Professor Emeritus of English and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

    Audiobook: An audiobook edition, narrated by Jackson Crawford, is also available from DownpourAudible, and other audiobook retailers.

    Learn More
  41. The Saga of the Volsungs

    Translated and Edited, with Introduction, by Jackson Crawford

    "This is a wonderfully supple and idiomatic modern translation of the most important account of the legendary Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer and his family in Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Crawford's version is vivid, clear, and exciting, tracing the intrigues, killings, battles, and magic that shape the lives of Sigurd’s kindred. Coupled with it is the brilliant sequel, the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. Rarely translated into English before, the saga tells of Sigurd's daughter and her husband, the unparalleled Viking king and hero, Ragnar, who is also a dragon-slayer. Lively and fresh, with gripping dialogue and intense scenes of action, the saga has long deserved to be better known. In Jackson Crawford it has found the perfect translator." —Carolyne Larrington, Professor of Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford

    Audiobook: An audiobook edition, narrated by Jackson Crawford, is available from Downpour, Audible, and other audiobook retailers. Learn more about the audiobook here.

    Learn More
  42. The Tale of Cupid and Psyche

    Apuleius
    Translated, with Introduction, by Joel C. Relihan

    "Joel Relihan's playful and exuberant translation of Apuleius' Golden Ass has already won admiration for its ability to give an English-reading audience some sense of what it's like to experience this often astonishing writer in the original Latin. By presenting The Tale of Cupid and Psyche with its narrative frame and by supplementing it with key passages from other writers, he here provides the reader with the materials needed for an informed and complex engagement with this text; his carefully nuanced 'Afterthoughts' enrich that process further. This volume will appeal to anyone with interests in myth, religion, and folklore, and will surely find its place in a wide range of courses."
         —James B. Rives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Learn More
  43. The Wanderer's Hávamál

    Translated and Edited, with Old Norse Text and Related Texts, by Jackson Crawford

    "Hávamál, ‘Words of the High One’—purportedly delivering the wisdom of Odin in his own voice—is one of the most important mythological poems of the Poetic Edda and simply the most important witness to early Norse cultural ethics. Jackson Crawford has now given us a clean text and a new facing-page translation in contemporary idiom. A highly trained linguist, Crawford has already published with Hackett a complete translation of the whole of the famous ancient anthology, the Poetic Edda, and acquired many fans for his YouTube videos teaching Old Norse. Crawford is a poet in his own right with a recognizably Western voice. A scholarly commentary on the whole poem is an accomplishment made palatable for the general reader by Crawford’s informal style. All in all, a fresh start on the mysteries of this classic." —Joseph Harris, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of English Literature and Professor of Folklore, Emeritus, Harvard University

    "Jackson Crawford offers his readers an excellent entry into the world of Hávamál, where the high-god Óðinn from the Old Norse Pantheon mediates some age-old wisdom to his audience. Crawford provides a clear translation that points directly into the original text itself, while his extensive commentary emphasizes its nuances and ambiguity, strips away popular notions of paganism, and draws attention instead to the poem’s universal down-to-earth attitude. The humorous and entertaining cowboy-version that Crawford offers at the end serves as a tribute to the wisdom of his own grandfather, a fitting epilogue that updates this ancient poem which the Christian people of Iceland assembled from oral tradition into a book in the thirteenth century." —Gísli Sigurðsson, Research Professor and Head of the Folklore Department, Árni Magnússon Institute, University of Iceland

    Learn More
  44. The White Snake and Her Son

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Wilt L. Idema

    "Both by introducing the legend in such artfully rendered translations and showing its evolution over time, Idema has opened an extraordinary window on traditional Chinese popular culture. In keeping with his record, Idema's scholarship is outstanding.  His ability to translate popular texts into comparably idiomatic English is an outstanding achievement. An extremely valuable text for teaching."
         —Hugh R. Clark, Ursinus College

    Learn More
  45. Theban Plays (Woodruff & Meineck Edition)

    Sophocles
    Translated by Paul Woodruff and Peter Meineck
    Introduction by Paul Woodruff

    This volume offers the fruits of Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff's dynamic collaboration on the plays of Sophocles' Theban cycle, presenting the translators' Oedipus Tyrannus (2000) along with Woodruff's Antigone (2001) and a muscular new Oedipus at Colonus by Meineck. Grippingly readable, all three translations combine fidelity to the Greek with concision, clarity, and powerful, hard-edged speech. Each play features foot-of-the-page notes, stage directions, and line numbers to the Greek. Woodruff's Introduction discusses the playwright, Athenian theatre and performance, the composition of the plays, and the plots and characters of each; it also offers thoughtful reflections on major critical interpretations of these plays.

    Learn More
  46. Theogony & Works and Days (Caldwell & Nelson Edition)

    Hesiod
    Translated, with Introductions, by Richard Caldwell and Stephanie Nelson

    This edition includes an annotated translation, by Richard Caldwell, of Hesiod’s Theogony together with annotated translation, by Stephanie Nelson, of Hesiod’s Works & Days. Introductions by the translators are also included, as is an essay by Caldwell entitled “The Psychology of the Succession Myth."

     

    Learn More
  47. Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes

    Translated and Edited, with Introduction, by Jackson Crawford

    Inherited through the line of the berserker Angantýr and his war-loving daughter Hervor, the ever-lethal, shining sword Tyrfing and its changes of hands frame the uncanny story of The Saga of Hervor and Heiđrek. A second heroic saga, Hrólf Kraki and His Champions, recounts the daring deeds of the members and entourage of the ancient Danish house of Skjoldung. Passed down orally in pre-Christian Norse times, transmitted in writing in medieval Iceland, and here wielded by the hand of Jackson Crawford, the tales told in this volume retain their sharp edges and flashes of glory that never fail to slay. 

    "Hervarar saga and Hrólfs saga kraka are among the best of the Icelandic mythical heroic sagas and are both highpoints of medieval literature. Jackson Crawford’s new translation is eminently readable and with its accompanying Introduction and notes will serve as an excellent introduction to this fascinating material." —M. J. Driscoll, Professor of Old Norse Philology, University of Copenhagen

    Learn More
Filter
Set Descending Direction

47 Items

per page
View as List Grid