City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval

Average Rating:

.The Metamorphoses: A New Verse Translation (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Ovid

January 29, 2004
Roman poet Ovid was born in central Italy in 43BC. In AD 8 he was exiled to the Black Sea by Emperor Augustus for reasons that have never been made clear. He died around Ad 17/18, never having returned to Rome despite constant petitioning.

Metamorphoses is his epic poem on change. It covers many metamorphoses, mostly humans being turned into animals, plants, birds etc by the gods. The most unlucky name seemed to be Cycnus as you are likely to be turned into a swan at some point! It shows how it never pays to scorn the gods as you will get turned into a spider, horse, stag to be hunted by your own hounds, raven etc... The other key transforming factor was grief. People weeping were liable to turn into birds or plants/trees mostly ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Metamorphoses: A New Verse Translation (Penguin Classics)

Used Price: £3.35

Average Rating:

.Poetics (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Aristotle

September 26, 1996
If you have an interest in writing, or in Literature, or even philosophy or psychology, then Aristotle's Poetics is a very good book for you to read: Aristotle had a burning desire to understand the drives and ambitions of human beings -- he yearned to understand the human world. In the book, Malcolm Heath explains (very well, I might add) the thoughts of Aristotle, concerning his understanding of the human necessity for expression. If you want to be a writer, or want to comprehend the roots of Literature, Poetics is a vital source of essential and fundamental information. Heath additionally refers to many of Aristotle's other notes in order to present an unbiased and comprehensive case. I very much recommend this book to anyone, especially those who ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Poetics (Penguin Classics)

Used Price: £3.98

Average Rating:

.The Annals of Imperial Rome (Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Cornelius Tacitus

July 26, 1973
This is a must for history students and buffs alike. In fact is is a great read full stop! Many books of this genre are dry but Tacitus takes you there and his commentary is both concise, and at times caustic and witty.
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Annals of Imperial Rome (Classics)

Used Price: £3.00

Average Rating:

.Republic (Oxford World's Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Plato

March 05, 1998
Certainly a must read for anyone interested in politics or philosophy. This is a cornerstone of western philosophy and deserves to be read far into the future. Relatively clear, easy to understand and a joy to read.

This Penguin Classics edition also has an excellent introduction (spanning more than 50 pages), and very useful translation notes. Each new chapter has a brief introduction explaning the main points and ideas running through the chapter. Given the price, this edition is a bargain.
>>See More Reviews & Details on Republic (Oxford World's Classics)

Used Price: £0.01

Average Rating:

.Egil's Saga (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Leifer Eiricksson

September 30, 2004
Certainly a must read for anyone interested in politics or philosophy. This is a cornerstone of western philosophy and deserves to be read far into the future. Relatively clear, easy to understand and a joy to read.

This Penguin Classics edition also has an excellent introduction (spanning more than 50 pages), and very useful translation notes. Each new chapter has a brief introduction explaning the main points and ideas running through the chapter. Given the price, this edition is a bargain.
>>See More Reviews & Details on Egil's Saga (Penguin Classics)

Used Price: £3.99

Average Rating:

.The Letters of Pliny the Younger (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Pliny the Younger

January 31, 1974
Many books have been penned about Ancient Rome. Some are well written and know what the're talking about - whilst others are long-winded and can bore you to tears in thirty seconds. Well, how about slicing through all that - and reading the words of a man who was actually there?

Pliny (the Younger) was a Roman nobleman born around 61AD. He served as a magistrate under the emperor Trajan, and was the nephew of Pliny (the Elder) the famous statesman and writer. It's refreshing to read the words of an actual Roman for a change instead of those of ancient or modern historians, and Pliny's letters cover many fascinating aspects of roman life. Also gratifying is that often we are also given the replies.

Among the topics covered are; family, ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Letters of Pliny the Younger (Penguin Classics)

Used Price: £1.85

Average Rating:

.The Golden Ass (Penguin Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Lucius Apuleius

May 28, 1998
When Apuleius wrote 'Give me your ear, reader: you will enjoy yourself', I don't expect that he thought people would still be enjoying his book centuries later. The story that he gave us has inspired Shakespeare, Boccaccio and Cervantes, amongst countless others.

This story of a man becoming magically transformed into an ass by accident is full of comedy, from slapstick through to satire. Full of incidents with stories in the story, Apuleius takes us through bawdiness to thriller. We hear of sex, fron hetero to gay, to bestiality. We hear of crime from robbery and kidnap, to murder. What we are have is a book that revels exuberantly in life.

Kenney's excellent and lively translation gives to us a book that is like a just published ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Golden Ass (Penguin Classics)

Used Price: £4.99

Average Rating:

.The Odyssey (Wordsworth Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Homer, Adam Roberts

May 01, 1992
I started reading this book already knowing the outline of Odessus's voyge back home after the battle of Troy through film, articles and reading a condensed version of the tale. I'm very glad I do have some fore-knowledge of the story as some parts of the book are quite ambiguous and confusing. The rich narrative of the text sometimes bogs the action down and it is quite easy to forget what exactly is happening.
The action though, when it comes, is exciting and often quite blood thirsty. The plot devices are also ingenious and completly ruthless in some cases- Odyssus is the only one of his party to arrive home after all his soldiers meet grusome deaths at the hands of his mortal enemies.
Possibly one of the most interesting things about the story is ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Odyssey (Wordsworth Classics)

Used Price: £0.01

Average Rating:

.Aesop - The Complete Fables
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Aesop

January 29, 1998
I started reading this book already knowing the outline of Odessus's voyge back home after the battle of Troy through film, articles and reading a condensed version of the tale. I'm very glad I do have some fore-knowledge of the story as some parts of the book are quite ambiguous and confusing. The rich narrative of the text sometimes bogs the action down and it is quite easy to forget what exactly is happening.
The action though, when it comes, is exciting and often quite blood thirsty. The plot devices are also ingenious and completly ruthless in some cases- Odyssus is the only one of his party to arrive home after all his soldiers meet grusome deaths at the hands of his mortal enemies.
Possibly one of the most interesting things about the story is ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Aesop - The Complete Fables

Used Price: £0.93

Average Rating:

.Old and Middle English C.890-c.1400: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies)
City Travel Guides > Books > Classical- Early and Medieval
by: Elaine M. Treharne

December 16, 2003
I started reading this book already knowing the outline of Odessus's voyge back home after the battle of Troy through film, articles and reading a condensed version of the tale. I'm very glad I do have some fore-knowledge of the story as some parts of the book are quite ambiguous and confusing. The rich narrative of the text sometimes bogs the action down and it is quite easy to forget what exactly is happening.
The action though, when it comes, is exciting and often quite blood thirsty. The plot devices are also ingenious and completly ruthless in some cases- Odyssus is the only one of his party to arrive home after all his soldiers meet grusome deaths at the hands of his mortal enemies.
Possibly one of the most interesting things about the story is ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Old and Middle English C.890-c.1400: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies)

Used Price: £20.99