Penguin Classics are always a good buy. The price is right,
the material is well presented, the books are durably made and
the size of their catalogue is staggering. Good books! Good buys!
Who could ask for more?
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Timaeus and Critias by Plato translated by Desmond Lee Timaeus introduces the idea of a creator God and speculates on the structure and composition of the physical world. Critias, the second part of Plato’s dialogue, comprises an account of the rise and fall of Atlantis, an ancient, mighty and prosperous empire ruled by the descendants of Poseidon, which ultimately sank into the sea. |
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Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander translated by Aubrey De Selincourt Revised with a new introduction and notes by J. R. Hamilton |
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The Age of Alexander Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert and G. T. Griffith
Order The Age of Alexander Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch from Amazon.com |
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The Ancient Greeks by Moses I. Finley Paperback: 224 pages - Penguin (Non-Classics) (March 3, 1987) |
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The Bacchae and Other Plays by Euripides translated by Philip Vellacott Including: Ion, The Women of Troy, Helen and The Bacchae. Order The Bacchae and Other Plays by Euripides from Amazon.com |
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Electra and Other Plays by Sophocles translated by E. F. Watling Including: Ajax, Electra, Women of Trachis and Philoctetes. |
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Euripides: 10 Plays translated by Paul Roche Including: Alcestis, Hippolytus, Iphigenia in Aulis, Iphigenia Among the Taurians, Media and others. |
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The Histories of Herodotus translated by Aubrey De Selincourt with an introduction and Notes by John M. Marincola
Histories deals primarily with the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BCE but has many observations and stories garnered from Herodotus’ travels. Some of his accounts are laughably inaccurate but, all in all, Histories is a priceless glimpse into the lives of the ancient Greeks. |
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Thucydides: The History of the Peloponnesian War translated by Rex Warner with an introduction by M. I. Finley
A first hand account of the Peloponnesian War from its beginning in 431 BCE until Thucydides’ death four years before the war ended. Order Thucydides: The History of the Peloponnesian War from Amazon.com |
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The Iliad of Homer translated by Robert Fagles with an Introduction and Notes by Bernard Knox This timeless poem (more than 2,700 year old) still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amid devastation and destruction as it moves inexorably to its wrenching, tragic conclusion. |
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The Odyssey of Homer translated by Robert Fagles with an Introduction and Notes by Bernard Knox Odysseus’ reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance. |
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The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer Boxed Set translated by Robert Fagles A beautiful gift set of Robert Fagles’ award-winning translations of Homer. Order The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer Boxed Set from Amazon.com |
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Medea and Other Plays by Euripides translated by John Davie with an Introduction and Notes by Richard Rutherford
Including: Hippolytus, Medea, Alcestis and The Children of Heracles. |
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Medea and Other Plays by Euripides translated by Philip Vellacott Including: Medea, Hecabe, Electra and Heracles. |
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The Iliad translated by Peter Jones One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode of the Trojan War. At its center is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his conflict with his leader Agamemnon. Interwoven in the tragic sequence of events are powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle, the besieged city of Ilium, the feud between the gods, and the fate of mortals. |
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The Odyssey of Homer translated by E. V. Rieu; D. C. H. Rieu The epic of tale of Odysseus and his ten year voyage home after the Trojan War. |
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The Oresteia by Aeschylus translated by Robert Fagles Including: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides |
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The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology by Pierre Grimal and A. R. Maxwell-Hyslop Reprint of the Basil Blackwell edition of 1986 (cited in BCL3), which was a translation of the French original of 1951. Order The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology from Amazon.com |
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The Penguin Historical Atlas of Greece by Robert Morkot I bought this book and I have personally found it very useful . . . it is affordable and concise with a good index . . . the maps are in color and some of them are very detailed . . . the essays are interesting but, as the title implies, it is a book of maps . . . 135 pages, an excellent timeline at the beginning of the book and over 40 maps. Order The Penguin Historical Atlas of Greece from Amazon.com |
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The Penguin History of Greece by A. R. Burn A fascinating introduction to one of the world’s greatest civilizations; a one-volume history of Hellas which is principally written for the reader who is not a student or expert in classical literature. |
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Plutarch on Sparta: Lycurgus, Agis and Cleomenes translated by Richard J. A. Talbert Plutarch’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 BCE. |
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Prometheus Bound and Other Plays by Aeschylus translated by Philip Vellacott Including: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven against Thebes and The Persians Order Prometheus Bound and Other Plays by Aeschylus from Amazon.com |
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The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert Including biographies on: Theseus, Solon, Themistocles, Aristides, Cimon, Pericles, Nicias, Alcibiades and Lysander. Order The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch from Amazon.com |
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The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles translated by Robert Fagles The three plays, Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, are not strictly a trilogy, but all are based on the Theban myths that were old even in Sophocles’ time. |
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Aesop: Complete Fables translated by Robert Temple and Olivia Temple You have, no doubt, heard many of these fables or their moral lessons but it is truly refreshing to read the complete fables with the profound and absurd characters commenting on all sorts of moral and personal issues. |
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The Persian Expedition by Xenophon translated by Rex Warner and George Cawkwell The incredible story of the Greek mercenaries who were forced to fight their way from the center of the Persian Empire to the safety of Greek territory. Well written and compelling. The story was originally called Anabasis. |
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The Greek Sophists by John Dillon with an introduction by Tania Gergel The Sophists, who rose to prominence in democratic Athens during the mid-fifth century BCE, understood the art of rhetoric and the importance of being able to transform effective reasoning into persuasive public speaking. |
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Greek Tragedy by Shomit Dutta Including Agememnon by Aeschylus, Medea by Euripides and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles |
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The Greek Alexander Romance by Richard Stoneman Also called Pseudo-Callisthenes; Begun soon after the real Alexander’s death and expanded in the centuries that followed, “The Greek Alexander Myth” depicts the life and adventures of one of history’s greatest heroes - taming the horse Bucephalus, meeting the Amazons and his quest to defeat the King of Persia. Including such elements of fantasy as Alexander’s ascent to heaven borne by eagles, this literary masterpiece brilliantly evokes a lost age of heroism. |
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The Republic by Plato by Desmond Lee This classic work reveals Plato’s philosophy as to how he believes society should function and the interrelationship of the citizens to their society. |
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The Birds and Other Plays by Aristophanes translated by Alan H. Sommerstein and David Barrett The plays in this volume all contain Aristophanes’ trademark bawdy comedy and dazzling verbal agility. Including: The Birds, The Knights, Peace, The Assembly Women and Wealth. |
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The Greek Myths: Complete Edition by Robert Graves In a work that has become a classic reference book for both the serious scholar and the casual inquirer, Graves retells the adventures of the important gods and heroes worshipped by the ancient Greeks. Each entry provides a full commentary which examines problems of interpretation in both historical and anthropological terms, and in light of contemporary research. |
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The Complete World of Greek Mythology by Richard Buxton (Hardcover) This book combines a retelling of Greek myths with a comprehensive account of the world in which they developed-their themes, their relevance to Greek religion and society, and their relationship to the landscape. |
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The Library of Greek Mythology by Apollodorus translated by Robin Hard The Library of Greek Mythology is a complete summary of early Greek myth. Using the ancient system of detailed histories of the great families, it contains invaluable genealogical diagrams for maximum clarity. The introduction gives details of sources and narrative traditions, and there is comprehensive annotation. An indispensable reference work for anyone interested in classical mythology. |
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The Dictionary of Classical Mythology by John Edward Zimmerman A knowledge of classical mythology is indispensable in understanding and appreciating much of the great literature, sculpture, and painting of both the ancients and the moderns. Unless we know the marvelous stories of the deities and heroes of the ancients, their great literature and art as much later work down to the present day will remain unintelligible. |
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Mythology by Edith Hamilton This book is truly a classic with its sweeping account of all the most famous Greek myths and smattering of Norse mythology. |
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The Nicomachean Ethics translated by J. A. K. Thomson Of Aristotle’s works, few have had as lasting an influence on subsequent Western thought as The Nicomachean Ethics. In it, he argues that happiness consists in “activity of the soul in accordance with virtue,” defining “virtue” as both moral (courage, generosity, and justice) and intellectual (knowledge, wisdom, and insight). Aristotle also discusses the nature of practical reasoning, the different forms of friendship, and the relationship between individual virtue and the state. |
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Poetics by Aristotle translated by Malcolm Heath In one of the most perceptive and influential works of criticism in Western literary history, third century BCE Greek philosopher Aristotle examines the literature of his time, describing the origins of poetry as an imitative art and drawing attention to the distinctions between comedy and tragedy. |
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The Symposium by Plato translated by Christopher Gill 144 pages - April 29, 2003 |
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Heraclitus: Fragments translated by Brooks Haxton Greek and English text; excellent reading |
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Phaedrus by Plato translated by Christopher Rowe One of Plato’s most profound and beautiful works, Phaedrus takes the form of a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus, an amateur rhetorical enthusiast, on the topic of passionate or romantic love. It is in this dialogue that Plato employs the famous image of love as the driver of the chariot of souls. |
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The Odes (of Pindar) translated by C. M. Bowra Pindar was a Greek lyric poet (circa 518-438 BCE); that brief definition hardly describes a man who has been lauded as the greatest lyric poet of all time; his language, imagery and effortless eloquence have been the subject of praise, imitation and envy for two and a half millennia. |
