Gerald of Wales was one of the most dynamic and colorful churchmen of the 12th century. His JOURNEY describes a mission to Wales undertaken in 1188 by Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, with Gerald as
Tells the story of the hunchback Quasimodeo, bell-ringer of Nortre-Dame, the archdeacon Claude Frollo, and the gypsy dancer Esmeralda who wins Quasimodo's selfless devotion.
One of the earliest extant versions of the Tristan and Yseut story, Beroul's French manuscript of The Romance of Tristan dates back to the middle of the twelfth century. It recounts the legend of Tris
This trilogy of stories—Ferragus: Chief of the Companions of Duty, The Duchesse De Langeais, and The Girl with the Golden Eyes—purporting to be the history of a secret society, laid the foundation for
Froissart (1337-1410), sometimes described as the historian of the Hundred Years' War, was one of the first great journalists.His Chronicles reveal the same curiosity about character and customs which
One of the great English Romantic poets, William Blake (1757-1827) was an artist, poet, mystic and visionary. His work ranges from the deceptively simple and lyrical "Songs of Innocence" and their cou
For more than 200 years after its first publication in 1593, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia was the most read, best-selling story in the language?the great English popular classic and one of the m
'The first poet in the world in some things', is how John Donne was described by his contemporary Ben Jonson. Yet it is only this century that Donne has been indisputably established as a great poe
As the Roman Republic lurched to its close, amid corruption, ruthless power struggles and gross inequality, Cicero produced some of the most stirring and eloquent speeches ever written. Whether he is
This richly evocative novel-in-letters tells the story of two Persian noblemen who have left their country - the modern Iran - to journey to Europe in search of wisdom. As they travel, they write home
Twelve stories are representative of the tragic, melodramatic, sentimental, pathetic, and comic aspects of Balzac's art and testify to his keen sense of irony when observing the human condition
The twelfth-century chronicle sets forth the deeds of Britain's rulers from the mythical Brutus, great-grandson of Aeneas, to Cadwallader in the seventh century
All six of the Roman dramatist's comedies?from The Girl from Andros, the first romantic comedy ever written, to the socially sophisticated The Brothers?show why Terence became a model for playwrights
This 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 invasi
Written between 1837 and 1843, Lost Illusions reveals, perhaps better than any other of Balzac's ninety-two novels, the nature and scope of his genius. The story of Lucien Chardon, a young poet from A
‘His passion was for glory only, and in that he was insatiable’ Although written over four hundred years after Alexander’s death, Arrian’s Campaigns of Alexander is the most reliable account of the
Two brothers—one a dashing, handsome ex-soldier, the other a sensitive artist—struggle to recover the family inheritance in a novel that explores the devastation that poverty can bring.
Hesiod, who lived in Boetia in the late 8th century BCE, is one of the oldest known of Greek poets. His Theogony contains a systematic genealogy of the gods from the beginning of the world & an ac
Dickens's sense of comedy and concern with the human psyche are evident in tales of the supernatural, impressionistic sketches, and dramatic monologues
This collection contains, too, many examples of that humorous and epigrammatic genius which captured the London theatre and, by suddenly casting light from an unexpected angle, widened the bounds of t
The Civil War is Caesar's masterly account of the celebrated war between himself and his great rival Pompey, from the crossing of the Rubicon in January 49 B.C. to Pompey's death and the start of the
Bouvard and Pecuchet are two Chaplinesque copy-clerks who meet on a park bench in Paris. Following an unexpected inheritence, they decide to give up their jobs and explore the world of ideas.
The nineteenth-century French master combined personal comment and detached analysis in this exploration of the aspects, stages, and varieties of love, particularly passionate, romantic, unrequited lo
One of the greatest epic poems of the Italian Renaissance, Orlando Furioso is an intricate tale of love and enchantment set at the time of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne's conflict with the Moors.
As a scandalized Victorian society looks on, Alice Vavasor, Lady Glencora, and the Widow Greenow continue their romantic entanglements with disreputable suitors
This modern translation presents, in a form suitable for the modern stage, The Ghost (Mostellaria), The Rope (Rudens), A Three-Dollar Day (Trinummus), and Amphitruo.
A selection of the tales told by Shahrazad in an attempt to save her life, including "The Young Woman and Her Five Lovers," "The Fisherman and the Jinnee," "The Historic Fart," and "The Tale of Kafur
The Dhammapada is a versified Buddhist scripture traditionally ascribed to the Buddha himself. The Dhammapada consists of 423 verses in Pali uttered by the Buddha on some 305 occasions for the benefit
One of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer believed that human action is determined not by reason but by 'will' - the blind and irrational desire for physical existence.
The penultimate novel of the Rougon-Macquart cycle, La Debacle (1892) concerns the dramatic events of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune of 1870-71. During Zola's lifetime, it was the best-sellin
‘I am Gilgamesh who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven, I killed the watchman of the cedar forest, I overthrew Humbaba who lived in the forest’ Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu a
The French novelist's classic study of a prostitute's dissolute existence and spiritual disintegration reflects his concern with the influence of heredity and environment
‘It is best to do nothing! The best thing is conscious inertia! So long live the underground!’ Alienated from society and paralysed by a sense of his own insignificance, the anonymous narrator of D
‘Lancelot has brought me such great shame as to dishonour me through my wife, I shall never rest till they are caught together’ Recounting the final days of Arthur, this thirteenth-century French ve
