Browse All

Vergil: Aeneid 7 is part of a new series of commentaries on the Aeneid. Each volume adapts, with extensive revisions and additions, the commentaries of T. E. Page (1884, 1900) and is edited by a scholar of Roman epic. The present volume offers the Latin text of Book 7 along with maps, extensive notes, and commentary designed to meet the needs of intermediate students of Latin. A two-volume edition of the entire Aeneid designed to meet the needs of advanced students will be derived from the series. 

Series: The Focus Vergil Aeneid Commentaries

Vergil: Aeneid 8 is part of a new series of commentaries on the Aeneid. Each volume adapts with extensive revisions and additions the commentaries of T. E. Page (1884, 1900), and is edited by a scholar of Roman epic. The present volume offers the Latin text of Book 8 along with maps, extensive notes, and commentary designed to meet the needs of intermediate students of Latin.

"[F]or accessibility, affordability, and portability, O’Hara's commentary is hard to beat. I fully intend to use it when I next teach Aeneid 8 in my advanced Latin class, and I can heartily recommend that others do too."  —Brian P. Loar, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Vergil, Aeneid Books 1–6 is the first of a two-volume commentary on Vergil's epic designed specifically for today’s Latin students. These editions navigate the complexities of Vergil’s text and elucidate the stylistic and interpretive issues that enhance and sustain appreciation of the Aeneid. Editions of individual books of the Aeneid with expanded comments and vocabulary are also available from Hackett.

This second edition features a new 48-page "Afterword—1980" updating Professor Beardsley’s classic work.

"There is not much I could say to expand the reputation of this classic text, but it is a testament to Beardsley's deep insight that I am finding the book useful for the study of Chinese aesthetics—which Beardsley himself never intended to broach. There may still be no better introduction to thinking about art and beauty.” —Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania

“John K. Thornton’s new book is another must-read. It contains both translations of the extant letters of the most significant king of Kongo’s history, Afonso I (r. 1506–1542), and a powerful, learned, and highly readable analysis of what these letters tell us about the life and times of one of the most important rulers anywhere in the world during the sixteenth century. This book will be essential reading for scholars, teachers, and students engaged with the history of the Kingdom of Kongo.”
—Toby Green, King’s College London

"A groundbreaking book . . . provides a broad and rich sampling of documents recording the early modern voices of the African diaspora. . . . Wills, testaments, letters, and historical chronicles are some of the sources that scholars from various disciplines present in this anthology. . . . Each scholar provides a meticulous contextualization of the historical, social, cultural, and political circumstances surrounding the production of each document. The trilingual presentation allows the reader to see the rhetorical style of archival documents in the original language. Additionally, the maps ensure that students have a clear understanding of the geography and historical sites relevant to the range of texts included in the book." —Margaret Olsen, Macalester College

Ideally suited for use in broad, swift-moving surveys of Latin American and Caribbean history, this abridgment of McKnight and Garofalo's Afro-Latino Voices: Narratives from the Early Modern Ibero-Atlantic World, 1550-1812 (2009) includes all of the English translations, introductions, and annotation created for that volume.

These new translations of two treatises dealing with the possibility and nature of knowledge in the face of skeptical challenges are the first to be rendered from the Latin critical edition, the first to be made specifically with a philosophical audience in mind, and the first to be translated by a scholar with expertise in both modern epistemology and philosophy of language.

This volume provides three short works of Tacitus: Agricola—the fullest ancient account of Rome's conquest of Britain and of the public career of a senator in the service of a Roman emperor—Germany, a valuable source on the ancient land and its people, and Dialogue on Orators, an examination in the tradition of Cicero's rhetorical essays of the decline of oratory in Rome's early empire. Together, these works illuminate an important phase in Tacitus' development as Rome's foremost historian.

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 

Comprising relevant selections from the four ancient writers whose portraits of Alexander the Great still survive—Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius—this volume provides a complete narrative of the important events in Alexander's life. The Introduction sets these works in historical context, stretching from the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War through Alexander's conquest of Asia, and provides an assessment of Alexander's historical importance as well as a survey of the central controversies surrounding his personality, aims and intentions. This edition includes a timeline, maps, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.

"Adding entirely new annotations to the text, providing a lucid overview of the play's production history, concluding with an instructive essay on a theatrical understanding of reading plays, and illustrated with suggestive film stills throughout, Kathleen Kalpin Smith's All's Well that Ends Well is a welcome edition to the New Kittredge Shakespeare series, richly setting the play in the context of stage and screen performance."
     —W. B. Worthen, Barnard College, Columbia University

Based on the 1903 edition, this attractive, newly typeset reprint of the classic work in Latin Grammar has some updating of the material on meter. The key system widely used to reference grammar in numerous Latin texts has been retained. Available in hardcover or paperback.

A thorough and modern commentary on Plautus' classic comedy Amphitryo, including the 15th-century supplement for the lost scenes. With vocabulary and brief notes on meter.

“This is a splendid new translation of Brevísima Relación, the famous denunciation of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, written by Dominican friar Bartolomé de Las Casas (1483-1566). . . . The Hackett edition of Brevísima Relación . . . has a lot to offer to undergraduates. . . . Knight’s introduction to the text makes in fact for a compelling read. . . . Together with Knight’s ample annotations, which refer students to the most up-to-date secondary literature, it makes for a wonderful introduction to the history of Europe’s expansion into the Western Hemisphere.”
     —Martine van Ittersum, Journal of Early Modern History

An Actor's Task provides a framework for studying the dual arts of acting: inhabiting a character both physically and psychologically. Actors at all levels can use this book to explore, develop, and review the sensory tools and training that enable them to be the best versions of themselves and, ultimately, to bring that understanding of "self" to their art. 

"Through a series of engaging exercises, this book filters out the complexities of various acting techniques and offers up an appealing hands-on approach."
     —Tonya Pinkins, Tony Award–winning actress

A landmark of Enlightenment thought, Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is accompanied here by two shorter works that shed light on it: A Letter from a Gentleman to His Friend in Edinburgh, Hume's response to those accusing him of atheism, of advocating extreme skepticism, and of undermining the foundations of morality; and his Abstract of A Treatise of Human Nature, which anticipates discussions developed in the Enquiry. In his concise Introduction, Eric Steinberg explores the conditions that led Hume to write the Enquiry and the work's important relationship to Book I of Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature.

"A splendid edition.  Schneewind's illuminating introduction succinctly situates the Enquiry in its historical context, clarifying its relationship to Calvinism, to Newtonian science, and to earlier moral philosophers, and providing a persuasive account of Hume's ethical naturalism." 
     —Martha C. Nussbaum, Brown University

“This abridgment by Kenneth Winkler is the best that has ever been done. Winkler’s judgment as to what must be kept and what may be dropped is unerring, and his literary skill has enabled him to fashion a text that reads smoothly. An illuminating Introduction and comprehensive glossary enhance the value of this volume for students.” —Vere Chappell, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

C.A.E. Luschnig's An Introduction to Ancient Greek: A Literary Approach prepares students to read Greek in less than a year by presenting basic traditional grammar without frills and by introducing real Greek written by ancient Greeks, from the first day of study. The second edition retains all the features of the first but is more streamlined, easier on the eyes, more gender-inclusive, and altogether more 21st century. 

Companion Website: http://worldwidegreek.com/. Please note that the audio files originally found on the companion website are now available for free here on Soundcloud. Instructor resources: PDF-only answer keys to the even-numbered exercises are also available by request. If you are a course instructor please use this form to request the answer keys.

A comprehensive yet concise introduction to central topics, debates, and techniques of moral philosophy in the analytic tradition, this volume combines a thematic, issue-oriented format with rigorous standards of clarity and precision. Thomas introduces fundamental concepts and terms, proceeding through a step-by-step exploration of five general areas of debate: the specification of moral judgment; moral judgment and the moral standard; the justification of moral judgment; logic, reasoning, and moral judgment; and moral judgment and moral responsibility. Key historical and contemporary figures in moral philosophy, including Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hume, Mill, Hare, Ross, Nagel, Foot, Stevenson, and Dancy, are used effectively as a means of examining the topics themselves.

“One of the best short introductions to Hegel’s logic I know. It gives a comprehensive survey that is easy to understand.”
     —Michael Wolff, Universitat Bielefeld

Written for independent study and suitable for an introductory course in logic, this classic text combines a sound presentation of logic with effective pedagogy and illustrates the role of logic in many areas of humanistic and scientific thought. Cohen and Nagel’s elegant integration of the history of philosophy, natural science, and mathematics helps earn this work its distinguished reputation.

“With its signal distinction between ‘intuition’ and ‘analysis’ and its exploration of the different levels of Duration (Bergson’s term for Heraclitean flux), An Introduction to Metaphysics has had a significant impact on subsequent twentieth century thought. The arts, from post-impressionist painting to the stream of consciousness novel, and philosophies as diverse as pragmatism, process philosophy, and existentialism bear its imprint. Consigned for a while to the margins of philosophy, Bergson’s thought is making its way back to the mainstream. The reissue of this important work comes at an opportune time, and will be welcomed by teachers and scholars alike.”
    —Peter A. Y. Gunter, University of North Texas

Reading the Republic without reference to the less familiar Laws can lead to a distorted view of Plato's political theory.  In the Republic the philosopher describes his ideal city; in his last and longest work he deals with the more detailed considerations involved in setting up a second-best 'practical utopia.'  The relative neglect of the Laws has stemmed largely from the obscurity of its style and the apparent chaos of its organization so that, although good translations now exist, students of philosophy and political science still find the text inaccessible. This first full-length philosophical introduction to the Laws will therefore prove invaluable.

Geared toward the advanced high school or intermediate college Latin student, An Ovid Reader covers a selection of works by the great Roman poet Ovid. Passages from Amores and Metamorphoses are arranged in ways that connect for the reader, and innovative discussion questions prompt thoughtful insights into the tales.

"Confucius taught that 'virtue is never solitary; it always has neighbors.' (4.25). Based on the best modern and traditional Chinese and Western scholarship, Edward Slingerland's exemplary new translation of the Analects—including selections from the traditional commentaries on each passage of the text—is a welcome edition. Contemporary readers will be enlightened as to what Confucius taught his disciples and will share the experience of being a neighbor to all the generations of students who have pondered the sometimes cryptic and enigmatic words of Confucius. Slingerland's use of commentary gives readers a fighting chance at understanding and appreciating this foundational Confucian classic."  —John Berthrong, Boston University

Through criticism and analysis of ancient traditions, Kahn reconstructs the pattern of Anaximander’s thought using historical methods akin to the reconstructive techniques of comparative linguists.

"Terrific . . . exactly the sort of collection we have long needed: one offering a wide range of texts, both literary and documentary, and that—with the inclusion of Sulpicia and Perpetua—allows students to hear the voices of actual women from the ancient world. The translations themselves are fluid; the inclusion of long extracts allows students to sink their teeth into material in ways not possible with traditional source books. The anonymous texts, inscriptions, and other non-literary material topically arranged in the 'Documentary' section will enable students to see how the documentary evidence supplements or undermines the views advanced in the literary texts. This is a book that should be of great use to anyone teaching a survey of the history of Ancient Rome or a Roman Civilization course. I look forward to teaching with this book which is, I think, the best source book I have seen for the way we teach these days."
     —David Potter, University of Michigan

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.

Animation for Russian Conversation draws on the best known Russian works of animation—Cheburashka, Karlson the Hedgehog, and Vinni Pukh. Intended for Russian students of the Novice High to Intermediate Mid levels according to ACTFL guidelines, this book offers high interest to anyone learning Russian through authentic, but accessible Russian materials. Exercises cover vocabulary and grammar, with advanced exercises to challenge students further.

"An elegant addition to Tacitean scholarship. . . . The appendices are comprehensive and extremely useful for students, covering political and military terms that are cross-referenced to the text, the deployment of the army which can be confusing in the Annals, Rome, geographical and tribal names, and maps as well as a good index of names. . . . This translation has many eminently practical features, including clear layout, the use of footnotes, and numbering of the text. . . . The Introduction is very accessible and, coupled with the text, will be very useful for students." 
    —Alisdair Gibson, Journal of Classics Teaching

"Evrigenis and Pellerin should be congratulated for editing this volume, which publishes Herder's smaller and early work, Another Philosophy of History, including six smaller essays on the same topic. This volume offers the opportunity to introduce Herder to students in a survey of the history of political thought, along with his better-known contemporaries such as Rousseau, Kant, Burke, and Hegel, as well as their predecessors Machiavelli, Locke, and Hobbes. Evrigenis and Pellerin's edition gives the reader a fine introduction to Herder and his thought. The selections of the smaller essays are very helpful in allowing someone unfamiliar with Herder to see how his important thoughts could be responsible in shaping how thinkers in the later half of the 19th Century thought about the nation and the role of politics in general. Rating: * * * * *"
     —Clifford Angell Bates, Jr., Political Studies Review

Ranging from his early treatises, the Monologion (a work written to show his monks how to meditate on the divine essence) and the Proslogion (best known for its advancement of the so-called ontological argument for the existence of God), to his three philosophical dialogues on metaphysical topics such as the relationship between freedom and sin, and late treatises on the Incarnation and salvation, this collection of Anselm's essential writings will be a boon to students of the history of philosophy and theology as well as to anyone interested in examining what Anselm calls "the reason of faith."

An expanded version of the translator’s Anselm: The Basic Writings, The Complete Treatises incorporates new translations of works omitted from that volume (most notably, De grammatico) in addition to selected letters and prayers of philosophical interest. The only such collection translated by a single hand and rendered with attention to terminological consistency across the treatises, it’s the ideal choice for use by students of philosophy and theology. 

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).

"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

Antiquity: Foundations of Western Literature offers, in its entirety, the first section (chapters 1-4) of Margaret King's The  Western Literary Tradition: An Introduction in Texts, Volume 1. Available in eBook format only, it includes the general introduction and annotation to this section along with textual selections from the Hebrew Bible, major ancient Greek and Roman works, and the New Testament. Contents covers selections from works by Hesiod, Sappho, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plato, Lucretius, Catullus, Ovid, Virgil, Cicero, Seneca, Tacitus, Marcus Aurelius, along with selections from The Hebrew Bible and The New Testament.

Table of Contents: Click here to view the Table of Contents for Antiquity: Foundations of Western Literature (PDF).

For more information about the The  Western Literary Tradition anthology, including the Table of Contents for the complete volume 1 and all four eBook-only selects from volume  1, visit: hackettpublishing.com/literature/anthology.

Ebook examination copies: To request a RedShelf or VitalSource eBook exam copy of this or other titles in The Western Literary Tradition anthology please complete this form.

Student Purchase (eBook ISBN 9781624669637): Available now from RedShelf, VitalSource, eBooks.com, and participating Follett and Barnes and Noble college bookstores that sell eBooks to students. 

"The New Kittredge Series is both a delight and a steal. Kittredge's textual authority, updated by eminent scholars sensitive to classroom needs and alert to staging choices, is once again available in these slim, elegant, inexpensive, user-friendly volumes. With lucid notes and incisive introductions geared especially to popular film versions, the series also offers an overview of both stage and film performances of each play. A must for any Shakespeare class."
     —Laury Magnus

"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

"Kremer's is an attractive text because of its combination of simplicity and strong delivery, and this is true regarding his translation and his interpretive essay alike. He has striven for a scrupulous accuracy in his translation, and he has achieved this without sacrificing readability or neglecting the distinctive tone of Plato and Xenophon."
     —Norma Thompson, Yale University

“Roger Ariew and Marjorie Grene, with the help of Hackett’s modest pricing scheme, have made this challenging, infuriating, ironic and hilarious classic readily available in a faithful and well-presented translation. . . . Scholars will find this volume a fine choice for introducing students to early modern philosophy. . . . This is a welcome publication.”
     —Craig Walton, Philosophy in Review

Applied Ethics: An Impartial Introduction prepares readers to evaluate selected classical and contemporary problems in applied ethics in a way that does justice to their complexity without sacrificing clarity or fairness of representation. Its balanced exposition and analysis, enhanced by helpful pedagogical features, make it an ideal book for introducing the ethics of real-life problems including abortion, animal rights, disability, the environment, poverty, and punishment.

"Jackson, Goldschmidt, Crummett, and Chan are experienced teachers with a multitude of insights on the problems they explain in this splendid introduction to applied ethics. It is selective in focus but comprehensive in coverage; it is philosophically rigorous but remarkably clear in presentation; and each of the six sections is substantive enough for a good part of a course while the whole could occupy a full term. The book is an excellent choice as a main introductory text in applied ethics but so well laid out and referenced as to be a resource for students working in this field at any level. It has the clarity and concreteness needed for an introduction and the thoroughness needed in a higher-level study of the moral problems it explores." —Robert Audi, John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame

Apprentissage du cinema francais is an introduction to French cinema, in French, for American college students. This text includes the history of the origins of French film, an explanation of how to analyze a film, a lexicon of French cinema terms, and an analysis of 17 major masterpieces of French filmmaking. A parallel English version of this text, French Cinema: The Student's Book, is also available, so the same course can be taught to students of French culture as well as students of French language.

Additional Resources: Apprentissage du cinema francais Companion website.

Drawn from a wide range of writings and featuring state-of-the-art translations, Basic Works offers convenient access to Thomas Aquinas' most important discussions of nature, being and essence, divine and human nature, and ethics and human action. The translations all capture Aquinas's sharp, transparent style and display terminological consistency. Many were originally published in the acclaimed translation-cum-commentary series The Hackett Aquinas, edited by Robert Pasnau and Jeffrey Hause. Others appear here for the first time: Eleonore Stump and Stephen Chanderbahn’s translation of On the Principles of Nature, Peter King’s translation of On Being and Essence, and Thomas Williams’ translations of the treatises On Happiness and On Human Acts from the Summa theologiae.

The second book in a two book series on German film study, Arbeitsbuch zu German Culture through Film covers 14 of the 31 films covered in the first book in the series in German with an emphasis on German language skills. The first book in the series, German Culture Through Film: An Introduction to German Cinema, covers 31 German films in English. 

For additional film resources visit Reinhard Zachau's German film website.

Archaic Latin Verse offers text and commentary of the earliest surviving Latin work including selections from oral verse, Livius, Naevius, Ennius, and others (Caecilius, Accius, Pacuvius, and Lucilius). For 3rd or 4th year college Latin literature survey courses that incorporate source material in Latin.