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“[A] general history book that uses primary source material throughout. It introduces students to the importance of primary sources and stresses how these early texts provide the evidence and foundations for all the words, ideas, and thoughts that make up traditional history books. The excellent biographies, including one listing many of the translated primary source materials, ensure that this book will be an essential component in any library of the Mongol Empire.”
     —Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

"James Montgomery's new translation of Don Quixote is the fourth already in the twenty-first century, and it stands with the best of them. It pays particular attention to what may be the hardest aspect of Cervantes's novel to render into English: the humorous passages, particularly those that feature a comic and original use of language. Cervantes would be proud."
—Howard Mancing, Professor of Spanish, Purdue University, and Vice President, Cervantes Society of America

"[The Persiles] could be thought to stand in the same relation to the Quixote as The Winter's Tale stands to Measure for Measure. . . . The present version really offers the Persiles for the first time in proper English dress.  The translators have delicately balanced the formalities of its chronological age with the friskiness of its spirit: the finished version is just as much fun to read as it obviously was to make.  A fine display of fireworks."
     —Robert M. Adams, The New Republic

Werner S. Pluhar's masterful rendering of Kant's major work on religion is meticulously annotated and presented here with a selected bibliography, glossary, and generous index. Stephen R. Palmquist's engaging Introduction provides historical background, discusses Religion in the context of Kant's philosophical system, elucidates Kant's main arguments, and explores the implications and ongoing relevance of the work.

This volume provides selected translations from the writings of Lu Xiangshan; Wang Yangming; and the Platform Sutra, a work which had profound influence on neo-Confucian thought. Each of these three sections is preceded by an introduction that sketches important features of the history, biography, and philosophy of the author and explores some of the main features and characteristics of his work. The range of genres represented—letters, recorded sayings, essays, meditations and poetry—provide the reader with insights into the philosophical and stylistic themes of this fascinating and influential branch of neo-Confucian thought.

"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

"Once again, Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff team up (this time with Cecelia Eaton Luschnig) to produce a thoroughly engaging text with lively translations that prove to be of great value to the college classroom. . . . The clarity of the translations, the unburdensome thoroughness of the introduction, and the judicious selection of footnotes, however, combine to allow students both within and outside the pertinent disciplines to appreciate how The Electra Plays speak directly to the world."
—Mitchell M. Harris, Augustana College

"[With] implications for such current themes as globalization, global villages, and global conditions for peace . . . this book tells a grand story in the brief compass of seven chapters, with a well-written historical introduction, a helpful chronology, sixteen biographies portraying the international cast of personages who traversed empires, and a glossary indispensable to a work of this nature. Twenty-one primary documents give historical credence to the Mongol story itself, a story that is told only in the oral tradition of The Secret History of the Mongols. Maps and illustrations round out the material in support of the text."
     —The History Teacher

"There is, to my knowledge, no other book of this sort in English that competes in giving a detailed account of the Thirty Years War. Helfferich has done a remarkable job in assembling texts that convey the sweep of the war, the religious and constitutional questions involved, the international involvement of especially Denmark, Sweden, and France, and the turbulent misery that the war produced, especially in the Holy Roman Empire. I do not know of a better representation of what the Peace of Westphalia (the two treaties, at Osnabrück and Münster) actually settled. Helfferich has done a fine job of accurately translating from German and other languages . . . and she has chosen rather large documents for inclusion instead of snipping out small paragraphs from many more documents. One thus has a chance to settle into an author's main points and to appreciate his or her style and point of view."               
     —Erik Midelfort, University of Virginia

"Samuel Crowl's revision and updating of George Lyman Kittredge's edition of I Henry IV makes this useful text even more attractive to a contemporary audience of both general readers and students. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of and sensitivity to Shakespearean performance, Crowl provides a new Introduction,in addition to Kittredge's original, highlighting performance history, together with an essay on "How to Read The First Part of King Henry the Fourth as Performance," which pays particular attention to Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight and two television productions of the play available on DVD. Crowl has lightly revised and extended Kittredge's annotations, and has added extensive performance notes where appropriate."
     —Michael Anderegg, University of North Dakota

"This new Inferno is very quickly going to become a favorite. The translation itself is unusually dynamic and returns to the poem a register of daily speech that increases clarity and energy. It never loses sight of the fact that the Inferno tells an intensely involving story. This volume also offers real help to the novice reader. The synopsis printed at the beginning of each canto; the detailed commentary on each canto, at the end of the book; and, most importantly, a really excellent Introduction—all these give the reader constant and multileveled guides to the journey."
—F. Regina Psaki, The Giustina Family Professor of Italian Language and Literature, University of Oregon

"An impressive edition . . . the most thoroughly satisfying historical and literary contextualization for the novel that I've ever encountered. Shapiro and Barnard offer a rich transatlantic artistic and ideological context that helps pull the whole novel into coherent focus. The footnotes to the novel are incredibly thorough, helpful, and interesting. . . . This Hackett edition of Wieland [is] the freshest and most topical of those now available."
—Dana D. Nelson, Vanderbilt University

"A provocative edition, one which belongs on the shelves of student and scholar alike."
     —Martha Oberle, Frederick Community College, Maryland, in The Sixteenth Century Journal

De Bello Gallico is a supplemental reader in the Lingua Latina series. This text includes abridged annotated versions of Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars Books I, IV and V designed for students who have finished Part I, Familia Romana or anyone interested in learning Latin using the Lingua Latina Hans Orberg method.

Nunc Loquamur is an illustrated text for students new to Latin who want to incorporate speaking Latin into their study. Through rich drawings by the author, students are provided situations common to the classroom and their lives in which to speak to one another, along with clues and vocabulary necessary for basic conversations. Additional Resources: Free audio and interactive software for Nunc Loquamur is available online at: http://www.discamus.com/nunc/

Cinema for Portuguese Conversation uses Brazilian, Portuguese, and Lusophone African cinema to enhance the study of Portuguese language and culture, including the sertão, urban violence, political transitions, women, and the mythological legend of Orpheus. Fourteen feature films are covered, drawn largely from modern Brazilian film. Examples from Cape Verde and Portugal are also included. An electronic (PDF only) instructor's manual for Cinema for Portuguese Conversation is available to qualified course instructors who have adopted the text for their course. To request a copy, click here.

"Warrior's text fills a long-acknowledged void for teaching Ancient Religion. There is no real alternative. The best recommendation for her book comes from my students, who voted her Greek and Roman Sourcebooks their favorite texts in my Greek and Roman Religion course."
—Randall M. Colaizzi, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Boston

A More Perfect Ten is a revision of Gary Garrison's pioneering book on writing and producing the 10-minute play, and it is now the most authoritative book on this emerging play form. The 10-minute play has become a regular feature of theatre companies and festivals from coast to coast, and Garrison has distilled the advice of many of those people who had been instrumental in promoting the ten minute play for the last few years.

Cinema for German Conversation covers twelve German language films that are used as the basis for discussion and language acquisition, teaching vocabulary, strengthening oral and written skills, and as well as an introduction to modern German culture. The films are selected to provide interesting viewing, key cultural information, and accessible language levels. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a single movie and includes aids for students watching the film, discussing and writing about the film, and understanding the film in a broader cultural context. An electronic (PDF only) instructor's manual for Cinema for German Conversation is available to qualified course instructors who have adopted the text for their course. To request a copy, click here.

The second edition of David Wootton's Modern Political Thought: Readings from Machiavelli to Nietzsche offers a new unit on modern constitutionalism with selections from Hume, Montesquieu, the Federalist, and Constant. In addition to a new essay by Wootton, this unit features his new translation of Constant's 1819 essay "On Ancient and Modern Liberty". Other changes include expanded selections from Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy and a new Hegel selection, all of which strengthen an already excellent anthology.

"The new Vergil commentaries from Focus are an exciting resource for almost anyone reading the Aeneid in Latin. . . . The editors recognize that developing core reading skills and involving students in the interpretive questions raised by the poem are not separate objectives. This recognition has resulted in commentaries that enticingly present basic information in a wider setting of observation and enquiry. . . . All in all, the Focus series balances simplicity and subtlety, reminding students at all levels that increasing technical precision and stretching one's interpretive curiosity are—fundamentally—one endeavor."
     —Antonia Syson, Purdue University, in Teaching Classical Languages (CAMWS)

By pairing translations of Gorgias and Rhetoric, along with an outstanding introductory essay, Joe Sachs demonstrates Aristotles response to Plato. If in the Gorgias Plato probes the question of what is problematic in rhetoric, in Rhetoric, Aristotle continues the thread by looking at what makes rhetoric useful. By juxtaposing the two texts, an interesting "conversation" is illuminated—one which students of philosophy and rhetoric will find key in their analytical pursuits.

"Shakespeare scholars Bernice W. Kliman and James H. Lake have carried out the important task of not only bringing up to date the text of Hamlet as edited in the last century by the celebrated Shakespearean George Lyman Kittredge but also retaining its significant features. The editors' discerning analyses of performances by Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branah, Michael Almereyda, and Simon Russell Beale drive home the point that Hamlet today remains alive but restless and unpredictable. It exemplifies Ben Johnson's Shakespeare, who '. . . was not of an age, but for all time!'"
     —Kenneth Sprague Rothwell, (1921-2010), was Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont

"The new Steiner Tartuffe offers welcome relief from all the rhymed translations that make Molière sound like a third-rate Restoration poet while creating the (false) impression that verbal dexterity and wit trump all other values in the great comic playwright's dramaturgy.  Steiner's crisp, lucid prose—her adroitly balanced sentences are especially effective at conveying the slippery rhetoric of Tartuffe's seductions—unfolds the plot and characters of Molière's play with an unaccustomed clarity, presenting the ideological clashes of the play with a bluntness many other translations attenuate. Roger Herzel's Introduction is well-focused for those encountering Molière for the first time and informed throughout by his own excellent scholarship."
—Jim Carmody, University of California, San Diego

"What sets this text apart from many others is its focus on the socioeconomic, political, and cultural milieu in which a new religious movement was born and has thrived; its discussion of the origins of Islamic law, spirituality and theology, mysticism, philosophy, and culture; and an appendix of individual page-length biographies of important figures.  Also included is a helpful glossary of terms, a 'photo essay,' selections from primary sources, and an annotated bibliography. . . . Gordon's discussion of the sociocultural origins and authority of the Qur'an is very good.  He also highlights an area of Islamic studies often ignored in general introduction, the role of urbanization in the development of Islamic civilization worldwide. . . . [T]his is a very useful and informative general introduction."
     —The Historian

"Edited and translated by Maurice A. Finocchiaro, an international authority on Galileo, this collection makes available to scholars and students an excellent and extensive selection of Galileo's key works from his early career to the end of his life—some in toto and some represented by key selections. It presents not only Galileo's most famous works but also a range of less-known texts as well as an excellent selection of the documents from the trial of 1633 and from the 1616 condemnation of Copernicus. In addition to the breadth and quality of the selections, this volume is particularly attractive to students and instructors thanks to Finocchiaro's expert and up-to-date introductions, biographical sketch, chronology, annotated bibliography, and glossary. This is a must for anyone teaching or studying Galileo, the scientific revolution, and the relationship between science and religion."
—Mario Biagioli, Harvard University

"Lindsay gives an excellent overview of the medieval Islamic world.  Intended for an audience with little or no background on this topic, the book offers a thorough introduction to the beginnings of Islam, its history up to the year 1300, and material on a wide range of other topics, e.g., warfare, social practices, entertainment, and geography. . . . Numerous maps, photographs, and illustrations are spread throughout the text. . . . This book will be very valuable to history students and anyone interested in learning about the faith and practices of Muslims.  Highly recommended."
     —Choice

"This is a superb overview of Aztec society and culture.  It also provides a wonderful postscript by discussing the Spanish invasion and the compelling legacy of Aztec civilization."
    —Douglas Richmond, University of Texas at Arlington

"Attractively produced and presented, this useful edition of Paris Spleen and La Fanfarlo reads as both serious and engaging. The introduction is clear without being condescending. It seems to me very much to the point—as is Baudelaire as always."
—Mary Ann Caws, Distinguished Professor of English, French, and Comparative Literature, Graduate School, CUNY

This volume gathers together the most important evidence about Stoic thought surviving from the ancient world. It is an expanded version of the section on Stoicism in Inwood and Gerson's Hellenistic Philosophy, consolidating related texts into larger, more continuous selections, adding material on the skeptical attack on Stoicism, and a short section that introduces the reader to some of the more interesting texts on Stoic ethics from the Roman imperial period.

"The book's use of primary sources to illustrate daily experiences makes it valuable both for the historical and cultural background it presents and for the wide array of Roman voices it includes.  Its chapter arrangement and direct, informative style make it an excellent supplementary text for courses on classical literature.  The chronology and brief biographies of Roman authors are valuable and uncomplicated resources"
     —Okey Goode, Lewis-Clark State College

 "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

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.

"I find this an ideal introductory textbook for students of German literature. The material included provides an excellent overview of German literature since 1750 by embedding it in a cultural-historical context and clearly explaining the literary, cultural, and historical concepts involved. The copious exercises provide opportunities for students to organize their knowledge, engage in textual analysis, and expand their understanding of the interrelationships of literature and culture."
    —Margaret K. Devinney, Director, German Program at Temple University

Studies in Etymology is a standard introduction to the Classical etymology of the English language with equal coverage of Latin and Greek roots. The book is ideal for college-level classics or humanities courses of all designs. The book includes extensive exercises for each chapter, additional words for study, and indexes of prefixes, suffixes, and word stems. 

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."

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.

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.

"Overall . . . I find this translation of the Frogs to be entertaining and very readable. Furthermore, Henderson's comprehensive introduction makes this translation quite useful for general readers or students at any level."
—Erin K. Moodie, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"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

The Hackett edition of Teresa of Avila's spiritual autobiography features Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez's authoritative translation of The Book of Her Life with a new Introduction by Jodi Bilinkoff that will prove especially valuable to students of Early Modern Spain, the history of Christian spirituality, and classic women writers.  A map, chronology, and index are also included.

"This edition of the The Prince has three distinct and disparate objectives: to provide a fresh and accurate translation; to analyze and find the roots of Machiavelli's thought; and to collect relevant extracts from other works by Machiavelli and some contemporaries, to be used to illuminate and explicate the text. The objectives are all reached with considerable and admirable skill. The reader senses Professor Atkinson's empathy and feeling for even the tiniest movements in Machiavelli's mind. Professor Atkinson has done a great service to students and teachers of Machiavelli, who should certainly welcome this as the most useful edition of The Prince in English. "
     —Mario Domandi, Italica, 1978

"This new edition of Arthur Mervyn far exceeds any previous version of this remarkable American novel.  Through exhaustive archival research, the editors have produced a reliable text constructed within the intellectual, cultural, political, and religious contexts of a society informing Brown's efforts to capture and preserve the formation of the early republic for generations of readers and cultural historians.  This vital text is essential reading for anyone interested in the origins of the United States."
     —Emory Elliott, University Professor, University of California-Riverside

Unlike most studies of the Incas, this book reconstructs the daily life not only of the ruling Inca elite but also of the rest of the society, including the conquered peoples.  From food and drink to religious rituals, the major aspects of life at all levels in the Inca empire are here described and explained in a clear, accessible way.  Over fifty illustrations are included, as are a historical timeline of the Inca empire, a glossary, and a bibliography.

"This volume represents a true breakthrough.  The indigenous uprisings of the late eighteenth century in the Andes form one of the most dramatic chapters in colonial Latin American history.  Yet until now there has been no set of original documents from the period available in the English language.  Ward Stavig and Ella Schmidt have worked assiduously to make this material available and the resulting book is impressive in its breadth and depth.  It covers a long span of the eighteenth century and the major regional theaters of insurgency.  It will be of great value to scholars, teachers, and students."
     —Sinclair Thomson, Department of History, New York University

"Not only are the translations very well done; Von Germeten's notes and annotations are excellent, demonstrating a real sensibility for the African backgrounds of those to whom Sandoval ministered. . . she does a very fine job of addressing African histories and raising questions that emanate out of Africa, rather than seeing the enslaved simply as incipient Americans. Strongly recommended for Colonial Latin American surveys as well as for Atlantic History and African Diapora courses."
     —James Sweet, Department of History, University of Wisconsin

"This is an excellent book . . . to be commended for its wide coverage; the Korean material is especially hard to find. . . . The short introductions to the selections are lucid, informative and focused, providing a good framework through which to understand the readings. Anyone who wants to work directly with translations of the primary texts, rather than textbook summaries, will find this book the most convenient available."
     —Brook Ziporyn, Northwestern University