"Shiffman's fidelity both to Aristotle's text and to opening the complex thought contained therein to the contemporary reader is evident throughout this translation. It neither attempts to resolve difficulty nor drown the reader in obscurity; instead, it invites the reader to puzzle through this magnificent and difficult text herself. The wonderful introduction supplies any number of tools to do so and is a model of the rigorous and restrained articulation of essential themes and contemporary resonances. The glossary contains an indispensable and illuminating discussion of terms. Readable and thought-provoking, this translation is particularly well-suited for the classroom. Students at all levels will benefit from its lucidity and provocation to thought."
—Sara Brill, Fairfield University
Odysseus at Troy is centered on the mythological Greek warrior, Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War. This book contains three plays: Sophocles' Ajax, Euripides' Hecuba, and Euripides' Trojan Women. The plays are complete, with notes and introductions for each. An additional introduction to the volume gives background on this popular theme, and on Ajax, one of the most written-about hero in Greek literature.
Learn MoreThis is an English translation of four of Plato’s dialogues (Protagoras, Euthydemus, Hippias Major, and Cratylus) that explores the topic of sophistry and philosophy, a key concept at the source of Western thought. Includes notes and an introductory essay.
"Perhaps more than any other dialogue, the Cratylus has been in need of retranslation. Yet because it is a dialogue about words that is also replete with plays on words, with pretended etymologies, and perhaps with more comedy than any other dialogue, translating it is a daunting task. There is no one better suited for this task than Joe Sachs. His translations of Greek philosophical classics are widely acclaimed both for their truthfulness to the original Greek text and for their sensitivity to every nuance of the text. Sachs’s translation of the Cratylus is a rare achievement and no doubt will do much to restore to this dialogue its rightful status as one of the major Platonic dialogues." —John Sallis, Boston College
Learn MoreEnglish translation of Plato's dialogue of Socrates with two prominent Sophists, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, and their conflicting philosophical views, in which Plato satirizes the logical fallacies of the Sophists. With notes, introduction, interpretive essay, and a glossary of important words.
Learn MoreRouse’s Greek Boy is a slight revision of Rouse’s original Greek language reader, A Greek Boy at Home. Although designed to accompany Rouse’s grammar text, it is a useful reader for beginning Greek course. It begins with simple grammar and builds in complexity as the course continues. This edition includes revised and modernized hints for using the book and is intended to be used with Anne Mahoney's First Greek Course.
Learn MoreCompanion Website: A free Classical Latin companion website with exercises, audio, flashcards, and more is available here.
"The publication of McKeown's Classical Latin is very exciting. It is going to be fun to teach from! It is thorough yet not pedantic; it covers all the important material in a logical fashion, and it does not have the silliness that is found in some elementary Latin texts. I am planning to adopt it for Elementary Latin (a year course, in which I think McKeown will fit very nicely) the next time I teach the class. It will be a great improvement over the text I have used for years and years."
—Jane Crawford, Professor of Classics, University of Virginia
"Conway's judicious selection of primary sources—some fundamental, others lesser-known—affords readers valuable insight into a conflict that does not hold a prominent place in the United States' collective imagination. Especially noteworthy are Conway's efforts to fully portray the Mexican experience in the war through an examination of military operations, political affairs, daily life, gender, and popular culture." —Pedro Santoni, California State University, San Bernardino
"What makes this edited collection truly distinctive is the large amount of material from the Mexican side. . . . There is really nothing like it available. . . . Pellón has done a beautiful job of translating the numerous Spanish-language excerpts that editor Conway has selected, and as a result this is the first reader on this topic to really articulate the complexity of the Mexican side of the conflict. The Introduction, chronology, and explanatory headnotes and footnotes throughout are all very clear and helpful." —Shelley Streeby, University of California, San Diego
Learn More"Columbus had been the subject of many biographies, but the approach of Columbus on Himself is unique. Fernández-Armesto has created, as far as it is possible, an account of Christopher Columbus's life based on his own words. Columbus left far more potentially autobiographical writings than his contemporary explorers from the age of European expansion, but there are gaps in the record. Fernández-Armesto has arranged Columbus's writings chronologically so readers can see Columbus's development, and intersperses them with his insightful commentary. The translations are Fernández-Armesto's own. Recommended."
—R. Fritze, Athens State University, in Choice
This annotated collection of three early modern English plays allows readers to explore the relationship between Shakespeare's Shrew and two closely related plays of the same genre, the earlier of which, the anonymous The Taming of a Shrew (whether inspired by Shakespeare's play or vice-versa), once enjoyed a level of popularity that likely surpassed that of Shakespeare's play. The editors' Introduction brilliantly illuminates points of comparison between the three, their larger themes included, and convincingly argues that Shakespeare's Shrew is seen all the more vividly when the anonymous A Shrew and Fletcher's table-turning The Tamer Tamed are waiting in the wings.
Learn More“A judiciously chosen selection of the highlights of the famous Liang-Zhu story cycle with a particular focus on earlier and little-known redactions in a multiplicity of genres. Expertly translated with glosses on cultural items, this volume will prove a boon to the English reader with an interest in the riches of Chinese oral and vernacular culture. Scholars and students of Chinese literature and culture will value this volume for the insight it gives into the emergence and development of the story at key points in the tradition. Teachers of Chinese literature, history, and gender studies too will find much to draw inspiration from in the introduction, the translated stories and the background material presented in this book.”
—CHINOPERL Papers
Companion Website: A free Classical Latin companion website with exercises, audio, flashcards, and more is available here.
"To all my Latin colleagues: switch to this book! I have taught from half a dozen different Latin texts over the years, and have always wished there was something else I could be using. Finally that something else has arrived! I was pleasantly surprised at its accessibility, liveliness, and clarity. I have used it for two years now at the University of Delaware with great results. It fits extremely well into a two-semester elementary program. Each chapter features clear explanations of a manageable amount of material, with a variety of exercises ranging from simple to difficult, so the instructor can select what to give the students. The most capable students can do more difficult exercises, the average student is challenged but not overwhelmed, and the students with weaker language abilities are able to make it through the language requirement successfully. I have told all my friends in the field to try this book!" —Lynn Sawlivich, University of Delaware
Learn MoreCompanion Website: A free Classical Latin companion website with exercises, audio, flashcards, and more is available here.
Designed to reinforce JC McKeown's Classical Latin: An Introductory Course, this innovative workbook offers a wide range of exercises, accommodating a wide range of learning styles, to help students master Latin morphology and vocabulary. Included are exercises involving parsing, correcting mistakes, completing sentences by providing the correct inflected word ending, distinguishing words within an unbroken series of letters, recognizing word forms, unscrambling anagrams, and more. A superb supplement to a brilliant Introductory Latin textbook.
Learn More"Since [Chariton's Callirhoe and Xenophon of Ephesos' An Ephesian Story] first found their way into the mainstream of Classics instruction twenty years ago, the need for new translations has become obvious, not only because of the textual and theoretical advances made in the interim, but because of demand for examining them in broader contexts. For both surveys of Greek and Roman literature and courses on the history of prose fiction, that demand has now been elegantly met. Trzaskoma's translation, based on greatly improved Greek texts, shows a sophisticated appreciation of the range in vocabulary and tone within Chariton, and similarities and differences in style between Chariton and Xenophon become easily apparent. . . . The Chariton and Xenophon I thought I knew have become much richer and more compelling texts. Any student of the ancient novel, and any teacher wanting to create more students of the ancient novel, needs to read this book."
—Joel C. Relihan, Professor of Classics, Wheaton College (Norton, Mass.)
China: A History, Volume 1: From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire (10,000 BCE—1799) — Now available in two volumes, this accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to the political, social, and cultural history of China provides a balanced and thoughtful account of the development of Chinese civilization from its beginnings to the present day. Each volume includes ample illustrations, a full complement of maps, a chronological table, extensive notes, recommendations for further reading and an index.
Learn MoreChina: A History, Volume 2: From the Great Qing Empire through the People's Republic of China (1644—2009) — Now available in two volumes, this accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to the political, social, and cultural history of China provides a balanced and thoughtful account of the development of Chinese civilization from its beginnings to the present day. Each volume includes ample illustrations, a full complement of maps, a chronological table, extensive notes, recommendations for further reading and an index.
Learn More"With admirable sensitivity to the meaning and style of the originals, Edward J. Gallagher has skillfully rendered these charming Old French verse narratives from the late twelfth century into engaging and readable modern English prose. Gallagher includes a detailed commentary on each of the twelve lays, two useful glossaries, and a selection of lays in Old French. Readers will appreciate his substantial and informative introduction to the works of Marie de France and to the illustrious literary and cultural context within which these masterpieces in miniature took shape."
—Donald Maddox, University of Massachusetts Amherst
"Author Rich Amada has done a remarkable job in de-mystifying the legal system and basic law for creative types. Amada has written this work in a very clear and even humorous manner, making it a surprisingly easy, quick read. Anyone can readily understand the basics to how to protect one’s work and potentially maximize profits from creative labor after reading Amada’s book."
—Andy Rodriguez, New Phoenix Filmworks
"This is the first real text, the first real primer for how to be a dramaturg in a variety of settings—from production to new plays. It takes a student from a close reading (really directing that reading) to formulating questions, to meeting with directors, playwrights, designers, to formulating acting packets and finally to opening night. I don't think any other book on the market does such a complete job with such research and in such a great format."
—Mark Charney, Clemson University
"Laury Magnus's edition of The Comedy of Errors is a treasure—it gives us all the footnotes Kittredge never himself wrote along with a superb collection of production photographs of a wide variety of performances and extended production notes. The introduction is comprehensive in establishing the various ideas and dimensions of a play mistakenly thought to be the simple Roman farce of a young playwright. And teachers will find the extended list of assignments as suggestively fruitful as students reading the play for the first time. This combination is a real winner."
—Arthur F. Kinney, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Three Centuries of Spanish Short Stories invites readers to discover seventeen Spanish short stories written by well-known and also several newly recognized authors from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Authors represented in the anthology include: Juan Valera , Mercedes Abad and Jose Maria Merino. Intermediate and advanced students of Spanish learn about the modern Spanish short story and gain confidence in their literary analysis while strengthening their speaking, reading and writing skills. Numerous pre and post-reading activities for each short story generate classroom conversations. For Spanish language courses in third year or higher, in Spanish literature, the Spanish short story, history of literature, or topics courses where short stories form special topics.
Learn MoreKeitel and Crawford have produced a college level commentary of Cicero's great speech which provides insights into Roman life and culture, the nature and tools of Roman rhetoric, and, through the inclusion of correspondence and other texts, the life and friendships of Cicero himself. This volume includes the Latin text with vocabulary, exercises, notes, and an extensive introduction.
Learn MoreThe Process of Dramaturgy: A Handbook offers a series of workable strategies and practical exercises meant to develop and improve the skills needed during the practice of production dramaturgy. This innovative text was created for students, emerging dramaturges, directors and designers.
Learn More"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
Learn MoreWritten entirely in Spanish, the book is designed to help native English speaking students improve their Spanish pronunciation. Appropriate for those with two years of Spanish on up, the text is ideal for lower level classes to catch bad speaking habits before they set in. For upper level classes the book can serve as a tool to refine pronunciation skills. The book is designed to be completed in one semester and covers specific pronunciation issues common to English speakers and solutions to these problems. Side by side English and Spanish word comparisons are made to allow the student to first pronounce the English and then the Spanish words, providing ear training and articulating exercises. A variety of oral exercises are included which can be practiced in groups. Course Instructors: An electronic instructor's manual is available for qualified course instructors who have adopted this text for their course. If you have adopted the text, click here to request the instructor's manual.
Learn MoreA unique anthology featuring contributions to the dispute over free will from Aristotle to the twenty-first century, Derk Pereboom's volume presents the most thoughtful positions taken in this crucial debate and discusses their consequences for free will's traditional corollary, moral responsibility. The Second Edition retains the organizational structure that made its predecessor the leading anthology of its kind, while adding major new selections by such philosophers as Spinoza, Reid, John Martin Fischer, Robert Kane, Galen Strawson, and Timothy O'Connor.
Learn MoreCorneille's Le Cid, the powerful, classic, seventeenth-century tragicomedy, has been designed in this edition to help English-speaking students approach the original French, with an introductory essay, language and culture notes, and study questions, all in one convenient volume.
Learn MoreBased on the pioneering text Cinema for Spanish Conversation, ¡De Pelicula! uses recent feature films with a PG or PG-13 rating to build Spanish language skills in listening, speaking, and reading. The text also provides a unique method to explore the cultural concepts depicted in the films. As with the parent text, ¡De Pelicula! provides a context for listening to the film through previewing exercises, background information, vocabulary, cultural material, and post-viewing exercises, including student exercises to be done in small groups. This version covers eight films and may be used as a primary or ancillary text in fourth year high school courses, for community college courses—especially those language courses taught in the evening—or in single-semester courses at most colleges. Course Instructors: An electronic (PDF only) instructor's manual is available for qualified adopters. If you have adopted the text, request the instructor's manual here.
Learn More"This edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream is wonderfully lucid and thoughtful, offering supporting material that will appeal to readers from high school students to scholars. The introduction is especially thoughtful, offering, in addition to expected discussions of love, magic and imagination, an exploration of the theatrical history. The bibliography and filmography are both detailed and helpful, and the questions guide students to consider the play from many viewpoints without ever forcing an interpretation onto them."
—Annalisa Castaldo, Widener University
"Laury Magnus' edition of The Taming of the Shrew is much more than a revision of Kittredge. Her splendid introduction and appendices are sensitive to the play’s language and its paradoxical nuances of gender, and she understands that the play is, after all, a love story. Her explanatory notes are excellent, but most impressive and original is her emphasis on film, theater, and television performance."
—Maurice Charney, Emeritus, Rutgers University
"This is an exciting new edition, with a clear and lively introduction that succinctly captures the play's complexity and challenges. Wells' discussion of the play's relationship with Henry IV, Part One is especially thoughtful, and his attention to performance and film history is extremely valuable. The thorough and clear notes will be extremely helpful to students navigating Shakespeare's language for the first time, as well as for deepening the understanding of those who have some familiarity already. All in all, this is a valuable treatment of an often difficult play."
—Tanya Pollard, Brooklyn College, CUNY
Prudence Steiner's lively prose translations remain close to the original French, giving us the speech of the characters in a slightly compressed and formalized language that echoes the effect created by Molière's verse. Roger Herzel's thoughtful Introduction discusses Molière's life; Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and the comic tradition; and the setting, casting, and style of the plays.
Learn More"Nicholson discusses the many different types of crusades, including not only the expeditions to the Holy Land, but also those against heretics and pagans in Europe; the "reconquest" of Spain from the Muslims; and crusades against the Turks in the Balkans. She also discusses the different schools of thought among historians as to how to define crusades and why medieval Christians went on them. . . . The appended biographies and glossary are well done, but even more useful are the relevant primary documents conveniently included."
—School Library Journal
The Essential Mengzi offers a representative selection from Bryan Van Norden's acclaimed translation of the full work, including the most frequently studied passages and covering all of the work's major themes. An appendix of selections from the classic commentary of Zhu Xi—one of the most influential and insightful interpreters of Confucianism—keyed to relevant passages, provides access to the text and to its reception and interpretation. Also included are a general Introduction, timeline, glossary, and selected bibliography.
"An excellent translation of one of the truly great philosophical texts in world literature. Van Norden also provides an invaluable running philosophical commentary, drawing primarily from Zhu Xi's tremendously influential reading of the text. This is a wonderful contribution." —Michael Puett, Harvard University
"An excellent anthology. . . . [This] book has a wide range of selections, which offers the students a deep understanding of the many different voices and groups in Russia during this time. The introductions to the selections are clear and place the documents within their historical context. The selections are very interesting and informative. I would strongly recommend this book for undergraduate classes in modern Russian history. The book makes this very complex period come to life by giving such a broad selection of documents."
—Mary Louise Loe, James Madison University
"This volume is a most welcome and much needed resource for the classroom, and a marked improvement over the Penguin editions of Cicero's selected speeches and selected political speeches, which it should supersede. A very well-chosen selection of speeches, accurately and fluidly translated, and handsomely produced. I especially appreciate the inclusion of clear maps and the section "Roman institutions and offices" which should prove especially useful for students."
—Amanda Wilcox, Williams College
This volume offers lively and accurate translations of Chekhov's major plays and one-acts (complete contents listed below) along with a superb Introduction focused on the plays' remarkably enduring power to elicit the most widely divergent of responses, the life of the playwright in its historical and aesthetic contexts, suggestions for reading the plays "under a microscope," and notes designed to bring Chekhov's world into immediate focus—everything needed to examine his drama with fresh eyes and on its own artistic terms. Three Jokes: The Bear, The Proposal, The Anniversary. The Major Plays: The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard.
"Philip Barnard and Stephen Shapiro have produced an awesome edition of Brown's Ormond by providing copious explanatory notes and helpful documentation of the essential historical context of feminist, radical, egalitarian, and abolitionist expression. Oh, ye patriots, read it and learn!"
—Peter Linebaugh, University of Toledo
Of the many ballads, tales, and plays extolling filial piety (xiao)—the foundational virtue of imperial China—none was more popular in that era than the legend of Dong Yong and his heavenly helpmate, Weaving Maiden. Continually revised and embellished over a millennium, the tale's popularity remains, finding new expression in Chinese film and opera in the twentieth century. The five versions of the legend presented here, alongside a selection of related texts, illustrate changing perceptions of xiao from the tenth century through the first part of the twentieth in a variety of genres. An appendix traces the development of the related legend of Weaving Maiden and Buffalo Boy from myth to folktale.
Learn MoreThis collection of classic and contemporary readings in ethics presents sharp, competing views on a wide range of fundamentally important topics: moral relativism and objectivism, ethical egoism, value theory, utilitarianism, deontological ethics, virtue ethics, ethics and religion, and applied ethics. The Fourth Edition dramatically increases the volume’s utility by expanding and updating the selections and introductions while retaining the structure that has made previous editions so successful. (North American rights only)
Learn MoreDostoevsky's disturbing and groundbreaking novella appears in this new annotated edition with an Introduction by Charles Guignon and Kevin Aho. An analogue of Guignon's widely praised Introduction to his 1993 edition of "The Grand Inquisitor," the editors' Introduction places the underground man in the context of European modernity, analyzes his inner dynamics in the light of the history of Russian cultural and intellectual life, and suggests compelling reasons for our own strange affinity for this nameless man who boldly declares, "I was rude and took pleasure in being so."
Learn More"[A] gem . . . Jackson's emendations are judicious, his translation reads well. . . . The exemplary work of Peter Jackson and David Morgan will remain indispensable to all interested in the wealth of information contained in Rubruck's report."
—Denis Sinor, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
"Modern Chivalry is a singularly rich and undeniably important American novel, and Ed White's magnificent new edition does it superb credit. It is at once a bold literary experiment and an incisive social document; its formal adventurousness is matched by its searching political commentary. White's meticulous editing and annotation, and his superb Introduction and interpretive apparatus, make this an edition that will be greatly useful in the classroom as well as magnificently informative and challenging for scholars. Most important, it returns to print in beautiful form a deeply fascinating and wonderfully confounding early American literary masterpiece, one of the truly great American books. Henry Adams aptly called it 'a satire on democracy written by a democrat,' celebrated its 'genuine and original qualities,' and said it was 'more thoroughly American than any book yet published.' Modern Chivalry's capacious humor, epic ambition, and trenchant political satire make it not only intellectually fascinating but also wickedly enjoyable."
—Christopher Looby, Department of English, UCLA
"After his beautiful translation of Baudelaire's Paris Spleen, Raymond N. MacKenzie now offers us a fresh, superb version of Madame Bovary by Flaubert. Impeccably transparent, this new translation captures the original's careful, precise language and admirably conveys the small-mindedness of nineteenth-century provincial French towns. MacKenzie's tour de force transports the reader to Yonville and compels him to look at Emma with Flaubert's calm, disenchanted eyes."
—Thomas Pavel, University of Chicago
"Both by introducing the legend in such artfully rendered translations and showing its evolution over time, Idema has opened an extraordinary window on traditional Chinese popular culture. In keeping with his record, Idema's scholarship is outstanding. His ability to translate popular texts into comparably idiomatic English is an outstanding achievement. An extremely valuable text for teaching."
—Hugh R. Clark, Ursinus College
"This commentary combines grammatical assistance with analysis of the text in ways which make reading easier and encourage interpretation. It also introduces current debates in Virgilian scholarship clearly and helpfully, and promotes and provides guidance for further reading. Perkell has provided valuable support for those wishing to teach Aeneid 3 at an intermediate level, and I look forward to the other volumes in this series."
—Anne Rogerson, University of Sydney, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"Here is a book that acknowledges that the most difficult aspect of writing in a play is not the lack of a clear formula, but rather the lack of a process that offers structure without impeding inspiration. Michael Wright’s self-proclaimed ‘anti-how-to’ book is a rare and wonderful gem. His etudes offer a practical road map to the intangible heart and soul of the creative impulse; reminding us that writerly muscles must regularly bend, expand and breathe. With this new edition, Mr. Wright truly takes us to the next level, including ‘call-outs’ that invite the writer to actively engage the world-at-large as a part of his/her writing process. This is far more than a book of exercises. It is an invitation to focus on the process of writing, rather than the product."
—Jeni Mahoney, Artistic Director, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference (id Theater)
Ideal for students and scholars alike, this edition of Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) includes the complete Inner Chapters, extensive selections from the Outer and Miscellaneous Chapters, and judicious selections from two thousand years of traditional Chinese commentaries, which provide the reader access to the text as well as to its reception and interpretation. A glossary, brief biographies of the commentators, a bibliography, and an index are also included.
Learn More"Tanner has written an excellent text on Chinese history which offers a fine balance between the traditional and the modern. He also charts a good balance between studies of the elite, government, philosophy and diplomacy and, on the other hand, analyses of ordinary people, economic institutions, social patterns, and folk religion. The book provides a comprehensive view of Chinese culture, including developments in literature and the arts. A generous selection of illustrations facilitates comprehension of and pleasure in the visual arts. Finally, Professor Tanner's consideration of Western contact with China and the attendant problems and gains is judicious and informative."
—Morris Rossabi, Distinguished Professor of History, City University of New York