A Loeb Classical Library Reader

by Loeb Classical Library

This selection of lapidary nuggets drawn from 33 of antiquity’s major authors includes poetry, dialogue, philosophical writing, history, descriptive reporting, satire, and fiction―giving a glimpse at the wide range of arts and sciences, thought and styles, of Greco-Roman culture. The selections span twelve centuries, from Homer to Saint Jerome. The texts and translations are reproduced as they appear in Loeb volumes. The Loeb Classical Library® is the only existing series of books which, through original text and facing English translation, gives access to all that is important in Greek and Latin literature. A Loeb Classical Library Reader offers a unique sampling of this treasure trove. In these pages you will Odysseus tricking the Cyclops in order to escape from the giant’s cave; Zeus creating the first woman, Pandora, cause of mortals’ hardships ever after; the Athenian general Nicias dissuading his countrymen from invading Sicily; Socrates, condemned to die, saying farewell; a description of Herod’s fortified palace at Masada; Cicero’s thoughts on what we owe our fellow men; Livy’s description of the rape of the Sabine women; Manilius on the signs of the zodiac; and Pliny’s observation of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. Here you can enjoy looking in on people, real and imaginary, who figure prominently in ancient history, and on notable events. Here, too, you can relish classical poetry and comedy, and get a taste of the ideas characteristic of the splendid culture to which we are heir.

Genres: Classics, History, Language, Poetry, Nonfiction, Literature, Philosophy

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb) is a series of books, today published by Harvard University Press, which presents important works of ancient Greek and Latin literature in a way designed to make the text accessible to the broadest possible audience, by presenting the original Greek or Latin text on each left-hand page, and a fairly literal translation on the facing page. The General Editor is Jeffrey Henderson, holder of the William Goodwin Aurelio Professorship of Greek Language and Literature at Boston University.

Reviews

[Daniel Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indescribably wonderful, if tantalizing, little book. I'm more than a little annoyed with myself for not discovering the Loeb collection earlier.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this - it is a sampler of ancient greek and roman literature, with a lot of famous passages from mythology. It also includes the text in the original languages, which was lost on me but probably good for someone who studied classics.

[Graychin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a friend said to me when I picked this up at Powell’s, “that would make a nice bathroom book.” Indeed. It would do equally well as a bedside book for those evenings when you feel yourself maybe 3-5 pages from sleep. I do have some complaints about the selections, of course. Some of them are just too short, and they could have done better by Herodotus, Plato, and Aristotle. Fragments from Heraclitus would also have been nice, and some Diogenes Laertius for fun.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am troubled by the contempt that the young appear to feel for anything they regard as "ancient history." The old Greeks and Romans were not noticeably different from us. Perhaps we feel somewhat alienated from the old Olympian religious myths, which is understandable, but in most other respects, their thoughts and feelings are not markedly different than our own.

This collection from Harvard's Loeb Classical Library contains some 33 snippets from Homer's Odyssey to the letters of St. Jerome. This is a delightful little vade mecum to take with you when there is a possibility that you will have to wait for a few minutes. You will find yourself reveling in Odysseus's escape from the Cyclops; Antigone's defiance of Creon in Sophocles's play; General Nicias's attempt to dissuade the Greeks from their disastrous invasion of Syracuse; Socrates's advice to his friends as he is about to be executed; Romulus's Rape of the Sabine Women; and Petronius's brutal satire of the nouveau riche Trimalchio.

The Loeb Classical Library Reader comes in a pocket-sized edition that enables you to acquaint yourself with some of the greatest thinkers and poets of all time.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reader was just a joy to work through. A nice selection of classic Greek and Latin texts, with the original language opposite an English translation. It was fun to try to remember some of my Greek and also to try to work through some Latin that I could figure out from experience, English vocabulary and knowing a little Spanish. I'd read some of the pieces, but most of the Latin selections were new to me.

I really enjoyed Terence's play "The Brothers" (p. 126) with regard to how to raise children: the authoritarian vs the loving way. Cicero's "On Duties" (p. 132) was excellent. One thing he wrote was that one should not enrich themselves by stealing from their neighbors. I thought of the idea of the "social contract" and was pleased to see that this work has had such an impact up through today.

It was very exciting to read Pliny the Younger's letter about the eruption of Vesuvius that killed his uncle, Pliny the Elder (p. 207). To read a first hand account, even though it was written many years after the eruption, was thrilling. It rooted a historical experience into a personal frame.

And finally, I loved the Latin phrase that Virgil coined in his Aeneid (p. 152): "Timeo Danous et dona ferentis" ... 'I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts.'

[Ian Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a handy little book that you can slip into your pocket or bag and dip into as the fancy takes you; or read from cover to cover, as I did while commuting from South East London to Newbury. That’s a difficult commute at the best of times, but for a few days at least this Loeb Classical Reader made it a lot more bearable than usual.
It’s a small book but it’s a real treasure chest of great Classical literature. One of its most attractive features is that although most of the authors you’d expect to find in a book like this are there, the selections are often unusual, i.e. they’re not the run of the mill anthologised selections that would make you groan “Not that again!” For example, the Cicero is not from one of the speeches or letters but from one of his philosophical works. Similarly, the Ovid is not from his erotic poems but from the Heroides. There are some less well known writers here as well, such as Manilius and Josephus. What you get here is a fascinating mix of tragedy, comedy, history, gossip, philosophy, militaristic propaganda and sublime poetry.
I must admit that I struggled with the Greek, despite trying to teach myself the lingo over the last five years, so the facing translations were more than helpful. I found the Latin easier and managed to read most of the passages without having to refer to the translation. Whether you read Greek or Latin, both or neither, I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to learn something about classical literature as the translations are generally very readable while being close to the original. Great stuff all round!

[Sarah Morgan Sandquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book was a big paradox. Just the size of my (small) hand and only as thick as my thumb, it contained a large-ish sample of some of the best works by classical authors. However, with extremely generous margins, and a Greek translation on every lefthand page, there is a lot less content than it first seems.

I feel that more selections could have been included or the existent could have been expanded without making the book much bulkier and the result wod have pleased readers.

[Brian Weisz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little sampler of ancient classics.

[Evan Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, unexpectedly moving. Would take me decades to discover these gems on my own.

[Jack Caulfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny little thing with charming extracts in a charming format.

[Bryan]

excellent overview of classic authors, not just the aristotles and sophocles but some less commonly known names as well. however, the translations are doggedly literal, often turn-of-the-century (the 19th one, not this one) and, as such, can be pretty dry.

[Jonathan]

None

[Sven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars. No regrets.

[Mark]

I know this is an odd complaint for a title from the Loeb Library, but I found the translations on the rectos left something to be desired.