Medieval

A shortened modern prose version of the Indian epic The Ramayana is, quite simply, the greatest of Indian epics—and one of the world’s supreme masterpieces of storytelling. ‘Almost every individual living in India,’ writes R. K. Narayan in the Introduction to this new interpretation, â€... More

For centuries, Indians have held Rama to be the perfect man: unfailingly noble, utterly poised, fearless and strong, wise, compassionate and free from anger, a just ruler and an implacable foe of all wrongdoers. Countless others worship Rama as an avatar, a human incarnation of Lord Vishnu born to v... More

The text is accompanied by a wealth of carefully chosen background materials and essays. Among the background materials are selections from Homer's Odyssey, Thucydides' account of the plague, and Euripides' Phoenissae. The best of ancient and modern criticism is represented, permitting discussion fr... More

‘The facts are as stated here . . . I have set down of good and bad whatever is known.’The Babur Nama, a journal kept by Zahir Uddin Muhammad Babur (1483–1530), the founder of the Mughal Empire, is the earliest example of autobiographical writing in world literature, and one of the finest. Aga... More

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.... These are the words of ancient... More

An Imaginative rendition of the thirteenth century poet, Omar Khayyan, much of the critical debate centers upon translation as an aesthetic genre which renews itself with the remote past. Written during a time of great personal loss for FitzGerald, The Rubaiyat is very much a part of the mid Victori... More

The Kama Sutra was written approximately eighteen hundred years ago. In its unabashed, fearless and uninhibited approach to sexual passion, it is more enlightening than the theories of modern-day erotologists. The Classic India series portrays the panorama of India's cultural heritage. For centuri... More

Sun Tzu wrote his treatise on war in the 5th century BC. James Clavell commented that he believed that if military and political leaders in recent times had studied this work, Vietnam could not have happened.... More

Lattimores translation of Homers "Odyssey" into modern English has been called the best translation there is of a great, perhaps, the greatest poet by the "New York Times Book Review."The most eloquent translation of Homer's epic chronicle of the Greek hero Odysseus and his arduous journey home afte... More

Hardbound... More

Tradition ascribes the Pancatantra, a collection of fables from India, to Visnu Sarma whose existence has not been conclusively established. Faced with the challenge of educating three unlettered princes, Visnu Sarma evolved a unique pedagogy -- for his aim was to teach the princes how to think, no... More

Hardbound... More

This is the first full-scale history of medieval English literature in nearly a century. Thirty-three contributors provide information on a vast range of literary texts and the conditions of their production and reception. The volume also contains a chronology, full bibliography and a detailed index... More

Suetonius (C. Suetonius Tranquillus, born ca. 70 CE), son of a military tribune, was at first an advocate and a teacher of rhetoric, but later became the emperor Hadrian's private secretary, 119-121. He dedicated to C. Septicius Clarus, prefect of the praetorian guard, his "Lives of the Caesars." Af... More

This book introduces students to English Literature of the Anglo-Saxon period, from 600 to 1066, in a collection of fifteen specially commissioned essays. New Book... More

This Norton Critical Edition offers one of the largest collections of Middle English lyrics ever made available to the college student. In all there are 245 lyrics, arranged thematically.... More