THE OXFORD COMPANION TO CLASSICAL LITERATURE. Second Edition

blue & gilt hardcover 4to ~ 4º (quarto ~ 6.5"x9.5"). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. very fine cond. mint cond. looks new. like new. as new. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of markings. dustwrapper in very fine cond. not worn or torn or price clipped (no price listed). nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings etc~. second edition. fifth impression. 617p. + 6 b&w double page maps. chronology.A to Z listings. . ancient history. ancient literature. mythology. religion. philosophy. biography. history of science. ~ This new edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, the first major revision for fifty years, is the ideal reference book for anyone interested in the classical world and its literary heritage. The essential features include: accounts of the lives and works of the classical authors character entries and plot summaries general entries tracing the development of the various literary forms extensive coverage of the historical, political, social, and artistic background a chronological table providing instant access to the major literary and historical events of the period detailed maps pin~pointing places with important literary connections translations of all Latin and Greek words. Who was Achilles and why was his heel vulnerable? What was the sword of Damocles? How did Oedipus unwittingly fulfil his destiny? Western culture teems with allusions from classical literature, and this new edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, the first updating since Sir Paul Harvey's original edition of 1937, provides the key to these works and the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations which produced them. The book will be indispensable to all serious students of classical literature. It will be equally accessible to those with no knowledge of classical languages who wish simply to trace an allusion or understand the inspiration behind so much of Western art. All Greek is transliterated and all Latin and Greek is translated. Margaret Howatson has also condensed the findings of recent scholarship into highly readable prose and supplies more background information than was considered necessary in the first edition. The main focus of the Companion remains the lives and works of all the principal authors. Biographical entries present the essential facts and sift conjectural evidence about their subjects, while examinations of the major works extend to discussions of the philosophical dialogues and political speeches, and plot summaries of the epic poems and plays. There is ample coverage of the development of the various literary forms, such as epic, rhetorical writing, comedy, and tragedy, and a full explanation of poetic metre. Supplementing these articles are entries on the origins of the Greek and Latin alphabets and languages, while entries on books and writing and the transmission of ancient texts tell of the dissemination of these works and their collection in the great libraries of the Hellenistic world. But the Companion is also concerned with putting this literature in the context of its society and history, and consequently there are many articles on the political, social, and artistic achievements of the age. We learn of the political climate that produced the great speeches of Demosthenes and Cicero. Orators, statesmen, and generals stalk the pages. Major battles and conquests, vividly captured by contemporary historians like Thucydides and Caesar in his Commentaries, are here summarized, from the time of Alexander the Great to the Fall of Rome. Articles on contemporary social mores and religious beliefs help explain literary references, while the glories of philosophy, science, and art are celebrated from Cynics to Stoics, astronomy to water~clocks, and flute competitions to vase~painting. A helpful series of maps supplements geographical entries on pl.…