Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans

by Plutarch

Plutarch of Chaeronea is one of the great storytellers of antiquity, a writer whose ability to create unforgettable scenes matches the grandeur of his subject matter. The heroes of his Lives were the great men of antiquity, often greatly flawed, but with tragic depth and epic stature. Thomas North's translation, one of the most splendid works of sixteenth-century English prose, presents a vigorous and passionate... (more)

Aeneid (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

Aeneid (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

by Virgil

'Something greater than the Iliad is being brought to birth', wrote Virgil's contemporary Propertius, in Western literature's most famous flourish of advance publicity. The Aeneid was published after Virgil's death, and at once established itself as Rome's national poem. The hero Aeneas flees from the sack of Troy, and after much suffering carves out a foothold for the future Romans in Italy. While defining and... (more)

The Golden Ass

by P. G. Walsh, Apuleius, John Arthur Hanson

Written towards the end of the second century AD, "The Golden Ass" tells the story of the many adventures of a young man whose fascination with witchcraft leads him to be transformed into a donkey. The bewitched Lucius passes from owner to owner - encountering a desperate gang of robbers and being forced to perform lewd 'human' tricks on stage - until the Goddess Isis finally breaks the spell and Lucius is... (more)

Njal's Saga

by Anonymous

Written in the thirteenth century, Njal's Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems-from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law's inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. It is populated by memorable and complex characters like Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a powerful warrior with an aversion... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: black 8vo