Gods and Heroes of the Greeks: The Library of Apollodorus [Paperback]

Apollodorus (Author), Leonard Baskin (Illustrator), Michael Simpson (Translator, Introduction)

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Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 311 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Pr (October 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870232061
• ISBN-13: 978-0870232060
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Greek

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on: Ancient Handbook of Ancient Myth, January 3, 2005

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Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gods and Heroes of the Greeks: The Library of Apollodorus (Paperback)

This is one of several translations of an ancient (date disputed) compilation of summaries of stories of the gods and heroes of Greece (but not Rome), based, where it can be checked, on excellent sources. If the name of the author is correct, he cannot be the "Apollodorus the Grammarian" to whom the work used to be attributed, but given the lack of fraudulent internal claims, the bare name seems to me better than "Pseudo-Apollodorus". Given the huge amount of classical literature that has been lost, and the primary sources to which this compiler seems to have had access (whoever and whenever he was), it is even more regrettable that a portion of "The Library" survives only in an abridged form. (Fortunately, part of the re-summarized material is Homeric; unfortunately, some of it is not.)

This translation features extensive commentary giving detailed comparisons to other classical versions of the divine and heroic stories, combined with surveys of modern literary uses of the stories. The latter is now dated, of course, and Sir James Frazer (of "The Golden Bough") gave even more information from ancient sources in his commentary (with translation facing a Greek text) of 1921 (two volumes in the Loeb Classical Library). But Michael Simpson is clear, and, on the whole, well organized. Some readers seem to have found the language too American for their taste. It should be remembered that the author, whoever he was, used a kind of "international literary Greek," which probably seemed fairly up-to-date to his well-educated readers. Whether academic American English is a good substitute is certainly arguable.

The index is not nearly as comprehensive as that in Keith Aldrich's rival version of 1975 (now out of print), but it usually helpful, and Aldrich does not discuss other ancient versions in any detail, or refer to modern literary versions. A recent translation by Robin Hard also has a better index (several, in fact), and is fairly good on ancient variants, but likewise avoids treatment of modern versions of the old stories. Simpson's commentary appears as endnotes to sections of the main text, which makes for frequent interruptions, but I have used this edition for a quarter century with considerable enjoyment, and frequent enlightenment about other ancient works.

Simpson's translation lacks the textual notes and apparatus of Robin Hard's 1997 translation, and Hard's introduction and commentary show both a later stage of classical studies and a more sophisticated view of the structure of "The Library". The two translations meet different needs, and it is good to have both available. If Aldrich was reprinted to join Frazer's more expensive translation (with Greek text), one might have to make a hard decision about how many versions can be afforded, and how much shelf space they deserve. As it is, the serious student and the lover of ancient literature may want to have both Simpson and Hard at hand, or in a convenient library; Frazer's edition can be consulted on-line at the Perseus site (but is rather difficult to read as presented there).

The Leonard Baskin illustrations are, in my opinion, an attractive feature; Aldrich's translation was also illustrated. However, a good selection of ancient art portraying (or possibly portraying) some of the stories or characters would also be welcome. But an edition "Illustrated from Ancient Monuments" would introduce another set of problems; for which, see Timothy Gantz, "Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources."