Customer Reviews

Ovid's Metamorphoses: Books 1-5 (Bks. 1-5)

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This commentary on Ovid's Metamorphoses is directed at Latin students at the advanced undergraduate and early graduate level, but it also has a lot to offer to scholars and other people who are able to read and enjoy Ovid's original Latin. Written by one of the most distinguished experts in the field, the Latin text of the book follows that of Anderson's own Teubner edition (6.ed. 1993). The commentary reflects Anderson's deep familiarity with Ovid's poetry and his high critical acumen. For a more detailed and highly positive review, see, e.g., Stephen Wheeler in American Journal of Philology 120 (1999) 170-73.

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I just wanted to let the interested (particularly the beginning or intermediate student of Latin) know that, while this is a fantastic edition of Books 1-5 and probably by far the most in-depth commentary available for them, it is not marked (i.e., no macra). Additionally, the Latin text of the Metamorphoses and the line-by-line commentary are entirely separate, so the frequent flipping back and forth can begin to feel cumbersome at times. These things said, I do recommend Anderson's commentary to anyone who desires a brilliant, scholarly light to be shed upon Ovid's Metamorphoses; just be aware that this commentary cannot, as Pharr's Aeneid can, be used in lieu of serious attention to the language and a liberal amount of elbow grease.