The Oxford companion to classical literature [Hardcover]

Sir Paul Harvey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1937

Modern literature teems with classical allusions. This book is a convenient guide to the important names and facts of classical antquity for today's reader. Over 95 articles explain the multiple elements of classical literature, give some account of the principal authors and their subjects, and describe important mythological figures.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This opulent companion offers the general reader help of every kind in the understanding of classical literature. More than a handbook of authors and titles, the guide illumines the faded images of mythological and historical figures, as well as providing articles on general topics: e.g., genre, theater, politics, religion, the transmission of texts through the Renaissance, and such intimate mysteries as meter. This extensively redesigned second edition, assuming no prior knowledge of ancient languages, greatly expands upon and brings up to date Paul Harvey's popular original volume, published in 1937. This edition should enjoy its own quinquagenial (or 50th) anniversary.
- Stephen Scully, Boston Univ.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Review from previous edition: "useful and enjoyable... a miniature encyclopedia of the Graeco-Roman world" --Listener

"a standard reference book for the forseeable future" --Contemporary Review

"a volume for all seasons... indispensable" --Times Educational Supplement

"will be the vade mecum of schoolchildren and undergraduates for generations to come" --Sunday Telegraph

"A necessity for any seriously literary household." --History Today --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Oxford University Press/Clarendon Press; First Edition edition (January 1, 1937)
• ASIN: B00005WJX8
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,115,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avocational Requirement, February 12, 2004

By 

Gordon Snedecor "pdx gordon" (Portland, OREGON USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in reading from Greek and Latin / Roman history, literature, philosophy, &c. this will help you through. Entries include texts, themes, authors, characters, place names, and genre discussion.

If you have always wanted to read Virgil, Homer, Julius Caesar, and were not inclined to begin with a chronological survey of culture, history, philosophy, this book will enliven and make intelligible your reading. One literary help for me was to be able to look up the name of a character, geographical location, or common noun, and find enough information to make a whole text intelligible.

While Oxford Classical Dictionary covers subjects in greater detail, this volume is a direct help in reading Greek and Latin texts in translation.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Survey of Classical Literature, June 13, 2005

By 

Paul N. Walton (SF Bay Area, California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Hardcover)

A useful reference work for anyone interested in the literature of the ancient world, The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature is arranged alphabetically and contains encyclopedic entries for all of the major authors and their particular works, Greek and Latin gods, mythological characters, histories of Greece and Rome, major historical figures, and relevant places.

The original edition of the 1930s by Sir Paul Harvey became a classic of its own and was intended by the author to be a handbook of information for readers of the Greek and Latin authors and of modern works that touched upon the classical world. The current second edition is edited by Margaret Howatson, who revises and enlarges the Harvey edition. She notes that while a few of the entries on technical subjects were written with classical specialists in mind, the book generally requires no knowledge of Greek or Latin and is intended for anyone curious to find out more about the classical world.

An ideal companion for any reader interested in Greek or Latin literature and history.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 5, 2011

By 

M. Walker - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (Hardcover)

This is an excellent volume in the Oxford Companion series. It is brief enough to fit on your shelf and light enough to pick up without difficulty (we know how rarely we pick up a book that is actually heavy). The contents, though, belie the size of the book. I have rarely been disappointed when I go to it for background information or for summaries of longer works. It is small enough to have on the table to read over breakfast. Heartily recommended.