First published in 1901 and long out-of-print, The Marrow of Tradition is in many respects the most artistically and historically interesting of Charles W. Chesnutt's three novels of Southern life. In this stirring tale of racial confrontation in a reconstructionist Southern town, Chesnutt dramatically explores themes which were to be developed by later American novelists: the basic interdependence of white and black attitudes and actions, the effects of a racial mythology on black and white alike. Above all, The Marrow of Tradition affords the modern reader a swift-moving plot and a memorable cast of characters-among them the imperious Major Carteret, whose newspaper dominates the town of Wellington; Dr. William Miller, a young Negro physician married to Mrs. Carteret's unacknowledged octoroon half-sister; and Josh Green, a laborer who plans to settle an old debt with the area's most notorious white Negro-baiter. The work of Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) represents an important landmark in the history of Negro fiction in America. Largely self-educated, Chesnutt was one of the first American authors to directly challenge some of the racial stereotypes to which an earlier generation of American readers had become accustomed.

Nonnos of Panopolis in Egypt, who lived in the fifth century of our era, composed the last great epic poem of antiquity. The "Dionysiaca," in 48 books, has for its chief theme the expedition of Dionysus against the Indians; but the poet contrives to include all the adventures of the god (as well as much other mythological lore) in a narrative which begins with chaos in heaven and ends with the apotheosis of Ariadne's crown. The wild ecstasy inspired by the god is certainly reflected in the poet's style, which is baroque, extravagant, and unrestrained. It seems that Nonnos was in later years converted to Christianity, for in marked contrast to the "Dionysiaca," a poem dealing unreservedly with classical myths and redolent of a pagan outlook, there is extant and ascribed to him a hexameter paraphrase of the Gospel of John.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of the "Dionysiaca" is in three volumes.

THE WORLD S GREATEST WAR NOVEL Humans and gods wrestling with towering emotions. Men fighting to the death amid devastation and destruction. Perhaps the Western world s first and best storyteller, Homer draws the reader in with bated breath. His masterful tale contains some of the most famous episodes in all of literature: the curse on the prophet Cassandra; the siege of Troy; the battle between Hector and Achilles; the face that launched a thousand ships; and of course, the deception of the Trojan Horse. To this day, the heroism and adventure of "The Iliad" have remained unmatched in song and story. In his plain English translation, W.H.D. Rouse makes a point to keep the language as colloquial as Homer s original was, never pedantic, high-flown, or cliched. In fact, it is the nearest contemporary English equivalent to the epic Homer s audience heard at their banquets.

"Plato is philosophy, and philosophy, Plato."--Emerson
"The Republic" and other great dialogues by the immortal Greek philosopher Plato are masterpieces that form part of the most important single body of writing in the history of philosophy. Beauty, love, immortality, knowledge, and justice are discussed in these dialogues, which magnificently express the glowing spirit of Platonic philosophy.
Translated by W. H. D. Rouse, one of the world's most outstanding classical scholars and translator of Homer's "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad," this volume features the complete texts of seven of Plato's most revered works.
"In Rouse's pages Socrates' strength of mind, his dedication to philosophical truth, are borne in on the modern reader with something of the power that impressed and disturbed the ancient Greeks."--"Time"

Nonnos of Panopolis in Egypt, who lived in the fifth century of our era, composed the last great epic poem of antiquity. The "Dionysiaca," in 48 books, has for its chief theme the expedition of Dionysus against the Indians; but the poet contrives to include all the adventures of the god (as well as much other mythological lore) in a narrative which begins with chaos in heaven and ends with the apotheosis of Ariadne's crown. The wild ecstasy inspired by the god is certainly reflected in the poet's style, which is baroque, extravagant, and unrestrained. It seems that Nonnos was in later years converted to Christianity, for in marked contrast to the "Dionysiaca," a poem dealing unreservedly with classical myths and redolent of a pagan outlook, there is extant and ascribed to him a hexameter paraphrase of the Gospel of John.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of the "Dionysiaca" is in three volumes.

The Adventures that Shaped the Western World

First published in 1934, Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece has become one of the most popular, enduring--and captivating--retellings of the ancient myths for modern readers. Recognizing the sheer entertainment value of these timeless adventures, world renowned classical scholar W.H.D. Rouse delighted his students at the Perse School in Cambridge, England, with a conversational style and childlike wonder that made the legends come alive--a rare storytelling gift that continues to engage young and old alike.

Many of the characters in this book are familiar to us--Helen of Troy, Icarus, Zeus, Athena, to name just a few--but rarely have their stories of war and adventure, bravery and romance, been so simply and thrillingly told. From the strong-arm heroics of Heracles, to the trickery of the Trojan Horse, from the seductions of Circe the sorceress, to the terrors of the Cyclops and Minotaur, these legends have outlived the culture that bore them. But while the ancient Greeks may be long gone, their fables and morals, their heroes and heroines, live on today…