World of Heroes (Cambridge University Press)

A World of Heroes is a reader designed for students who have just completed an introductory course in ancient Greek and wish to read substantial passages of ancient authors in the original language. It introduces three of ancient Greece's most important authors, Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles, and includes such gripping and influential stories as the battle of Thermopylai (from Herodotus' Histories); the death of Hektor (the Iliad) and the fall of Oedipus. Notes accompanying each passage provide extensive help with vocabulary and translation, and each section contains a brief introduction to the author and his work. The first edition of the book proved very successful with students and instructors for more than three decades. This, the second edition, includes the same texts as the first but provides much more help with translating and understanding them in order better to meet the needs of modern students.