Memorable Deeds and Sayings: A Thousand Tales from Ancient Rome - Softcover

Maximus, Valerius

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0872206742 ISBN 13: 9780872206748

Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2004

Synopsis

Popular in its day both as a sourcebook for writers and orators and as a guidebook for living a moral life, this remarkably rich document serves as an engaging introduction to the cultural and moral history of ancient Rome. Valerius' "thousand tales" are arranged thematically in ninety-one chapters that cover nearly every aspect of life in the ancient world, including such wide-ranging topics as military discipline, child rearing, and women lawyers. As a whole, the work gives the reader fascinating insights into what it felt like to be an ancient Roman, what the ancient Romans really believed, what their private world was like, how they related to one another, and what they did when nobody was watching.

About this title

About the Author:

Henry John Walker is Lecturer in Classical and Medieval Studies, Bates College.

Review:

The publication of Henry John Walker's translation of Memorable Deeds and Sayings ensures a wider readership for Valerius' great compendium of Greco-Roman lore. Of the many merits of Walker's translation, I would cite especially its readability. Walker has produced a version of Valerius Maximus that reflects the original’s wide sweep, but in Walker's hands Valerius tells a seamless story in multiple parts. This translation will be easily used by students in the classroom and by scholars. It is a substantial accomplishment: a superior new translation that renders a monument of Latin literature accessible in every way to multiple audiences.--Joseph Pucci, Brown University

About this edition

• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0872206742
• ISBN 13: 9780872206748
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 392