LITMIR.BIZ

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London sometime in the 1340s. The son of a vintner, it is believed that Chaucer came from a fairly well to do family, which enabled him as a young man to come into the service of the Countess of Ulster as the noblewoman’s page, a common form of apprenticeship in medieval times. Eventually, it is believed, Chaucer would study law and this most likely afforded him the opportunity to become a member of the royal court of Edward III. In the service of the king he would have many duties taking him all over continental Europe. The wealth of knowledge Chaucer gained from these experiences most surely enabled him to become what most literary critics consider as the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. Best known for his sweeping and monumental work “The Canterbury Tales”, Chaucer also wrote numerous lesser known works of poetry. Chief among these is “Troilus and Criseyde”. A retelling of the tragic love story of Trolius, the youngest son of King Priam, and his lover Criseyde, set against the backdrop of the Trojan War. “Troilus and Criseyde” is considered by some scholars as the poet’s greatest work because, unlike “The Canterbury Tales”, it is a complete and self-contained piece of epic poetry. Presented here is an extensively annotated edition that will be a welcome addition to the library of any reader.

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Born in 106 BC, Marcus Tullius Cicero was the member of a well connected and well to do family. His cognomen, a personal surname, is derived from the Latin word for chickpea. It is suggested that this name may have been chosen as a result of his family’s prosperity arising from the cultivation of chickpeas. His name suggests that despite being one the wealthiest men of his time he viewed himself he carried himself with humility. Educated in Latin and Greek, Cicero would rise to the highest ranks of Roman society, playing an important role as a Roman statesman in the final decades of the Roman Republic. Today he is remembered chiefly for his writings which give us great insight into both his time and his philosophy. Contained within this volume are some of his most important writings on oration, religion, and philosophy. Following the translations of C. D. Yonge, Walter Miller, and E. S. Shuckburgh, “Selected Works” will provide the student of ancient Rome a key insight into the life and time of one of its most important figures.

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Soldier of fortune and 16th century Spanish conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo is best known today for his first-hand accounts of Spain’s expeditions to the New World. The son of a prominent regidor of Medina del Campo, Diaz del Castillo left home in 1514 at age eighteen to join his first expedition to the New World, that of Pedrarias Davila. This expedition would be the largest of all the Spanish expeditions with nineteen vessels and over fifteen hundred people. Despite the fact that the expedition suffered massive famine and epidemic, killing more than half of the voyagers, Diaz del Castillo was deterred in his ambition for adventure, wealth, and glory. Diaz del Castillo would join subsequent journeys to the Yucatan in 1517 as part of the Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba expedition, in 1518 as part of the Juan de Grijalva expedition, and finally in 1518 as part of the Hernan Cortes expedition. Written fifty years after these voyages to Mexico, “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain” describes the diverse native peoples that the Spanish encountered there and the numerous battles of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. In contrast to the first-hand accounts of Bartolome de las Casas, Diaz del Castillo’s account seeks to portray the conquistadors in a more favorable light, emphasizing their humanity, honesty, and intent of bringing Christianity to the New World. Contained here in this volume is the unabridged translation of John Ingram Lockhart.

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“Charity and Its Fruits” is a collection of sermons by Jonathan Edwards, one of America’s most important religious leaders and theologians. Edwards was a significant force in the rise of religious devotion in the United States in the 1730s known as the First Great Awakening and became a popular American revivalist preacher. His “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is one of the most famous sermons ever given and remains a widely read classic of American literature. “Charity and Its Fruits” is one of Edwards’ earlier collections of sermons and the works are concerned with the topics of charity, Christian love, and devotion to God. These inspiring and comforting sermons show what is possible when the faithful act with a charitable spirit rather than with an envious or selfish one. Edwards preached a life of humility, good deeds, and quiet devotion. His discussion of 1 Corinthians 13 remains one of the most powerful ever written. “Charity and Its Fruits” is a reassuring and accessible introduction to one of America’s most famous religious figures.

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Written in 1746, “Religious Affections” is the widely influential work by Jonathan Edwards, one of America’s most important religious leaders and theologians. Edwards was a significant force in the rise of religious devotion in the United States in the 1730s known as the First Great Awakening and became a popular American revivalist preacher. His “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is one of the most famous sermons ever given and remains a widely read classic of American literature. In “Religious Affections”, Edwards examines how a true conversion to Christianity occurs and sets out in detail how to test if one is converted in earnest. Edwards argues that while both emotion and intellect are involved when a person converts, it is the grace of Christ that allows one to truly awaken to the Christian faith. The “Religious Affections” referenced in the title are described by Edwards as the fruit of the Spirit and it is from these fruits, with love being the chief among them, that all other Christian graces and virtues grow. Edwards’ powerful treatise remains an essential and informative read for all divinity students and devout Christians seeking a better understanding of their faith.

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Of Euripides’ roughly ninety-two plays, only seventeen tragedies survive. Both ridiculed and lauded during his life, Euripides now stands as one of the greatest innovators of Greek drama. Collected here are ten of Euripides’ most important tragedies in prose translation by Edward P. Coleridge. In the first play in this collection, “The Alcestis”, Euripides expands upon the myth of Princess Alcestis at the time of her death. “Medea”, tells the horrific tale of a woman who seeks revenge on her husband by killing her children. “Hippolytus” relates the tragedy of its titular character, son of Theseus, and his tragic fall at the hands of Phaedra. “Andromache” dramatizes the life of a Greek slave in the years after the Trojan War. In “Ion” we discover the divine origins of an orphan. “The Trojan Women” is the most complete surviving play of Euripides’ Trojan War trilogy in which we learn of the fates of the women of Troy following its sacking. In “Electra” we find the daughter of a slain king plotting her revenge. “Iphigenia Among the Taurians” relates how Agamemnon’s daughter Iphigenia is saved from sacrifice and travels to Tauris to meet her brother Orestes. “The Bacchae” tells the tragic consequences for King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agave for their persecution of Dionysus worshippers. Finally in “Iphigenia at Aulis” we have the classic myth of Agamemnon before and during the Trojan War and his decision to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Together these plays represent the brilliance of one of classical antiquity’s greatest playwrights. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Welsh-born English poet, orator and Anglican priest George Herbert is one the most famous and popular of the metaphysical poets. Born in 1593 in Wales to a prominent and wealthy family, Herbert was educated at Westminster School as a child and later at Cambridge, where he earned a master’s degree and became the university’s Public Orator, a position he held for many years. Herbert was never a healthy person and he died at the age of 39 in 1633, a few short years after he left Cambridge and took holy orders in the Church of England. His poetry was published in the year of his death and became instantly popular and wide-read. All of Herbert’s surviving poems are religious in nature, characterized by their directness of expression, intricate rhyme schemes, and the use of wordplay and puns. Included in this volume are the poems known collectively as “The Temple” as well as a selection of his prose works, most notably “The Country Parson”.

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First published in 1395, Julian of Norwich’s “Revelations of Divine Love” is a classic and important work of Christian mysticism, and the first book in English written by a woman. It is an account of her sixteen divine and mystical visions and her meditations on them, which she experienced after being struck by a serious illness at age 30 in 1373. Notable also for being written in plain Middle English, rather than the more common Latin for religious texts of the time, Julian of Norwich puts forth her ideas for divine love and beauty. Reflecting upon her illness and the visions she experienced, she believes she received three gifts from God: an understanding of the passion and love of Christ, an understanding of the importance of her own suffering, and the gift of greater piety and reverence as a result of her illness. Julian of Norwich found indescribable beauty even in the smallest of objects and insisted that God loved and cared for each of His creations. Written at a time of immeasurable loss and upheaval as a result of the Black Plague, “Revelations of Divine Love” is an important and beautiful historical work of Christian theology.

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First published as part of “The Book of Romance” in 1902, “King Arthur: Tales from the Round Table” is a compilation of classic Arthurian legend by the Scottish poet, novelist, and anthropologist Andrew Lang. Well-known for his volumes collecting the world’s fairy and folk tales, Lang also compiled and edited other famous and immortal stories from many genres, including romance and adventure. Like his fairy tale collections, Lang’s “King Arthur: Tales from the Round Table” is one of the most comprehensive and complete retellings of these well-loved stories. Lang drew upon the “Historia Britonum” and Thomas Malory’s “Morte d’Arthur” to assemble all the elements of King Arthur’s story. The legend’s most important details are masterfully retold, including the finding of Excalibur, Arthur’s encounter with the Lady of the Lake, the adventures of Arthur’s knights, Merlin’s story, the search for the Holy Grail, the tragic love story of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot, and finally the end of King Arthur’s life. Lang’s collection is widely considered to be one of the most influential versions of the King Arthur legend and remains one of the most accessible and entertaining retellings of this timeless tale. This edition includes a biographical afterword and is illustrated by H. J. Ford.

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Scottish poet, novelist, and anthropologist Andrew Lang is well-known for his volumes collecting the world’s legends, fairy, and folk tales. Lang compiled and edited famous and immortal stories from many genres, including those of romance and adventure. Collected together here in “The Book of Romance” are Andrew Lang’s retellings of some of the most important English, Irish, French, German, and Icelandic legends. Chief among this volume are Lang’s depictions of Arthurian Legend. Drawing upon the “Historia Britonum” and Thomas Malory’s “Morte d’Arthur” Lang depicts the legend’s most important details including the finding of Excalibur, Arthur’s encounter with the Lady of the Lake, the adventures of Arthur’s knights, Merlin’s story, the search for the Holy Grail, the tragic love story of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot, and finally the end of King Arthur’s life. Also included in this volume are classic retellings of “The Song of Roland”, the story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, the Icelandic saga of Grettir the Strong, and several other German and Irish legends. This edition includes the original illustrations by H. J. Ford. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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