Originally published in 1890. PREFACE: It is not so very long since the Apocrypha was found in almost every copy of the English bible, but in the present day it is seldom printed with it, and very seldom indeed read. One or two of the writings included under this name are trivial and even absurd; but, on the whole, the Apocryphal books deserve far more attention than they receive. Among the foremost, in point of interest and value, must be placed the First book of Maccabees. Written within fifty years of the events which it records, at a time, it must be remembered, that was singularly barren...

When events during the Peloponnesian War demand it, the three children of Leon and Elpinice are dispatched quickly from their home in Athens to take refuge in Sparta. During their sojourn there they learn much about Spartan customs and hear stories from Spartan history, which, when added to their personal experience of Athenian customs and stories of Athenian history, give a full picture of life in ancient Greece as children experienced it in the 5th century B.C. Numerous illustrations complement the text. Suitable for ages 9 and up.

Engaging narrative of stories from the History of Herodotus, recounting the tale of Croesus and the Fall of Sardis, chronicling the careers of Cyrus and Cambyses, and, finally, documenting Darius's rise to power. The author's "The Story of the Persian War" continues the account. Includes numerous black and white illustrations from ancient frescoes and sculptures. Suitable for ages 12 and up.

The Odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of everymans journey though life. The poem centers on the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. Odysseus survives storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens song and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal wife, Penelope. The Odyssey is Homers sequel to the Iliad.

The Iliad is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time. Set during the Trojan War, this timeless poem vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amid devastation and destruction. Homer's tale is a compassionate view of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death in the face of an often uncaring divinity. To call it a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters in the 10th and final year of the Greek siege of Troy. The Odyssey is literature's grandest...