Great Books 1:
Click on book titles for links to texts.
First semester:
Homer, The Iliad, trans. Fagles (Penguin Classics, 1991: ISBN
0140445927; Reissue ed. 1998: ISBN-10: 0140275363; ISBN-13: 978-0140275360) and The Odyssey, trans. Fitzgerald (Noonday Press ed., ISBN-10:
0374525749; Reissue ed. by Farrar, Straus & Giroux; 7th ed. 1998: ISBN-13:
978-0374525743); Sophocles, The Three
Theban Plays, trans.
Fagles (Penguin Classics, 1st ed.; 2000: ISBN-10: 0140444254; ISBN-13: 978-0140444254); Aeschylus, The Oresteia, trans. Fagles (Penguin Classics, Reprint ed., 1984:
ISBN-10: 0140443339; ISBN-13: 978-0140443332).
Second semester: Aristotle, The Poetics, trans. S. H. Butcher (free E-text); Plato, Gorgias, trans. W. Hamilton (Penguin Classics, Reprint ed.,
1960: ISBN-10: 0140440941; ISBN-13: 978-0140440942): available "used and new"
through Amazon associates; there is also a free E-text of the Gorgias available through the
Internet Classics Archive at http://classics.mit.edu/;
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of Athens, (9 biographies) trans. Scott-Kilvert (Penguin
Classics, New Impression ed., 1960; ISBN-10: 0140441026; ISBN-13: 978-0140441024): there are free copies of the individual biographies which are
available on the internet; here is a list of the nine biographies in the order in which
they occur in the book and on our reading schedule. The main link is: http://classics.mit.edu/index.html
Here are the individual links to the MIT e-texts:
1. Theseus: http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/theseus.html;
2. Solon http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/solon.html;
3. Themistocles http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/themisto.html;
4. Aristides http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/aristide.html;
5. Cimon http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/cimon.html;
6. Pericles http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/pericles.html;
7. Nicias http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/nicias.html;
8. Alcibiades http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/alcibiad.html;
9. Lysander http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/lysander.html;
Herodotus, The Histories trans. David Grene (University of Chicago
Press, Reprint ed., 1988; ISBN-10: 0226327728; ISBN-13: 978-0226327723);
Plato, The Last Days
of Socrates, trans. Tredennick
(Penguin Classics, ISBN 014044582-X): available "used and new" through Amazon
associates; also available directly from Amazon.com in a reissue, 2003 ed.: The Last Days of
Socrates (Penguin Classics, Reissue ed., 2003: ISBN-10: 0140449280; ISBN-13:
978-0140449280). If you have trouble finding a copy of The Last Days of Socrates (a
compendium), there are free copies of the four individual works within The Last Days of
Socrates (i.e. Apology, Crito, Euthyphro, Phaedo) which are available on the
internet (e.g. The American Colonist's Library: http://classics.mit.edu/Browse/browse-Plato.html;
Apology: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html;
Crito: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/crito.html;
Euthyphro: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html;
Phaedo: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html).
Highly recommended reference texts for this course include: (1) the Concise Oxford
Companion to Classic Literature, ed. M.C. Howatson & Ian Chilvers (Oxford U.
Press, 1993; ISBN-10: 0192827081;
ISBN-13: 978-0192827081);
and (2) the Penguin
Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, by Robert Morkot (Penguin, 1997: ISBN-10:
0140513353; ISBN-13: 978-0140513356). These books may be examined and/or purchased now online
for a discount of 20-30%. Simply click on the blue title above for a direct
link to Amazon.com
For those who may have qualms about using amazon.com or other online booksellers, please allow me to reassure you. I have purchased literally hundreds of books through amazon (new & used) and other online booksellers over the past eight years, and I am 100% pleased with their service. I have never experienced a snag. However, if you prefer, you may want to check out your local used bookstores instead.