can't say I've "read" it but I referred to it a good amount while reading Homer for the first time.
It is definitely a quality companion and I found it to be very useful, I give itbecause it accomplishes the job it sets out to, and I have no complaints, I got this book during my post graduation in English literature, It helped me a lot in understanding the essentials of the classical literature and the myths and the history and the geography as well.
When I look back, I find that I found something really useful!
It is a recommended book for students of literature who want to understand classical literature sufficiently.
Though it does lack some terms and a few other points can be improved, the book is just awesome!,stars. This is arguably the best reference book for Classical literature, It is not accurate to say that I have "read" this entire book but I have been using it fairly extensively since I acquired it inas part of anvolume leather bound set from Easton Press called the "Complete Oxford Reference Set.
" I have found it to be an excellent reference tool that is both easy to use and comprehensive, Not as valuable as the Oxford Classical Dictionary, but very useful in its own way, Very good for overviews and fairly quick comments doesn't go into the depth of the Classical Dictionary, but is often an easier place to find the quick answer one wants.
The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature by M, C. HowatsonAn excellent compendium of articles that provides clear and concise introductory material on a panoply of ancient Greek and Latin authors, putting them into historical context.
There is enough academic depth to the entries to give undergraduates an entry point to the works covered, but there is also a clarity and simplicity in
each summary for people without the background of a classicist to enjoy.
This is the type of book that is to be sampled and dipped into, or used as a readyreference, For completists and those with more serious academic requirements the Oxford Classical Dictionary is more appropriate, It is such a nice book to keep, It has covered almost everything about roman and greek legends and classical literature written by the scholars in a detail.
From Achilles's heel to the sword of Damocles, Western culture teems with allusions from the rich heritage of classical literature, and this new edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, the first updating since Sir Paul Harvey's original edition of, provides the key to
these works and the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations that produced them.
Substantially revising the first edition, this volume condenses the findings of the most recent scholarship into highly readable prose and supplies a wealth of background information not found in Harvey's Companion.
Indispensable to those studying classical literature in depth, the book will be equally accessible to the nonspecialist, All Greek is transliterated, with translations given for all quotations from Greek and Latin,
The main focus of the Companion remains the lives and works of the principal authors, Biographical entries offer the essential facts and sift the conjectural evidence, while entries on the major works include discussions of the philosophical dialogues and political speeches and plot summaries
of the epic poems and plays.
The various literary formsepic, comedy, tragedy, rhetorical writingare covered in depth, supplemented by articles on the origins of the Greek and Latin alphabets and languages.
The Companion also puts this literature into its societal and historical contexts, including many articles on political, social, and artistic achievements.
We learn, for example, about the political climate that produced the great speeches of Demosthenes and Cicero, Orators, statesmen, and
generals stalk the pages, and major battles and conquests from the time of Alexander to the fall of Rome are summarized.
Articles on contemporary social mores and religious beliefs help explain literary references, while the glories of philosophy, science, and art are celebrated from Cynics to
Stoics, astronomy to waterclocks, and flute competitions to vase painting.
Helpful maps supplement geographical entries, a chronological table provides an overview of the main historical and literary events, and a systematic set of crossreferences links the entries.
The breadth and accuracy of this volume will surely make it the standard reference book of its kind
for years to come.
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