Epic Classics

Have you ever wondered why the rage of a single man could doom an entire civilization? The Iliad is the ultimate testament to the glory and misery of the human condition. Set during the final year of the Trojan War, this foundational epic captures the moment the invincible Greek army begins to crumble—not from enemy swords, but from the internal strife of their own leaders. When the proud warrior Achilles is slighted by his commander, his withdrawal from the fight shifts the tides of war.

Have you ever wondered why the journey home is often the most dangerous adventure of all? The Odyssey is the cornerstone of Western literature. While the Iliad chronicled the glory of war, this sweeping saga explores the agony of the aftermath. It is the story of a hero stripped of his army and ships, left with nothing but his sharp mind and an indomitable will to survive. As Odysseus battles mythical beasts and wrathful deities across the wine-dark sea, his wife Penelope fights a different kind of war at home, holding off over a hundred suitors to preserve their fragile world.

Have you ever wondered why the themes of heroism and wrath in these ancient epics still resonate thousands of years later? The Iliad and The Odyssey stand as the twin pillars of Western civilization. In this definitive collection, you are transported to the Bronze Age, where gods walked among men and the fate of nations hung on the edge of a sword.

"Epic" is a mountaineering term that evokes a sense of treacherous disaster. The climb that went wrong: fighting blinding snowstorms and horrific avalanches; days spent tentbound running low on food, water, and oxygen; surviving broken bones and shattered spirits. This program offers a collection of the most memorable accounts of legend-making expeditions to the world's most famous peaks, often in the worst possible conditions.

Have you ever wondered why the pursuit of great ideals is so often entangled in the complexities of everyday relationships? Widely considered one of the greatest novels in the English language, George Eliot's Middlemarch is a sweeping panorama of life on the brink of profound historical change. It masterfully intertwines the destinies of diverse characters to create an unparalleled study of provincial life.

A deluxe hardcover special edition of the classic fantasy series, with fully restored and corrected texts and a new foreword by Christopher Paolini Evangeline Walton’s Mabinogion Tetralogy is a remarkable achievement, a powerful work of the imagination that “ranks with the best of...

A new version of The Epic of Gilgamesh by Sebastian Lockwood. This is the story of Gilgamesh, King of Kings, who brought back knowledge from before the flood - who loved and lost his companion Enkidu and had to find out why we die. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on clay tablets over 4,000 years ago, in what is today Baghdad Iraq - the Biblical Garden of Eden between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Lockwood gives a passionate reading from a text that faithfully follows the original.

La epopeya de Gilgamesh es la obra cumbre y más importante en la tradición literaria de la antigua Babilonia. Quien tenga la oportunidad de acercarse a este libro, encontrará la maravillosa historia de Gilgamesh, el gran rey Uruk, quien fue capaz de enfrentarse contra monstruos y dioses, conocer lugares asombrosos y viajar en búsqueda de la inmortalidad, en una lucha contra el miedo a la muerte.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2017 SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONDON HELLENIC PRIZE 2017 WINNER OF THE PRIX MÉDITERRANÉE 2018 From the award-winning, best-selling writer: a deeply moving tale of a father and son’s transformative journey in reading – and reliving – Homer’s epic...

Eugene Onegin is young, handsome, rich ... and bored. Nothing impresses him: not his grand house filled with expensive furniture, not the glittering balls he attends, not the sumptuous dinners he eats. When his uncle dies, leaving him his rundown estate, Eugene moves to the countryside. Here he meets the lively and intelligent Lensky, and the beautiful, quiet Tatyana. Will Eugene grasp this opportunity for a new and happy life, or will his bad attitude get in the way?

Full-cast dramatised retellings of the two most important epic Sanskrit poems of ancient India The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are literary classics, the longest epic poems in world literature, as significant as the Bible, the Qu'ran and the works of Shakespeare. Estimated to have been composed...

Brought to you by Penguin. Steinbeck's first posthumously published work, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights is a reinterpretation of tales from Malory's Morte d'Arthur. In this highly successful attempt to render Malory into Modern English, Steinbeck recreated the rhythm and tone of...

Pierre is nothing like his confident, handsome friend Andrei. He is awkward and shy - and when his father dies and leaves Pierre a vast fortune, suddenly very popular. As war rages on the edges of Moscow and the charming young Natasha catches the eye of both friends, Pierre must decide what he wants and who he is. Can Pierre finally find happiness, and will Natasha decide where her heart truly lies?

Jenny Lewis relocates Gilgamesh to its earlier, oral roots in a Sumerian society where men and women were more equal, the reigning deity of Gilgamesh’s city, Uruk, was female (Inanna), only women were allowed to brew beer and keep taverns and women had their own language - emesal. With this shift of emphasis, Lewis captures the powerful allure of the world’s oldest poem and gives it a fresh dynamic while creating a fast-paced narrative for a new generation of listeners.

Witness the epic battle of the cyclops! Visit the endangered dragon preserve! Please, no slaying. Solve the mystery of The Mystery Cottage, if you dare! Buy some knickknacks from The Fates! They might come in handy later. On a road trip across an enchanted America, Helen and Troy will discover all this and more. If the curse placed upon them by an ancient god doesn't kill them or the pack of reluctant orc assassins don't catch up to them, Helen and Troy might reach the end their journey in one piece, where they might just end up destroying the world.

'The opening pages of Ayana's debut took my breath away. I can't remember when I read anything that moved me quite this way, besides the work of Toni Morrison.' Oprah Winfrey Fifteen years old and blazing with the hope of a better life, Hattie Shepherd fled the horror of the American South on a...

Meet Gilgamesh, the powerful and reckless king of Uruk, and Enkidu, the wild man created by the gods to challenge him. Their first clash becomes one of the great friendships in world literature. Together they journey to the Cedar Forest, confront the monstrous guardian Humbaba, and defy the goddess Ishtar by slaying the Bull of Heaven.

Seven beautifully illustrated traditional stories that immerse the reader in the ancient culture of India as well as impart important life lessons Shares classic tales from India, including stories drawn from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas, translated by the authors ...

What starts with young Jim Hawkins meeting a beggar and ends in a climactic battle between him and one of the most infamous villains in literature — Long John Silver — has long been revered as the ultimate pirate adventure story. This non - dramatized classic will sweep you off to a world of sly and savvy seafarers as the young Hawkins navigates treachery, assassination and the ominous prophecy of the black spot in the greatest treasure hunt known to literature.

Ilya Oblomov should be the happiest person in St Petersburg. He has a fashionable house, a large country estate, and endless invites to fancy dinners and glamorous balls. But Oblomov finds things difficult. The outside world overwhelms him. Even thinking about it makes him exhausted! He would much rather stay inside in his warm, comfy bed. Can Oblomov find the energy he needs to live a happy life, or will he lose everything ... including the love of his life?