"Century Readings in Ancient Classical and Modern European Literature", edited by John Cunliffe and Grant Showerman, published by The Century Company, New York, 1925, unstated first edition. Both volumes bound together.

Hard boards, original blind decorated cloth, gold lettering on spine, 614 + 543 pages, very little soiling, a few pencil notes, very good condition.

The book is divided into two volumes:

Volume I- "Ancient Classical Literature" with sections for Greek and Latin literature presented chronologically from Homer to Anicius Boethius [AD 480-524].

Volume II- "European Literature (Medieval and Modern)" with six chapters with six to fifteen examples in each. This book was published in 1925 and therefore "Modern" time ends around 1900. The book contains many rarely published texts, especially the ancient literature.

"What a wealth of great reading! Most of the entries, with the exception of some poems and essays, are excerpts rather than complete works. But I thought the editor did a great job of commentary, both in introductions to the authors/works and also in covering the gaps in the excerpts. For example, they do not provide a complete translation of "The Iliad" but do provide a brief recap of the missing sections, i.e., "Agamemnon, proposing a return to Greece, is prevailed upon by Nestor to take steps toward reconciliation with Achilles." [from the private review]

There are hundreds of authors/works in this book.

The list of chapters:

Vol. I:
Greek Literature: Homer and the Epic, The Lyric, History, Drama, Philosophy, Medicine, Oratory, The Alexandrian Period, Greek Letters in Roman Times, The Anthology. Latin Literature: Early Latin Literature, The Coming of Hellenism, The Latin Drama, The Times of Cicero, Publius Vergilius Maro, From Tiberius to Hadrian, The Decline of Paganism, The Rise of Christianity, The Threshold of the Middle Ages. Notes and Index to Vol.I.

Vol.II:
European Literature: Romance and Saga, The Revival of Learning, The Renaissance, The French Classical Period, The Romantic Revival, Literary Theory and Criticism. Notes. Index.

Note:
Country restrictions may apply - the lesser expansive Priority shipping may not be available to all countries.

US: Priority (c 2-4 days) ------- $9.50
Canada: Priority (c. 2-6 weeks) - $29.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) --- $40.50