The Odyssey is literature’s grandest evocation of everyman’s 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.
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys (Wonder-Books #1)
Six legends of Greek mythology, retold for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Included are The Gorgon’s Head, The Golden Touch, The Paradise of Children, The Three Golden Apples, The Miraculous Pitcher, and The Chimaera. In 1838, Hawthorne suggested to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that they collaborate on a story for children based on the legend of the Pandora’s Box, but this never materialized. He wrote A Wonder Book between April and July 1851, adapting six legends most freely from Charles Anton’s A Classical Dictionary (1842). He set out deliberately to “modernize” the stories, freeing them from what he called “cold moonshine” and using a romantic, readable style that was criticized by adults but proved universally popular with children. With full-color illustrations throughout by Arthur Rackham.
Tanglewood Tales
Tanglewood Tales for Boys and Girls is a re-writing of well-known Greek myths in a volume for children and a sequel to A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist writing centers on New England, many featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration and centering on the inherent evil and sin of humanity.
Find on Amazon.com
Download FREE Ebook
Download FREE Audiobook
Odyssey
It is a glorious story of love and war, gods and humans, adventure in and around the Mediterranean (and, some argue, out to the West Indies). On the surface simply the story of Odysseus’s adventures after the fall of Troy, it is a rich tapestry of places, characters, and creatures which have entered into the basic language of Western literature.
Find on Amazon.com
Download FREE Ebook
Download FREE Audiobook
d’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths
All the great gods and goddesses of ancient Greece are depicted in this big, beautiful classic, lovingly illustrated and skillfully told. Young readers will be dazzled by mighty Zeus, lord of the universe; stirred by elegant Athena, goddess of wisdom; intimidated by powerful Hera, queen of Olympus; and chilled by moody Poseidon, ruler of the sea. These often impetuous immortals flounce and frolic, get indiscreet, and get even. From petty squabbles to heroic deeds, their actions cover the range of godly–and mortal–personalities.
Bulfinch’s Greek and Roman Mythology: The Age of Fable
Vivid, classic retellings of the myths of Greece and Rome, along with stories of the Norse gods and heroes. Zeus and Hera, Apollo, Jason and the golden fleece, the wanderings of Ulysses and Aeneas, the deeds of Thor, many more seminal stories underlying Western culture.
Find on Amazon.com
Download FREE Ebook
Download FREE Audiobook
Greek Way to Western Civilization
From title page verso: ‘This book includes the material published in 1930 by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., under the title THE GREEK WAY, and the additional material pulished in 1942 in THE GREAT AGE OF GREEK LITERATURE.’ The Greek Way is a profile of one of the most advanced civilizations aesthetically,culturally and in thought. The book profiles the high ideals of their society and focuses on their writers. The conclusion of the book states that the Greeks understood that they were part of a greater whole and that the rest of us, including the modern west believe that we are the whole.
Heroes, or, Greek Fairy Tales for My Children
Battle for Skandia (Ranger’s Apprentice #4)
Still far from home after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, young Will and Evanlyn’s plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive. Though still weak, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend but soon finds himself fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until Halt and Horace make a daring last-minute rescue. But their reunion is cut short by the horrifying discovery that Skandia’s borders have been breached by the Temujai army – and Araluen is next in their sights. Only an unlikely union can save the two kingdoms, but can it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy?