Greek and Roman literature—what comes under the subject heading ‘classics’ or 'classical studies'—are the foundational texts of Western literature. Everything that comes after them draws upon them. Even if you think you’re not directly interested in the classical world, knowledge of it will likely deepen your appreciation of your own artistic and literary interests. Our interviews recommend books on all aspects of classics and classical studies.
If you're serious about classics, the first step is probably to learn the languages. Academic Paul McMullen recommends the best books on learning Ancient Greek, while journalist and author Harry Mount talks about the best books for learning Latin (including which ones to avoid).
Turning to literature, Emily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about her recent translation of the Odyssey and recommends books to read alongside or after the Odyssey. Meanwhile, Charlotte Higgins, a chief culture writer for the Guardian, recommends the greats of classical literature (mainly poetry). Daniel Mendelsohn—author, critic and translator—also focuses on classical poems and plays in his top updates of the classics.
On the subject of classical history, Mary Beard looks at ancient history in modern life, including the role of slavery; historians Tom Holland and Harry Sidebottom give us their best books on Ancient Rome. Oxford classicist Robin Lane Fox selects his best books on religious and social history in the ancient world.
If you're looking for books for to inspire young adults, classics teacher Olly Murphy gives us his best classics books for teenagers. We also have Lucy Coats, author of one of the best Greek myth books for young children, recommending her favourites. Also unmissable for learning about Greek myths are Stephen Fry's Mythos and Heroes, both especially fun to listen to as audiobooks.
The Best Trojan War Books, recommended by Stephen Fry
The tale of the Trojan War—its causes, its heroes, the wooden horse, the gods and goddesses who dramatically change the course of events—has fascinated us down the ages and is embedded in our collective imagination. But where do the stories come from? British author and actor Stephen Fry lists some of the books that were most useful for Troy, his retelling of the Trojan War.
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1
Catiline’s War, The Jugurthine War, Histories
Sallust (trans. AJ Woodman) -
2
Res Gestae Divi Augusti: Text, Translation, and Commentary
by Alison Cooley (editor) & Augustus -
3
Rome's Cultural Revolution
by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill -
4
The Neighborhoods of Augustan Rome
by J. Bert Lott -
5
Augustan Culture
by Karl Galinsky
The best books on Augustus, recommended by Peter Wiseman
The best books on Augustus, recommended by Peter Wiseman
Is it possible that Augustus was not the first Roman emperor, but the last of Rome’s great populist champions? That’s what classicist Peter Wiseman argues in his book, The House of Augustus: A Historical Detective Story. Drawing on a lifetime of research and writing on this period, the emeritus professor of classics and ancient history gives a brilliant overview of the Augustan age, and recommends what to read to better understand the adopted son of Julius Caesar, who found Rome in brick and left it in marble.
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1
The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives
by Ian Scott-Kilvert & Plutarch -
2
The Greek Alexander Romance
by Richard Stoneman -
3
Atticus
by Cornelius Nepos & Nicholas Horsfall -
4
Agricola
by Harold Mattingly, James Rives & Tacitus -
5
Lives of the Eminent Philosophers
Diogenes Laertius (ed. James Miller, trans. Pamela Mensch)
The best books on Leadership (from Ancient Greece and Rome), recommended by Jeffrey Beneker
The best books on Leadership (from Ancient Greece and Rome), recommended by Jeffrey Beneker
Whatever modern leadership books may say about what’s required to be a good leader, for the ancients there was only one vital requirement: studying philosophy. Jeffrey Beneker, Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talks us through what ancient biographies reveal about how to be a leader.
The Best Classics Books for Teenagers, recommended by Olly Murphy (Wycombe Abbey)
Caesar, Cicero, Achilles, Socrates, Plato: millennia later, we still talk about them. Olly Murphy, classics teacher at Wycombe Abbey, one of England’s top girls’ schools, recommends books and explains why classics remains one of the most exciting subjects for teenagers to study.
The best books on The Odyssey, recommended by Emily Wilson
The Odyssey has been constantly rewritten by centuries of writers, but like so much of Greek myth, it's always already open to revising its own narrative. Emily Wilson, Professor of Classics at the University of Pennsylvania and the first woman to translate the Odyssey into English, recommends the best books to read after (or alongside) the Ancient Greek epic, and offers sage wisdom about both translating ancient epics and why everyone can learn from the Odyssey today.
The best books on Ancient Greece, recommended by Christopher Pelling
Ancient Greece’s legacy can be seen all around us, including in our political system — but many of us don’t know that much about it. Fortunately, we have someone who has devoted his life to studying this remote time and place to give us a reading list. Chris Pelling, Emeritus Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford, recommends his top five books on Ancient Greece.
The best books on Religious and Social History in the Ancient World, recommended by Robin Lane Fox
Cultural and philosophical changes that occurred in late antiquity are essential to our understanding of the world today, but few us know much about that period. Historian Robin Lane Fox recommends the best books to read to get a good sense of late antiquity.
