Books by Apollonius of Rhodes

The Voyage of the Argo is an epic poem centering Jason and his legendary crew as they venture to find the Golden Fleece. Faced with various hurdles and unbeatable odds, they're committed to achieving their ultimate goal.When a young man threatens the throne, King Pelias sends him on a futile mission to Colchis. Once there, the fearless Jason must confront the volatile King Aetes and seize his most valued possession-the Golden Fleece. With help from the Argonauts, Jason navigates multiple challenges including winged harpies, violent waters and six-armed brutes. Despite surprising obstacles, the heroes continue and are pushed to their mental and physical limits.Much like Homer's Odyssey, The Voyage of the Argo is a staple in Greek mythology. It's a classic hero's journey full of unexpected detours and ambiguous characters. Although a product of the Hellenistic period, this enduring epic has stood the test of time, continuing to captivate and inspire. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Voyage of the Argo is both modern and readable.

Apollonius' epic, the Argonautica, is not just a masterpiece of Hellenistic poetry drawing on the entire tradition of previous Greek literature, but was enormously influential on Latin epic, especially Virgil's Aeneid. Book IV tells the story of the Argonauts' return to Greece with the Golden Fleece, their nightmarish trips through the uncharted rivers of central Europe and the desert wastes of North Africa, the terrible killing of Medea's brother, and the anguish of the young girl which foreshadows her bloody future. This is the first modern commentary in English. Problems of syntax and language are fully explained, and there is a sophisticated discussion of the poem as literature. It will be useful for advanced undergraduates and graduate students studying Greek poetry, as well as of interest to scholars.

This work provides an introduction to the "Argonautica" and its poet, an up-to-date text of Book III and a full commentary which covers problems of language and translation as well as dealing with the poetic meaning of the work and Apollonius' creative use of the Homeric heritage.