Loeb Classical Library

Philosophers both professional and amateur have wondered how our society cam to be what it is. Most believe that our gins are rooted in the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. It certainly seems to be a sesible notion when we consider that an Athenian of 2400 years ago or a Roman of 2000 years ago would, apart from language differences, have little difficulty in adapting to todays's culture. Rome had more lawyers per capita tha modern America does. The Greeks and Romans produced huge amounts of litreature, most still untranslated. But there were works popular then tht have seen a variey of translations into a myriad of languages. Many others fall into the place between the very popular and the obscure. A hundred years ago philanthropist James Loeb initiated what he hoped would put classical learning into the hands of a wider audience. At that time it was common for boys and many girls to include Latin and some Greek in their studies but they seldom became thoroughly proficient. Loeb wished to provide both the original Latin and Greek along with the English translation on a facing page. A knowledgable scholar may wish to read it primarily in the original with the translation as an occasional aid. Those not so adept can read the English but have the ability to confirm some point in the origial text. But the person with no Latin or Grek can make good use of it as well, initially just by comparing certain words. Later a thirst for more may inspire study of Latin and Greek as languages. I should mention that learning the Greek alphabet takes only a few minutes. Anyone reading English already knows most of it.

I advise anyone interested to look at the lists of works. There's philosophy, geography, literature, poetry, science, even military tactics.

You'll find heroic adventure in fiction with Homer and in real life with Xenophon.

I've appended the list and other information from Harvard University Press, the current publisher, as well as an article from wikipedia that contains some additional information. I adjure you to take a look, to investigate some of the works listed.

The individual who is acquainted with these works is highly educated in the finest and traditional sense of the term.

Loeb Classical Library - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/collection.php?cpk=1031