The great works of the ancient masters have lasted for thousands of years, and for good reason… The ideas of these forefathers reveal how Western civilization was formed. The world’s greatest leaders and thinkers from Alexander the Great to Thomas Jefferson, from Da Vinci to Einstein, have embraced these same writings... And that’s exactly the same opportunity you have before you today.

We have collected the works of the classical masters in a rare book called The Essential Classics. The Essential Classics contains the critical works of the Classical world that you always meant to read, but never got around to doing so.

From the epic stories of Homer to the philosophical insights of Marcus Aurelius, The Essential Classics is a bountiful anthology of one thousand years of Greek and Roman literature. It is a treasure trove of familiar masterworks by such great ancient visionaries as Sophocles, Aristotle, and Cicero.

Not only did the Greeks and Romans invent most genres – such as tragedy, comedy, and satire – they excelled in them, so much so as to impact the modern classics of our Western experience. Without Virgil there would be no Dante. Without Homer no James Joyce. And with Plutarch absent, no William Shakespeare.

The Essential Classics is intended for professionals who appreciate culture, critical thinking, and cutting wit. The texts were carefully selected to encourage thought, nurture imagination, and sharpen debate. They beckon us to reflect on the contribution of ancient societies to civilization, and our modern reshaping of their innovations.

Biographical sketches reveal the colorful lives of each author, and lucid commentaries guide the reader through the intricacies of the texts. This collection further preserves the translations made by prominent American and British scholars now considered classic works in their own right.