The Metamorphoses Of Ovid

What a lovely rendition to one of the most beautiful classic latin books! The verse translations flow seamlessly from one myth to another, peppered with clever rhymes. I quickly read through a third of the book, often late at night, and found it hard to put the book down. It offers a fun path toward learning Greek/Roman myths through poetic art. I also bought the paperback edition so I can alternate between two media. The kindle version is great with better section headings and dictionaries, which I used often, since the already thick book doesn't have a separate footnote section.

This Mandelbaum translation is one of the finest. Lyrical and flowing. There are, of course, many. Once you have owned Golding's 1587 translation, as Shakespeare likely did, then this is the one to own next to it.

I have wanted to read Metamorphoses for a long time and glad I finally did it. This was a great translation, it was easy to read and follow. This book is the foundation to so much classical literature, my eyes have been opened. Now I feel like I need to reread everything I've read to truly understand all the Ovid references. If you're I to mythology or want a solid intro to myth, then read this book.

This is a truly beautiful edition of the classic, and for a very affordable price. The binding (complete with a silky bookmark) is subtle and elegant. The text prefaces each book with a list of the myths included, along with the corresponding lines in the Latin poem listed at the bottom of every page for easy cross-referencing. The typeset, Bembo, was apparently taken from a 15th century Venetian typist; while this is peripheral to the enjoyment of the text itself, it is a wonderful detail. I can't personally vouch for the quality of Mandelbaum's translation as I haven't read other editions, but his reputation and accolades speak for themselves. The only negative (and it is a *slight* negative) is that the sleeve arrived slightly creased from delivery, but that's to be expected.

Tackles the impossible task of translation (a balance of accurate meaning, meter and rhyme, and sound and flow). Mandelbaum makes some minor sacrifices of literal translation for stronger poetical flow.

Beautiful translation.

Ovid is something that people interested in Shakespeare and mythology and Western culture in general ought to read, and Mandelbaum's translation will make you glad while you read it.Ovid's poem begins with a creation out of chaos and into the golden age, traces the famous careers of Orpheus, Hercules, and Achilles, and culminates with the ascension of Augustus Caesar. Along the way, his tales of young lust, treachery, and enough shape-changes to keep George Lucas in business for decades will pull you into a world in which men contend with gods (and usually, but not always, lose), true love can forestall even death (or make death kidnap a goddess's daughter), and Morpheus is not a gun-toting cyber-revolutionary but a servant of Sleep and a master of imitation.Mandelbaum's translation balances beauty of language and flow of story to make this classic compilation of Roman myths a page-turner. A beginner might want to acquire an edition with footnotes, but a reader with sufficient background or the resources to research references would do well to acquire this translation of this wonderful text.

One of my favorite reads of all time.

I tried three other translations before I discovered this one and didn’t finish any of them. This one, however, was absolutely marvellous. I cherished reading it and imagine I will return often.

The writing is fantastic, a translation mindful of prosaic flow and cadence as befits such a work. The book itself though is mass market quality. Note that this review is for the paperback edition.

This is a complete text in Latin. No comments, no various readings. A print-on-command edition from Poland.As most editions on Amazon turned out to be translations, not the original, any reliable edition of the very text is welcome. Ovid is a wonderful read, and if you ever learnt Latin you want the text in original.