In 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', Samuel Taylor Coleridge spins a compelling narrative of a seafarer bound by his haunting past voyage. Told in a lyrical ballad form, Coleridge's masterpiece melds the traditional with the innovative through its complex use of language, arresting imagery, and thematic depth. The poem is rich in maritime folklore and supernatural elements, yet at its core, it is a profound reflection on human guilt, redemption,...

"In the ninth century BCE, the peoples of four distinct regions of the civilized world created the religious and philosophical traditions that have continued to nourish humanity to the present day: Confucianism and Daoism in China, Hinduism and Buddhism in India, monotheism in Israel, and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Later generations further developed these initial insights, but we have never grown beyond them. Now, Karen Armstrong reveals...

The early civilizations of the Near East during the Bronze Age (3500-1000 B.C.) and Early Iron Age (1100-500 B.C.) have been the preserve of archaeologists and linguists. Before the late 19th century, these civilizations were unknown, save for brief, often inaccurate biblical references. To modern readers, these civilizations are remote and forbidding, in contrast to Classical Greece and Rome. Yet each year, discoveries and scholarly publications...

Traces the origins of Mexican art, focusing on the jewelry of the Mixtecs, the ritual and sacred objects of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, and the indigenous art that fluorished during the Spanish conquest and the introduction of Christianity.

"Highlighting the seven wonders of the world -- the Pyramids of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Wonders of the World, a new title in the Eyewitness series, showcases these architectural feats and the marvels of engineering behind these timeless treasures."--Amazon.com.

"In this book of astonishing true tales of love and sex in long-ago Greece, Rome, and other cultures around the Mediterranean, Vicki Léon opens the doors to shadowy rooms and parts the curtains of decorum. Léon goes far beyond what we think we know about sex in ancient times, taking readers on a randy tour of aphrodisiacs and anti-aphrodisiacs, contraception, nymphomania, bisexuality, cross-dressing, and gender-bending. She explains citizens' fear...

Describes the life and work of Eratosthenes, the Greek geographer and astronomer who accurately measured the circumference of the Earth.

Shahrzad's loyalties are tested after she is reunited with her family, who have found sanctuary with enemies of her husband, the Caliph, and her childhood sweetheart, who now commands forces set on destroying the Caliph's empire.

"For two thousand years, the epic tale of Aeneas's dramatic flight from Troy, his doomed love affair with Dido, his descent into the underworld, and the bloody story behind the establishment of Rome has electrified audiences around the world. In Vergil's telling, Aeneas's heroic journey not only gave Romans and Italians a thrilling origin story, it established many of the fundamental themes of Western life and literature-the role of duty and self-sacrifice,...