Virgil, with more justification than any Greek, could be hailed as the father of Western Literature. His work has set a benchmark for excellence. Dante referred to Virgil as his Òmaster,Ó Dryden hailed VirgilÕs 'GeorgicsÕ as the perfect poem by the perfect poet. With the Aeneid, Virgil had set out to write another perfect poem, and almost succeeded. Its poetry communicates across the cultural barrier from a period which had made a science of oratory and banked its entire stock in learning and political persuasion on the fine art of oral delivery. I feel it still has an edge over our snazzy sound bites designed to titillate the 30 second attention span of hypnotized telly-junkies. Sustained arguments donÕt come as an ambush on your solar plexus. Nabokov called VirgilÕs poetry Òinsipid,Ó a curious verdict, coming from an admirer of Marcel Proust. But even Proust would have had a hard time had he tried to match VirgilÕs subtle art of low key effects. Virgil was an extremely shy person, afflicted by tuberculosis, a sly smirk under a peasantÕs heavy brow; he spoke with a rustic accent. Modern critics sometimes express disdain for passages in VirgilÕs work, that look like the adulations of a servile courtier. But the AeneidÕs eulogies on the Imperial regime never exceed the noncommittal deference of a peasant, who gives Caesar what is CaesarÕs, in order to be left unmolested, when he minds his own business. There are indications that after the upheavals in 23 BC. which had led to the downfall of VirgilÕs patron and friend, the poet felt increasingly under pressure. It speaks for enormous talent that his best work was written on commission and not merely a product of gratuitous choice. Virgil could accepted limitations and expanded his talent from within proscribed boundaries Ð how many artists, even of the very greatest, can actually do this? I have a profound respect for Dryden. His translation of VirgilÕs 'Georgics' has added to our language one of its great revelations. Dryden was a devoted admirer of Virgil, and a great scholar, but of a very different temperament. His era has been called the age of the baroque, a period of ornate exuberance and redundant rhetorics. Science was still little understood but it became fashionable to mention NewtonÕs laws and publicly to express a not entirely sincere snobbery in regard to superstition and pagan religions. So DrydenÕs most difficult task as a translator was not just to be faithful to the original, but to ferry VirgilÕs Aeneid across the cultural divide. There was little appreciation for the polish and subtlety of VirgilÕs style, and Dryden wouldnÕt lose his sleep over unashamed padding: ÒMeantime imperial Neptune heard the sound / Of raging billows breaking on the ground. / Displeas'd, and fearing for his wat'ry reign, / He rear'd his awful head above the main, // (and now the truly majestic touch:) // Serene in majesty; then roll'd his eyes / Around the space of earth, and seas, and skies.Ó One almost regrets that Virgil hadnÕt thought of it. He only wrote :ÒInterea magno misceri murmure pontum, / emissamque hiemem sensit Neptunus, et imis / stagna refusa vadis, graviter commotus; et alto / prospiciens, summa placidum caput extulit unda.Ó (Òmeantime great noise disturbed the sea, tossed forth a storm, stirred Neptune on the lowest floor, who, displacing waters of the deep, calmly raised his head above the highest waveÓ) which creates a powerful enough image, though not quite of DrydenÕs grandeur. But for his padding, Dryden more than compensates with his absolutely ingenious use of transpositions. Look how Virgil puts his thoughts in sequence: ÒThere was an ancient city, inhabited by Tyrian husbandmen, Carthage, that faces from afar Ostia at the TiberÕs mouth, of great wealth and most warlike in its enterprise and being dear, itÕs said, more than all the land to Juno, who even Samos held in less esteem. Here they kept her arms, here her chariot, and the goddess hatched designs and hopes for a capital of nations, should destiny permit. Yet surely she had heard that a race of Trojan issue was hereafter to overturn the Tyrian towers, a people born to rule and of warlike pride would lay waste her Lybia, according to destinies decree.Ó And now compare how Dryden inverted this sequence to squeeze into his rhyming couplets the same amount of information and even throw in an additional explanatory note: ÒAgainst the Tiber's mouth, but far away, / An ancient town was seated on the sea; / A Tyrian colony; the people made / Stout for the war, and studious of their trade: / Carthage the name; belov'd by Juno more / Than her own Argos, or the Samian shore. / Here stood her chariot; here, if Heav'n were kind, / The seat of awful empire she design'd. / Yet she had heard an ancient rumor fly, / (Long cited by the people of the sky,) / That times to come should see the Trojan race / Her Carthage ruin, and her tow'rs deface; / Nor thus confin'd, the yoke of sov'reign sway / Should on the necks of all the nations lay.Ó This is a piece of sure-footed vigor and a rousing good read, but misses on VirgilÕs slightly subdued and more reflective consideration of circumstances. VirgilÕs Aeneid is a great work of art. Neither HumphriesÕ nor MandelbaumÕs and especially not FitzgeraldÕs translation do it justice. If English is the only option, then Dryden is still a very agreeable compromise, even so it is a Virgil in disguise.

John Dryden's 1697 translation of Virgil's Ancient Roman epic "The Aeneid" is, after 300 years, still entertaining and edifying. For students of Restoration/18th Century literature, it is a shining example of the major poetic tradition of the age, Neoclassicism. Dryden, trying with his measured heroic couplets to recapture the high forms of the age of Augustus in Rome, appropriately translates the famous epic of Aeneas, founder of Rome.

"The Aeneid" takes up the Homeric tradition, beginning in the aftermath of "The Iliad" and the Trojan War. Aeneas, protected by his mother, the goddess Venus, is advised to flee Troy with the remaining Trojans. He has been fated to found a greater empire in Italy. Juno, queen of the gods, who supported Greece in the Trojan War, has recently heard that the descendants of Troy will destroy her new favourites in Carthage. All of this raises Juno's ire, and she manipulates men and nature in an effort to end the Trojan line. Through Juno's efforts, and in a manner similar to Homer's "Odyssey," the three day journey from Troy to Rome ends up taking many years.

Aeneas as a hero is a problematic figure. Though he is a skilled warrior and committed leader, his relationships with women are thoroughly troubled in "The Aeneid." In particular, his treatment of Carthage's Queen Dido and later the Trojan women is questionable. In addition, Aeneas has a tendency to let his introspection and attachment to ceremony draw him away from his people when they need his leadership the most. Often, though, these desperate situations allow the next generation, represented by Aeneas's son Ascanius, to shine in action scenes.

Aeneas's foes throughout the poem (Juno, Turnus) offer intense opposition to the wandering Trojans, emphasizing the amount of toil and suffering the Trojans had to endure to establish themselves in a new home and found a new empire. The great thing about Dryden's translation specifically is the way that Dryden dramatizes and references recent problems in England in the context of a Roman epic. In this context, look for references to fires, which are usually described as spreading like "contagion" or "plague." Dryden's personal knowledge of the plague and fire that tore London apart in 1665-6 are important subtexts in the translation. Aeneas and his "exiled" court also fit in with Dryden's concern as a Catholic with the Protestant Succession in the years after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. That Dryden's own historical period finds its way in these and other ways into his translation of the Roman epic are impressive and interesting.

Though the heroic couplet/triplet poetic style Dryden uses throughout his translation of "The Aeneid" can be initially difficult, it gradually becomes easier to read and follow. However, in the books dealing with battles, you will want to read slowly, to figure out just who is killing who. Frederick Keener's introduction to this Penguin Classics edition is very helpful, providing detailed explanations of Dryden's style and context. This edition also includes a glossary of names and a map of Aeneas's voyage, so that names that are introduced only briefly can be better understood. Overall, an excellent edition for reading or study.

The power and majesty of the English language is in all her glory in Dryden's incredible translation of Virgil's Aeneid. All the other translations seem pale beside it.

If you want to read about a quiet hero this book is a must read hard to put down after you start it...

This is a great biography of a Maine Doctor during his years of practice in the remote area around Moosehead Lake. If you are looking for adventure through hunting, fishing and medical exploits then this is the book for you. Doc Pritham was unique and certainly a forward thinker. I had a difficult time putting this book down.

This CD ROM for Microbiology is excellent! I am so impressed with the animation and variety of topics it covers. It's really helping me better understand the lectures and textbook readings. I'm sure many other students would be interested in purchasing this CD. I think it is totally worth buying.

The interactivity of this CD-ROM helped me tremendously in my microbiology class. I don't think I could have passed without it.

This is an excellent college level text.I particularly like the detailed "real world" drafting problems for the students. Also it has a very good apppendix. It is comprehensive enough that we use it in three different courses here at Vincennes University.

I have had this book in my drafting library for some time now. I am always using it and recommending it. The book is laid out so that you can go from beginning drafting up through advanced. It not only says what the standards are, but walks you through drafting technology so that you understand why they are like they are. I believe that anyone that is going to be doing drafting should have this in their library.

Who knew I would be looking for information about moose? Then I was traveling to Maine and wanted to know all about them. Adult or child, this is the book to start with. Simple, basic chapters explain the strange appearance of the moose, their habits, their habitat, and their social customs. Grand, solitary creatures, members of the deer family, they are actually making a comeback now, particularly in the northern tier of states. The pictures accompanying each little chapter are breathtaking, magnificent and appealing. The text is completely lucid, easy enough for a child to read, but packed with enough interesting information to satisfy an adult's curiosity. (Well, mine, anyway). If you are headed for moose country (or just interested in animals) I recommend this one highly!

Compact yet complete, less than 50 pages, but packed with fabulous photos and facts. Simple enough for the kids but with enough information for adults. Great buy.

I have made several of the recipes in this book and have yet to be disappointed. The recipes are unique and delicious. The fish recipes are outstanding!

I have been ordering Omaha steaks for quite a while. Yes, I do love the recipes they have and really can't add anything to the wonderful Amazon review above.

If you love steaks, but find it impossible to find that "restaurant" style in the grocery store....look no further. This is the place to order steaks.

Rebecca@SeasonedwithLove.com

I have been on the protein diet for nearly 4 years now and have been successful, however you do get so sick of plain old steaks. This book is a godsend. The first recipe in the book is from Emeril Lagasse and looks wonderful. That's the next one I am going to make.

I made the Strip steaks stuffed with Garlic and Creamy Chard. This recipe is phenomenal. This book is definitely worth every penny.

This is an excellent book for steak lover's. I had been looking for a book with different and exciting steak recipes. This was definitely it.

This book is loaded with technical information for the dratsman and designer. A must have for anyone who is in the mechanical technology field.

This text was the basic drafting manual that I used during my technical education; its use did not end with school, however, since I refer to it frequently in my occupation. It tells everything that needs to be explained and described in the general drawing problems that might be encountered in industrial practice. It contains excellent descriptions and illustrations for: Drawing Threads, Fasteners & Springs Geometric Constructions Clear, Concise instructions in using Drafting Instruments, (before the time of Computer Aided Drafting & Desing, in any case). An Excellent overview of the Industrial Design & Development Process, (which I wish my supervisors would read). Sectional Drawing. This book is to drafting what Machinery's Handbook, of the Industrial Press, is to the metal working industries. There are a variety of Drafting Textbooks available, but none are incrementally better, let alone drasticaly better.

This beautifully illustrated Christmas story explains the origins of many African-American Christmas traditions.

This book is the only book I know about a long forgotten part of both American and Church history.
The Anglican church played a significant role in the developement of this country. For too long Purtian New England with it's Pilgrims and dissenters has held sway over the religious history of the English colonies in North America.
Anglicans had a tremendous influence in the colonies where they were the established church.
Dr.Woolverton has done extensive research examining every aspect of the church's role both in the official and unofficial life of the colonies. It is a great shame this book has gone out of print. It is a must read for any student of the colonial period or anyone concerned with the history of the church in the 17th and 18th centuries.