The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales, Legends, and Myths

By: William Hansen

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

A classic anthology now available on audio
With narration by Kristin Atherton, who presents the entire range of ancient Greek and Roman stories from myths and fairy tales to jokes

Captured centaurs and satyrs, incompetent seers, people who suddenly change sex, a woman who remembers too much, a man who cannot laugh—these are just some of the colorful characters who feature in the unforgettable stories that ancient Greeks and Romans told in their daily lives. Together they created an incredibly rich body of popular oral stories that include, but range well beyond, mythology—from heroic legends, fairy tales, and fables to ghost stories, urban legends, and jokes. This unique anthology presents the largest collection of these tales ever assembled. Featuring nearly four hundred stories in authoritative and highly enjoyable translations, this is the first book to offer a representative selection of the entire range of traditional classical storytelling. This one-of-a-kind anthology will delight general listeners as well as students of classics, fairy tales, and folklore.

©2023 William Hansen (P)2023 Princeton University Press

Critic reviews

"One of CHOICE’s Outstanding Academic Titles for 2017"

"Enchanting."—Victoria Rimell, Times Literary Supplement

"An extraordinarily entertaining bedside book."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"I cannot recommend it highly enough."—Edith Hall, Literary Review

So many stories and anecdotes!

The narrator was amazing, I loved her voice. The stories and anecdotes were followed by some explanations which was really cool.

A interesting and comprehensive review!

The longevity of many of these tales is truly amazing. It is also true that many of them are very familiar to the modern listener.
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