Select Works of Lucian (10 vols.)

by Lucian

Publishers:

Macmillan and Co.; G. P. Putnam’s Sons; Harvard University Press

, 1913–1936

Overview

Notorious for his wit, satire, and spontaneity, Lucian of Samosata traveled through Ionia, Greece, Italy, Gaul, and other places giving entertaining and often sarcastic lectures to educated people. Professionally, Lucian was a rhetorician, possessing a mastery of speechcraft and the art of pleading in court. While the details of his personal life elude historians, his extensive writings have survived in more than 150 manuscripts.

Lucian wrote a number of books in addition to his essays, making him one of the earliest novelists of Western civilization. A True Story, included in this collection, is widely recognized as one of, if not the, earliest science fiction novel. The Lover of Lies—also known as The Doubter or The Cheater—contains the original text of The Sorceror’s Apprentice. Many of Lucian’s works were influential, innovative, and unique, however, the authorship of a handful of the works attributed to him have been called into question.

This collection contains the complete texts in their Loeb Classical Library editions. Each text includes the original Greek and an English translation for easy side-by-side comparison. Logos’ language tools allow you to go deeper into the Greek text and explore Lucian’s elegant language. Use the dictionary lookup tool to examine difficult English words used by the translator, or break down challenging Greek words used by Lucian. Students of literature, history, and ancient cultures will enjoy these works and appreciate their significance.

Key Features

• 55 writings of Lucian
• Loeb Classical Library editions
• Some of the oldest novels from the Western hemisphere

Praise for the Print Edition

Rightly to understand and appreciate Lucian, one must recognise that he was not a philosopher nor even a moralist, but a rhetorician, that his mission in life was not to reform society nor chastise it, but simply to amuse it.

—A. M. Harmon, professor of Greek, Yale

Product Details

• Title: Select Works of Lucian
• Author: Lucian
• Editors: T. E. Page, E. Capps, W. H. D. Rouse, L. A. Post, and E. H. Warmington
• Translator: A. M. Harmon
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Volumes: 10
• Pages: 2,489

Lucian, vol. 1

• Author: Lucian
• Editors: T. E. Page, E. Capps, and W. H. D. Rouse
• Translator: A. M. Harmon
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Macmillan and Co.
• Publication Date: 1913
• Pages: 248

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

This volume contains A. M. Harmon’s translation of the first volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• Phalaris I
• Phalaris II
• Hippias, or the Bath (Hippias)
• Heracles (Hercules)
• Amber, or the Swans (De Electro)
• The Fly (Muscae laudatio)
• Nigrinus
• Demonax
• The Hall (De Domo)
• My Native Land (Patriae laudatio)
• Octogenarians (Longaevi)
• A True Story (Verae Historiae) I
• A True Story (Verae Historiae) II
• Slander (Calumniae non temere credendum)
• The Consonants at Law (Iudicium vocalium)
• The Carousal, or the Lapiths (Convivium)

Lucian, vol. 1: Greek Text

• Author: Lucian
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Macmillan and Co.
• Publication Date: 1913
• Pages: 248

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

This volume contains the Greek text of the first volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• Phalaris I
• Phalaris II
• Hippias, or the Bath (Hippias)
• Heracles (Hercules)
• Amber, or the Swans (De Electro)
• The Fly (Muscae laudatio)
• Nigrinus
• Demonax
• The Hall (De Domo)
• My Native Land (Patriae laudatio)
• Octogenarians (Longaevi)
• A True Story (Verae Historiae) I
• A True Story (Verae Historiae) II
• Slander (Calumniae non temere credendum)
• The Consonants at Law (Iudicium vocalium)
• The Carousal, or the Lapiths (Convivium)

Lucian, vol. 2

• Author: Lucian
• Editors: T. E. Page, E. Capps, and W. H. D. Rouse
• Translator: A. M. Harmon
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
• Publication Date: 1915
• Pages: 269

This volume contains A. M. Harmon’s translation of the second volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• The Downward Journey, or The Tyrant
• Zeus Catchized
• Zuez Rants
• The Dream, or The Cock
• Promethius
• Icaromenippus, or The Sky-Man
• Timon, or The Misanthrope
• Charon, or The Inspectors
• Philosophies For Sale
• Index

Lucian, vol. 2: Greek Text

• Author: Lucian
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
• Publication Date: 1915
• Pages: 269

This volume contains the Greek text of the second volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• The Downward Journey, or The Tyrant
• Zeus Catchized
• Zuez Rants
• The Dream, or The Cock
• Promethius
• Icaromenippus, or The Sky-Man
• Timon, or The Misanthrope
• Charon, or The Inspectors
• Philosophies For Sale

Lucian, vol. 3

• Author: Lucian
• Editors: T. E. Page, E. Capps, and W. H. D. Rouse
• Translator: A. M. Harmon
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
• Publication Date: 1921
• Pages: 248

This volume contains A. M. Harmon’s translation of the third volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• The Dead Come to Life, or The Fisherman
• The Double Indictment, or Trials by Jury
• On Sacrifices
• The Ignorant Book Collector
• The Dream, or Lucian’s Career
• The Parasite, Parasitic an Art
• The Lover of Lies, or The Doubter
• The Judgement of the Goddesses
• On Salaried Posts in Great Houses
• Index

Lucian, vol. 3: Greek Text

• Author: Lucian
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
• Publication Date: 1921
• Pages: 248

This volume contains the Greek text of the third volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• The Dead Come to Life, or The Fisherman
• The Double Indictment, or Trials by Jury
• On Sacrifices
• The Ignorant Book Collector
• The Dream, or Lucian’s Career
• The Parasite, Parasitic an Art
• The Lover of Lies, or The Doubter
• The Judgement of the Goddesses
• On Salaried Posts in Great Houses

Lucian, vol. 4

• Author: Lucian
• Editors: T. E. Page, E. Capps, W. H. D. Rouse, L. A. Post, and E. H. Warmington
• Translator: A. M. Harmon
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 1925
• Pages: 211

This volume contains A. M. Harmon’s translation of the fourth volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• List of Lucian’s Works
• Anacharsis, or Athletics
• Menippus, or The Descent Into Hades
• On Funerals (De Luctu)
• A Professor of Public Speaking (Rhetorum praeceptor)
• Alexander the False Prophet
• Essays in Portraiture (Imagines)
• Essays in Portraiture Defended (Pro Imaginibus)
• The Goddesse of Surrye (De Syria Dea)
• Index

Lucian, vol. 4: Greek Text

• Author: Lucian
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 1925
• Pages: 211

This volume contains the Greek text of the fourth volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• List of Lucian’s Works
• Anacharsis, or Athletics
• Menippus, or The Descent Into Hades
• On Funerals (De Luctu)
• A Professor of Public Speaking (Rhetorum praeceptor)
• Alexander the False Prophet
• Essays in Portraiture (Imagines)
• Essays in Portraiture Defended (Pro Imaginibus)
• The Goddesse of Surrye (De Syria Dea)

Lucian, vol. 5

• Author: Lucian
• Editors: T. E. Page, E. Capps, W. H. D. Rouse, L. A. Post, and E. H. Warmington
• Translator: A. M. Harmon
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 1936
• Pages: 268

This volume contains A. M. Harmon’s translation of the fifth volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• The Passing of Peregrinus (Peregrinus)
• The Runaways (Fugitivi)
• Toxaris, or Friendship (Toxaris vel amicilia)
• The Dance (Saltalio)
• Lexiphanes (Lexiphanes)
• The Eunuch (Eunuchus)
• Astrology (Astrologia)
• The Mistaken Critic Pseudologista)
• The Parliament of the Gods (Deorum concilium)
• The Tryannicide (Tyrannicida)
• Disowned (Abdicatus)
• Index

Lucian, vol. 5: Greek Text

• Author: Lucian
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 1936
• Pages: 268

This volume contains the Greek text of the fifth volume of Lucian’s collected writings.

Contents:

• The Passing of Peregrinus (Peregrinus)
• The Runaways (Fugitivi)
• Toxaris, or Friendship (Toxaris vel amicilia)
• The Dance (Saltalio)
• Lexiphanes (Lexiphanes)
• The Eunuch (Eunuchus)
• Astrology (Astrologia)
• The Mistaken Critic Pseudologista)
• The Parliament of the Gods (Deorum concilium)
• The Tryannicide (Tyrannicida)
• Disowned (Abdicatus)

About Lucian

Lucian of Samosata (AD 125–c. 180) was a Greek rhetorician and satirist. Little is known about his life beyond what can be gleaned from his writings, many of which he states are not true. He called himself a Syrian, claiming to possess a “barbarian tongue.” Some scholars believe that before he received his training as a rhetorician, he was briefly an apprentice for his uncle, a sculptor.

About A. M. Harmon

Austin Morris Harmon (1878–1950) was a skilled editor and translator of Greek. He produced the first two volumes of the Loeb edition of Lucian while he was preceptor in Greek at Princeton. After revealing his talent for translation, he became a professor of Greek at Yale until 1945. For a time, he was also an editor of Yale Classical Studies.