Ovid's masterpiece, spanning from the creation of the world to the apotheosis of Julius Caesar, tells numerous legends sharing the theme of change in shape, often tales of humans who are transformed into animals, plants, or heavenly bodies in various encounters with the gods.

The only chronicle by an ancient general of his own campaigns, this historical treasure is also a work of profound literary merit. Julius Caesar's fascinating account of his conquests offers a trove of priceless details about the cultures of Gaul, Germany, and Britain during the First century B.C.-and of the great man himself. Despite his extensive background in politics, Caesar expresses himself without hiding behind rhetoric, in an uncluttered,...