Books of All Time

Since 1900 or so, anyone trying to engage with Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex has had Sigmund Freud breathing over their shoulders. This episode looks at how Freud, inspired by (and slightly obsessed with) Sophocles' play, concocted a theory that began as a stage of child development but soon expanded to become a universal explanation for all of culture, religion, and art.CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussions of sex and sexuality from very early in the runtime (and more than one Hall and Oates reference). Please consider people around you — or your own tolerance for topics like incest and sexual assault — before listening.Want to read a transcript of this episode, or see the reference list? Click here. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophocles (496 - 406 BCE) is considered the greatest of the great tragedians of Athens. In this episode, we take a look at his charmed life and at the play which, more than any other, has come to define his legacy: Oedipus Rex, which was probably staged in the 430s or 420s. It's basically a cold-case investigation that goes horribly, horribly wrong for its investigator.Want to read a transcript of this episode and see the reading list Rose used to write it? Click here. Don't forget to rate, review, and share our show if you like it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our second episode on Sun-Tzu's The Art of War, we dive into the cultural movement that introduced it to the west: the first Jesuit mission to China. From 1552 until 1773, the missionary priests of the Society of Jesus were the primary channel for communication between China and Europe. While their main goal was the conversion of souls, they wound up sharing science, technology, and literature with their hosts and their hundreds of correspondents back home. Listen to the story of Jean Joseph Marie Amiot (1718-1793), who was the first writer to translate The Art of War into a European language, and a member of the last generation of Jesuit pioneers in China. Harpsichord music optional.Want to read a transcript? Click here. If you like the show, please leave us a rating or review! Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Know your enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles." So wrote the legendary Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu sometime in the 6th or possibly 5th or possibly 4th century BCE. While Sun Tzu's existence and the exact date of the composition of the text associated with his name are uncertain, the work has influenced commanders, diplomats, C-suite executives, and World Cup-winning soccer coaches for more than two thousand years. In this episode, host Rose Judson walks through all 13 chapters of The Art of War and is surprised to find that a good two-thirds of it could be called The Art of Avoiding War Until You Absolutely Can't Anymore.Want to read a transcript or see our reference list for this episode? Click here. Don't forget to find us on Bluesky, Instagram, or Facebook - and leave a rating or review wherever you listen! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Herodotus is the father of history, who are some of his children? This episode looks into it. Starting with a brief look at Herodotus's reputation down the ages, we examine the works of three ancient historians whose works can be said to derive from our pal Herodotus. They include:Thucydides of Athens (c. 460-404 BCE), who purged his History of the Peloponnesian War of all that messy stuff about myths and gossipProcopius of Caesarea (c. 500-565 CE), who worked as an official historian for the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I - all while writing The Secret History about the nasty business Justinian got up to with his wifeGeoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095-1195 CE), a patriotic Welshman whose pseudo-historical History of the Kings of Britain inspired generations of poets and writers with its detailed legends of King Arthur (and its "prophecies" by "Merlin" which include a lot of talk about a hedgehog in Winchester)We also check in with the 26th American president, Teddy Roosevelt, who had some thoughts about history as literature. Bully!Note: Thanks to Procopius, this episode discusses quite a bit of sexual content. Please use discretion when listening.Want to read the transcript? Click here. You can also follow us on Bluesky or leave us a rating or review to help others find the show. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week we summarized books 1-5 of Herodotus's Histories. This week we cover books 6-9, which is heaving with military history. Marathon! Thermopylae! Salamis! While not as entertaining as the initial parts of the Histories, there are some iconic scenes and characters to meet here, from surprisingly sensitive Xerxes to the brave, doomed Spartan King Leonidas. Listen now!Want to read a transcript? Click here. Don't forget to follow us on social media. Thanks also for your ratings and reviews! They really help people find the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Year two begins with a two-part summary episode! Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c. 484 - 425 BCE) wrote his epic history of the Greco-Persian wars and was an instant sensation. The Histories ("history" in those days meaning an inquiry or research) cover the rise of the Persians, the customs of all the peoples with whom they fought, architecture, geography, animals, religious practices, and smutty court gossip. This episode covers the first five books of The Histories, and (trigger warning) also mentions Dick Van Dyke.Want a transcript? Click here. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating or review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fasting, abstaining from sex, risking the literal wrath of god - today's method actors have nothing on the pioneers of ancient Athenian drama. Following on from our episode about Aeschylus's Oresteia, this episode offers an overview of Greek tragedy and the theater - how it evolved from ritual, what actors and chorus members did on stage, and how an awful lot of the surrounding pageantry reminds our host Rose of the NFL.Want to read a transcript or check out Rose's reading list for this episode? Click here. Don't forget to leave us a rating or review (and share us on your socials). Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cycles of violence. Legacies handed from famous fathers to uncertain sons. The trajectory of a society moving from retribution to democracy and justice. Robert F. Kennedy probably did not have all these things in mind on April 4, 1968 when he announced the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. to a crowd in Indianapolis. But he brought them to the surface nevertheless by quoting the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus, father of tragedy in his successful attempt to keep the city at peace on that terrible night: "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."It was a scene worthy of Aeschylus himself. This week, walk through the plot of the Oresteia, the only complete triology of Aeschylus's we still have. It tells the story of a family laboring under a curse, and how that curse came to be lifted.To read the transcript of this play or browse our reading list and reference links, please click here. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looking for some divine assistance on a tough decision? Have you considered shooting some arrows? Dropping oil in water? What about sacrificing a sheep? This week's episode uses the Book of Isaiah, the first work of prophecy on our reading list, as a springboard for looking at divination, magic, and prophecy in the ancient world.Need a transcript or want to check out the references Rose used to write this episode? Click here to visit our website. Don't forget to rate and review us or share us on your socials! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 24, we return to the Hebrew Bible. By itself, the Book of Isaiah is one of humanity's most influential works of spiritual literature. In addition to laying the foundations of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, Isaiah has contributed dozens of phrases into our language, such as "swords into plowshares", "a little child shall lead them," and, of course, "a voice in the wilderness." Follow along with Rose Judson as she walks through it, talking you through the historical context, theories about how and where it was written, and, well, a few euphemisms for bodily functions.Apologies for the sound quality in this episode: we had to re-record at short notice.Want to read the transcript? This link will take you straight to it, and to this episode's reading list. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us! You can also follow us on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Snarky, satirical, scatological - how did the original Aesop's Fables wind up getting sanitized for children? This week's episode follows the thread through two thousand years of interpretation and adaptation, from Roman villas to medieval scriptoria to French drawing rooms.Want to read a transcript? Here you go! Don't forget to rate and review us on your podcast app of choice - it really helps people find the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! This is just a short announcement to let you all know that BoAT episode 23 will be out on January 9th. Also, we are coming to the end of the year 1 reading list! Year 2 will be out later this month. Prepare for a Greek drama overload, plus our first visit to Persia and, toward the end of the year, Rome!Thanks for sticking with us this year! We appreciate each and every one of you, and wish you all the best for 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hoped our Aesop's Fables episode would be a family-friendly romp just in time for the holidays. We could not have been more wrong. Compiled after 450 BCE, the hundreds of stories known to us as Aesop's Fables were not the children's morality tales we read today. They represent the earliest examples we have of Greek popular culture, and they started out mostly as bawdy or mean-spirited comedy bits you could memorize to deliver at a drinking party or even in a court of law.In this episode, Rose talks about the historical context of Aesop, including when (and whether) he lived, how other writers thought about him, and then gives a summary of several of the most popular fables, along with some of the ones that shocked her most. We recommend that you do not listen with younger children around (unless you want to traumatize them); there's one rude word included in a title that Rose mentions in passing.Want to read the transcript? Here you go! Thanks for listening - don't forget to tell friends about us and share us on your socials. See you in 2025! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He died dissatisfied and relatively obscure in 479 BCE, but Confucius, thanks to his disciples, had an afterlife for the ages. Learn how Confucianism adapted, evolved and survived for more than 2,000 years in spite of mass executions of its adherents, having to compete with Buddhism and then Christianity, and having to win over an emperor who kept peeing in Confucian scholars' hats.Want to read the transcript? Urine luck! Click here to read it and see the reference list for this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 20 expands the map of our show to eastern Asia, as we begin a two-part exploration of The Analects (Lunyu), collected sayings of the philosopher Confucius (551 - 479 BCE). He may just be the most influential educator and philosopher who ever lived. His ideas about virtue in rulers impacting the virtue of the people . . . are honestly kind of adorable in this day and age. In this first episode, Rose takes you through some of the major themes of the Analects, with lots of passages from the Master.Want a transcript instead? Click here to read it. You can also check out the references Rose used to write the episode, and leave comments about the episode at the bottom of the transcript page. Don't forget to subscribe and rate us on your podcast app, and share us on social media. It helps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 19 is here (after Rose finally busted through her writer's block about it). This special one-off episode covers the life and remaining poetry of Sappho (c. 630-570 BCE). Known widely as a lyric poet who wrote (mostly) about same-sex love between women, Sappho, in her social context, is even more interesting. Rose walks through what's known about the woman herself, some of the most famous fragments of her poetry, and a recent controversy surrounding the discovery of "new" Sappho poetry. Scholars (allegedly) behaving badly: a favorite theme here at Books of All Time!Need a transcript? We've got you covered. Click this link to read Rose's script for the episode or visit the references section to do some research of your own.Thanks for listening! Don't forget to share this show with friends or leave us a five-star rating or review on your podcast app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our second episode on the Upanishads (c. 800-300 BCE), we look at some of the striking similarities between Greek mythology and philosophy and Indian mythology and philosophy, and walk through some of the evidence that shows how societies may have been far more interconnected than we thought in ancient times.Also, Alexander the Great asks a bunch of nude yogis to dinner. Want a transcript? Read it here. Don't forget to rate and review us! It helps others find this show (and so does sharing us on your socials). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Upanishads - commentary on commentary on the Vedas - emerged out of India sometime beginning around 500 BCE. The esoteric spiritual ideas they describe, including the oneness of all creation, the idea of karma, and the cycle of reincarnation, impacted religious thinkers from Buddha to the Beatles. This week's episode gives some of the background for this branch of Hindu scripture and summarizes four of the principal Upanishads. Plus, it's true: pundits do not achieve enlightenment. Says so right there in the book. Next time you feel tempted to drop a hot take, try chanting OM instead. Want a transcript? It's here at our website, booksofalltime.co.uk.P.S.: Are you a fellow American living abroad? Rose wants you to know that only 8% of us actually bother to send in ballots during election years. You may still be able to request yours! Go to Vote from Abroad to get started. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for some comparative mythology? Of course you are. This episode follows up on Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days with what is probably our most meta meta-episode yet. Host Rose Judson looks back at the five cultures we've encountered on Books of All Time to date and compares their creation myths, pantheons, and concepts about the afterlife. She also reveals the song that would be playing on an eternal loop if she were ever sent to Hell.Want to read a transcript or see our source list? Click here to visit booksofalltime.co.uk.Love our show? Leave a rating or review and share us on your socials! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest episode introduces you to the first personality in European literature: a cranky shepherd-turned-poet who wants you to know that women are a calamitous trap and that you should wear a proper hat in winter. Yes, it's Hesiod, the Ancient Greek forbear of today's op-ed columnists and reply guys. Walk with Rose through Theogony, our earliest-known source for many key Greek myths, and Works and Days, a self-help poem that's also partly a burn letter. Or maybe it's the other way around.Need a transcript? We've got you covered. Click here to read the episode script now.Hey, are you following us? You should! We're @booksofalltime on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and (ugh) X, formerly known as Twitter. Say hi! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our second episode on the first two books of the Bible goes a little bit deeper into the historical context in which Genesis and Exodus were written - the Wild West(ern Asia) of the post-Bronze Age Collapse. Bonus callback to our second month of episodes about The Tale of Sinuhe!As always, you can read a transcript of the episode on our website. We're also taking suggestions for the 2025-2026 reading list, which will cover roughly 500 BCE - 100 BCE. Have something from that time period you think we should read? (Bonus points if it's not Greek; there are So Many Greeks to cover next year.) Go here and pop a comment at the bottom of the page. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Thanks for bearing with us while this episode was delayed—Rose was recovering from a bout of COVID!) This episode takes us into the first two books of the Bible, written c. 580 BCE during the Babylonian Captivity of the Judeans and Israelites. Stretching from the creation of the world to the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, these two books contain some of the most memorable and influential stories that inform the faith of Jews, Christians, and Muslims around the world.Want to read the transcript? It's here at the website for our great books podcast, www.booksofalltime.co.uk. You can also find us on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook (we also post at Formerly Twitter, but just for the SEO). If you like what you hear, leave us a rating or review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the works of Homer become so central to education in the west for so long? This episode tries to answer that question by exploring the roots of "classical" education, with a brief digression about Alexander the Great using Homer's Odyssey for municipal planning purposes. This episode also mentions E.A. Wallis Budge, in case any of our regular listeners missed him. Need a transcript? Want to read some of Rose's references for yourself? Visit the Books of All Time website. Don't forget to rate, review, and share the show - it really does help new listeners find us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Odyssey is very different from The Iliad - so different that some people thought it was actually written by a woman. This week, Rose walks you through the plot of the second great work of European literature, and recommends editions to try reading yourself. (You can also search for an audiobook version narrated by Sir Ian McKellan!) As always, a transcript of this episode is available at our website, booksofalltime.co.uk, here. Please leave us a rating or review - it really helps others find the show. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“In Homeric studies, every man's hand is raised against his brother, and one never knows from what corner the next dead cat will come.” Jump into the Homeric Question(s) in our second episode covering the Iliad. Was there a Homer? Does The Iliad reflect any kind of real history? Who's more annoying: Homer nerds or Star Wars nerds? This episode features cameos from Dante Aligheri, Friedrich Nietzsche, William Gladstone (again), and Aristotle. You know, Aristotle.As always, you can read the episode transcript (and check out links to Rose's sources) at our website, www.booksofalltime.co.uk. Click here to make the jump.Like listening to us? Follow us on social media! We're on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and [the site formerly known as Twitter]. Don't forget to share us with friends, rate or review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An epic poem deserves an epic, hour-long episode. Rose walks you through the great Homeric epic covering (a very small part of) the Trojan War. The Iliad is almost certainly the most-studied work in Western literature, but it can still surprise you. Come hear of the wrath of Achilles, and the Real Housewives of Mount Olympus, and that one poor guy who gets stuck headfirst in the ground.Want to read the transcript? Visit our website to read it (and to see the references we used to write the episode). You can also find us on social media! We're on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and (ugh) the site formerly known as Twitter. Subscribe, rate, review and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we grapple with the limitations of translation and the ethics of Western examination of other people's religions. Covering controversies involving the Indologists Max Müller (1823-1900) and Wendy Doniger (b. 1940), Rose explores the how the Sanskrit word Aryan became linked to the worst kind of racists, learns that fringe reactionary groups filing lawsuits to ban books aren't just an American thing, and squeezes in a reference to Miller's Crossing (Coen Brothers, 1990),Want to read our transcript? In addition to providing an accessible version of the show for people with hearing impairments, it also includes links and the list of references used to create this episode—ideal if you want to learn more about the issues we talk about or find our social media links. Click here to head to our website and read the transcript now.Don't forget to leave a rating and review, and share us with your friends! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rig Veda (c. 1400-1500 BCE) is a massive collection of 1,028 hymns written by ancient people living in northwestern India, and it forms part of the foundation of Hindu faith. The hymns span myths, philosophy, spirituality, love, grief, and practical tips for making an incredibly powerful hallucinogenic drink. In this episode, Rose investigates some of the major themes in the Rig Veda and compares some of the themes in it to myths from other traditions.PLEASE NOTE: This episode describes some scenes of human and animal sacrifice. If you're squeamish, take care. Want to read the transcript or see the references Rose used to write this episode? Visit our website. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Instagram, or Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We weren't expecting multi-episode character arcs when we launched this show, but here we are. Rose wraps up the Egyptian Book of the Dead - and one of its most prominent early interpreters, E.A. Wallis Budge (1857-1934) by looking at how late 19th and early 20th-century occultists pilfered Egyptology for ideas. Also, Budge has a dream that helps him pass an exam at Cambridge.Additional research for this episode by Matt Brough. Want to read the transcript or see the reading list for this episode? It's available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In ancient Egypt, if you were rich enough, you'd be buried with a handy manual for surviving the afterlife within easy reach of your coffin — like having a novel on your nightstand. Find out what awaits you in the Duat where Osiris reigns, guarded by gatekeeper spirits with names like "Eavesdropper," "Hot Legs", and "One Who Eats the Putrefaction of His Posterior" in our summary of The Egyptian Book of the Dead Transcript and reading list are available, as always, at our website, www.booksofalltime.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode four looks at two key figures in the history of Egyptology: one, Jean-François Champollion, is well known as the man who cracked Egyptian hieroglyphics. The other, Giovanni Belzoni, was a carnival strongman and hydraulics engineer before becoming a renowned explorer—and excavator—of Egyptian monuments. Bonus cameo: Napoleon Bonaparte, ruining everything for everyone. Read the transcript and see the reading list for this episode at our website. You can also follow us on Instagram! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're off to Ancient Egypt for the next work on the Books of All Time reading list: The Tale of Sinuhe (c. 1875 BCE). It's a story about a royal advisor who runs away from Egypt after learning that the pharaoh has been assassinated, then creates a new life in another country. Host Rose Judson walks you through the plot, then muses on what it's like to be an immigrant, even in a country where you more or less speak the language. Transcript and additional reading available at our website! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the second part of our look at the Epic of Gilgamesh, we're heading to the 19th century for a little wildcat archaeology and museum curator drama. Hear about how the most famous story about Gilgamesh's first modern translator getting naked at the office might not be true, and exactly what kind of animal Rose thinks former British Prime Minister William Gladstone most resembled. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 1 of Books of All Time summarizes the oldest-known narrative tale: The Epic of Gilgamesh (Sumer, c. 2100 BCE). Lost for centuries, this story was rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19th century. Host Rose Judson walks you through the plot of a story that begins as a buddy comedy with monsters and winds up as a poignant meditation on mortality. Plus, she recommends different editions of Gilgamesh that you may want to check out yourself. Content Note: While we keep it clean here at Books of All Time, this show does touch on some adult themes. Discretion advised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing a new great-books podcast that's tackling classic literature in chronological order. Each month, host Rose Judson brings you a summary of a great work, plus a story about the history behind it. Starts 29 February 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.