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Robert von Ranke-Graves

    July 24, 1895 – December 7, 1985
    Robert von Ranke-Graves
    War Poems
    Suetonius: Diuus Claudius
    Some Speculations on Literature, History and Religion
    The Complete Poems
    I, Claudius. Ich, Claudius, Kaiser und Gott, englische Ausgabe
    The Comedies of Terence
    • 2024

      Proceed, Sergeant Lamb

      The Continuing Saga of Sergeant Lamb During the American War of Independence

      • 336 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      Set against the backdrop of the American War of Independence, the narrative follows Sergeant Roger Lamb, a British non-commissioned officer imprisoned after the Battle of Saratoga. As the American Congress stalls his repatriation, Lamb devises a daring escape to rejoin British forces, ultimately participating in the pivotal battles leading to Yorktown. This compelling tale, inspired by Lamb's true memoirs, is crafted by Robert Graves, offering a vivid, semi-historical portrayal of a soldier's resilience during a transformative period in American history.

      Proceed, Sergeant Lamb
    • 2024

      The renowned poet, classicist, and novelist Robert Graves “recounts, in faithful and nicely atmospheric detail” the story of a British soldier during the American Revolution (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Featuring a new introduction by Madison Smartt Bell. A historical novel of the early years of the American Revolution based on the adventures of Sergeant Roger Lamb, a Dublin man, in the service of His Majesty’s Army. It begins with Lamb’s early days in Dublin and ends with his arrival in Boston as a member of the regiment taken prisoner after Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga. The first in a two-book series, Sergeant Lamb's America is based on historical research, describing events and figures from the British perspective during the American War of Independence. Sergeant Lamb is engaging, personable, and exudes basic decency of character as he recounts the British defeat and the capture of his unit at the Battle of Saratoga in a voice that’s both funny, insightful, and wise. “It is a historical novel for which one has a very real respect.” —The New York Times

      Sergeant Lamb's America
    • 2023

      The Pier-Glass is a classical work deemed essential throughout history, now republished by Alpha Editions to ensure its preservation for future generations. This edition features a modern format, with the text reformatted and retyped for clarity and readability, rather than being a scanned copy of the original. It aims to maintain the integrity of the original work while making it accessible to contemporary readers.

      The Pier-Glass
    • 2022
    • 2022

      The book is recognized for its significant impact on human history, prompting efforts to preserve it for future generations. By republishing it in a modern format, the aim is to ensure that its valuable insights and contributions remain accessible and appreciated over time.

      The Feather Bed
    • 2022

      A scholarly approach to sixty-one stories from the book of Genesis, following in the lucid format of Graves' canonical The Greek Myths. With a new introduction by author of Bibliotheca, Adam Lewis Greene. An exhaustive study of sixty-one stories from the Old Testament and the Torah, as well as pre-biblical texts censored for centuries, that nuance, extend, and complete the book of Genesis. Graves and Patai, renowned scholars of Greco-Roman and Hebrew mythology, transcend the Christian biblical and Judaic versions of these narratives, in order to redefine myth. Myths are reconceived as dramatic stories that form a sacred charter either authorizing the continuance or the alteration of religious beliefs. Authorized biblical texts are interpreted against the grain to expose folk tales, apocryphal texts, midrashes, and other little-known documents that the Old Testament and the Torah exclude. Thus, the mythological component underlying the theological component is revealed. This is a useful companion to Graves' The Greek Myths, as it puts forth the thesis that the Hebrews, unlike the Greeks, used myth to sermonize on national history and destiny. Though the authors were true intellectuals, they were considered mavericks by the mainstream academy.

      Hebrew Myths
    • 2020

      Lawrence And The Arabs

      • 496 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      Beginning his life-long affair with the Middle East, T.E. Lawrence--Lawrence of Arabia--made his first journey to the region, a four-month walking tour of Syria studying the Crusaders' castles, while still a student at Oxford. He later returned to the area as an archeologist and at the outbreak of World War I was attached to British army intelligence in Egypt. In 1916 he set out on his greatest adventure. With no backing, Lawrence joined Arab forces facing almost insurmountable odds in a rebellion against Turkish domination. His brilliance as a desert war strategist made him a hero among the Arabs, a legendary figure throughout the world, and earned him the moniker Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence, though, had a near-pathological dislike of publicity and, at the writing of this book, had begun a life of self-imposed obscurity as T.E. Shaw, an anonymous soldier in the RAF. First published in 1927, Robert Graves's biography remains a unique study of T.E. Lawrence. As a close friend (Lawrence had earlier saved the aspiring poet from bankruptcy), Graves was the only biographer to write with Lawrence's permission and cooperation and did so with understanding and insight that enabled him to separate the man from the myth

      Lawrence And The Arabs
    • 2019
    • 2019

      "A real historical figure, the British surgeon Dr. William Palmer was accused in 1856 of murdering fourteen people by means of poison. The Dr. Kevorkian trial of the 19th century, with a bit of O.J. Simpson mixed in for good measure, the scandal entranced nearly the entire population of the British Isles. Everyone had an opinion on the case--including esteemed poet and historical fabulist Robert Graves. They Hanged My Saintly Billy is true crime as only a true literary master could write it, with exquisitely rendered portrais of Palmer's era and milieu, told from the shifting perspectives of all who came into contact with the notorious doctor. Just as his renowned I, Claudius opened a window onto a case of history once thought to be closed, Graves's account of Palmer's life recasts the surgeon as a victim of yellow journalism and overzealous judges. But ultimately it's left up to the reader to decide whether or not Palmer's mother is in the right, or merely duped along with the rest of Palmer's supporters, when she laments: "Yes, they hanged my saintly Billy! He was a bit of a scamp right enough, but a good son to me; the best of the brood. and no murderer."--

      They Hanged My Saintly Billy