Reread Aeneid 1-6 for a class this summer. I still wish Pharr had done 7-12 as well (no, none of the other commentaries are nearly as helpful for quick reading).

Four stars for the vocab + notes; Vergil himself deserves 5, of course. <3

no English translation I've read so far can compare to the original Latin...

Had a fantastic time translating this as an undergraduate. Highly recommend this edition.

Simultaneously full of beautiful poetry and non-stop action, the Aneid is a great reminder of what books are meant to be.

I finally got around to finishing this! Indispensable for an intermediate student. Not great for an advanced student, lacking more commentary a more serious study would require.

A review of Vergil's work could be so funny, but I'll pass on that and comment on R. D. W.

I think this is the best balance for a reader who does not wish to get into a profound study of the Aeneid, but to get through the Latin text first. With the patience of a good teacher Williams walks you through that task. The commentary divides the text into thematic morsels, with a synopsis and an introductory paragraph to provide some background. If your Latin is somewhat rusty and you can't at once feel the nuance, the synopsis is an immense help even if it contains slight spoilers for the next couple of dozens of lines.

Williams is very keen on making you appreciate poetry, and has two acts up his sleeve: first, he draws your attention to technicalities of Vergil's craft, and I think that his indications as to how rhythm is tied to the theme of the verses, as to what kind of alliteration is considered harsh, and how diction influences perception, contribute hugely to the appreciation of poetry – Latin poetry, because it explains what we coudn't skim unwittingly from a text that remote, and modern poetry as well, because Latin forces the procedure and the analytical tension you'll have to keep applying. Secondly, Williams is very fond of drawing parallels with (early) contemporary literature, exposing the impact The Aeneid (called by T. S. Eliot the one true classic of the European literature) had on everything that has been written since, so that you get a fair share of your favourite lines from Spenser, Milton, Wordsworth and others exposed as wonderful and precise variations on themes set by Vergil. Which Vergil himself would highly approve, as Williams shows by exposing his sources as well: Ennius, Catullus et al.

I am not sure to what extent Williams is indebted to Servius, because Virgil's study is steeped in his commentary, either gathering corroborating evidence, or—very much less frequently—gainsaying, but he does seem to have a fairly direct landline to the ancient classicist.

Cultural references and mythology are explained in fair detail without falling into a rabbit-hole of research with bibliographies as long as the reference is subtle. If you need that kind of study, consult Horsfall, who has thrice as much commentary text per line; I felt I was reading Horsfall, not Vergil—which is fine, but it wasn't my intention. Williams keeps decently transparent.

It has been pointed out by angry reviewers on Amazon that they couldn't read Latin, and Williams did not help. I do believe them! On the other hand, I couln't say why he chose to translate the phrases that he chose. They certainly weren't the most complicated by way of grammar or references. Whatever his criteria, I couldn't discern them—but I can't get angry at him for that.

What does have a great share in that one star that I took off my glaring rating is the physical edition. It is a rather bad reprint of a 1972 Macmillan edition (which is not only out of print, but virtually unretrievable) by Bristol Classical Press, and it will have you guessing the ends of lines on many pages and raving about the binding that you have to struggle with. I understand that Virgil doesn't sell well these days. Well, so there it goes.

I love this Latin epic! Perhaps not as popular as The Odyssey or The Iliad, it is every bit as great. Aeneas' adventures are just tremendous as, like Orpheus, he even descends into Hell! Dido is one of the great classical heroines, and the battles & sea journeys are amazing! A tale of the founding of Rome like no other!

I know this is a super great work of literature, but it is SO boring. I wanted to scrape my eyeballs out of my head and carve out the part of my brain that had processed this. We have the Iliad and the Odyssey, did we REALLY need someone else to talk about all of that from the other side? No. The answer is no, we really, really did not. Just because something is old doesn't mean it is necessarily good. I bet Virgil's friends hated him for writing this too.

This is how I fell in love with Latin. It's not the same in English translation.

DO NOT READ!! SO BORING!!

3/5 - cool, but only really because of the fact that this was a book i read for class. i wouldve completely missed all the referential roman culture pieces without it.

fantastic edition with really good (helpful and interesting) notes that cover both content and grammar.