Greek poet Hesiod took many lines of thought and knowledge - myth, fable, personal experience, practical understanding - and wove them into one great whole. He did as much with the origins of the Greek gods in the Theogony, and then did the same in creating his manual of moral and practical advice, Works and Days.

Here, Stephanie Nelson's translation of Works and Days is paired with Richard S. Caldwell's take on the Theogony. Along with introductory essays, these comprehensible versions of Hesiod's two best-known poems make it easy for readers to see why Hesiod's writings continue to resound through the ages.