Book excerpt: This volume offers up-to-date translations of all 21 epistles of Ovid’s Heroides. Each letter is accompanied by a preface explaining the mythological background, and an essay offering critical remarks on the poem, and discussion of the heroine and her treatment elsewhere in Classical literature. Where relevant, reception in later literature, film, music and art, and feminist aspects of the myth are also covered. The book is augmented by an introduction covering Ovid's life and works, the Augustan background, originality of the Heroides, dating, authenticity, and reception. This is a vital new resource for anyone studying the poetry of Ovid, classical myth, or women in the ancient world. A useful glossary of characters mentioned in the Heroides concludes the book.