2 h 13 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 54 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 54 pagesAbout this book
What if the most honest traveler is the one who admits that every word is a lie?
In Lucian's True History, Lucian of Samosata sends a deadpan narrator beyond the known world, where the sea is only the beginning. A voyage becomes a journey to the Moon, and the travelers find themselves caught between rival rulers. Endymion, king of the Moon, wants a colony on the Morning Star. Phaethon, king of the Sun, means to stop him.
The wonders keep coming: giant vultures, a city of lamps in the sky, and a whale with people living inside it. Yet Lucian offers more than a string of impossible sights. His narrator openly admits to lying, while the satire takes aim at poets, historians, and travelers who demand belief simply because they sound certain.
What you’ll discover
- A gloriously unreliable guide Follow a curious traveler whose frank admission makes every outrageous claim part of the joke.
- War among the stars Meet rival kings whose struggle turns the Moon and Sun into stages for cosmic absurdity.
- Life inside a whale Encounter Scintharus and Kinyras, who farm within the creature that swallows the travelers.
- An ancient comic imagination Explore seas of milk and an island of cheese, where adventure gleefully abandons ordinary rules.
- A sharper eye for stories Enjoy a satire that asks why a confident storyteller should deserve your trust.
Who will love it
For readers who love satire, tall tales, early science fiction or the roots of fantasy, and anyone curious about the ancient world's sense of humor.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A liar admits he is lying
- A storm, a river of wine, and a waterspout
- The Moon goes to war with the Sun
- Swallowed by a whale as big as an island
- The Isle of the Blessed and its famous dead
- What the lies are really about
Who’s who
- LucianThe narrator and leader of the voyage, a curious, deadpan traveler who sets out to see what lies beyond the ocean.
- EndymionThe king of the Moon, who welcomes the sailors and wants to found a colony on the Morning Star.
- PhaethonThe king of the Sun, who opposes the Moon's plan and goes to war to stop it.
- ScintharusAn old Greek who lives with his son in the belly of the whale and tells the newcomers how they came to be there.
- KinyrasThe old man's son, who farms the whale's belly with his father and helps the newcomers face their neighbors.
- RhadamanthysThe judge who rules the Isle of the Blessed and decides how visitors are to be treated.
- HomerThe poet of the Iliad and the Odyssey, who lives among the blessed dead and answers Lucian's questions.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 54 pages: 5,95 USD when you start free, 12,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 54 pages: 13,95 USD when you start free, 20,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in, 82 pages: 7,95 USD when you start free, 13,95 USD on its own.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in, 82 pages: 14,95 USD when you start free, 21,95 USD on its own.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Lucian's True History in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Lucian's True History
by Lucian of Samosata · 175
Lucian sails beyond the known world and reaches the Moon, where a colony on the Morning Star sparks war with the Sun.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Here is a travel writer who tells you up front that every word is a lie. Lucian of Samosata, a Syrian speaker and writer of the second century, wrote True History to amuse educated readers and to tease the books they loved.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A liar admits he is lying
Lucian opens with a preface that works like a dare. A thinking person, he says, should rest the mind with light reading, and he promises jokes that hide a target in plain view.
The targets are other writers. He names Homer, Ctesias and Iambulus, who all told of marvels as if they were true. Lucian does not blame them for lying. He blames them for lying with a straight face.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Lucian's True History
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 12,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 5,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Lucian's True History about?
It is a comic tale of a sea voyage beyond the known world. The narrator reaches the Moon, takes part in a war with the Sun, is swallowed by a whale and visits the island of the blessed dead.
Why is it called True History if it is made up?
The title is a joke. Lucian says in the preface that everything in it is false, to mock writers who swore that their tall tales were true, such as Ctesias, Iambulus and even Homer.
Is Lucian's True History the first science fiction story?
Many readers call it the earliest work of science fiction, because it describes travel to the Moon and a war between worlds. Lucian wrote it as satire rather than science, but it shaped later space tales.
The author
Lucian of Samosata
120–180 · Ancient Syrian satirist
Lucian of Samosata was a Syrian writer who lived in the second century CE. He was born in Samosata, a city on the Euphrates, and later lived in Athens. He wrote in Greek. His works include True History, dialogues, satires, and speeches, written during the second century.
More by Lucian of Samosata
All 2 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
