10 h 29 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 29 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A golden apple falls among wedding guests, and a quarrel among goddesses sets the war at Troy in motion.
In Tales of Troy and Greece, Andrew Lang brings Greek myths together in clear, direct prose. Helen’s departure with Paris draws the Greek kings to Troy, where proud Achilles fights and neither side can win quickly. After the war, clever Ulysses faces a long journey toward Ithaca, where Penelope and Telemachus wait for him to come home.
Beyond Troy and Ulysses’ wanderings lie the adventures of Perseus, Theseus and Jason. Perseus must bring back Medusa’s head and protect his mother. Theseus sets out to claim his place, while Jason gathers heroes to seek the Golden Fleece. Monsters, magic gifts and angry gods test their courage; loyalty, pride and the cost of promises give the adventures their weight.
What you’ll discover
- A quarrel becomes war Follow the golden apple from a wedding feast to the struggle beneath Troy’s walls.
- The pull of home Travel with Ulysses as wonders stand between him and the family he longs to reach.
- Gifts and daring Meet Perseus, whose dangerous task brings courage, magic gifts and his mother’s safety together.
- A prince claims his place Follow Theseus toward Athens as he seeks his place and an end to a cruel debt.
- The Golden Fleece Join Jason’s quest and meet Medea, whose love and magic help him face his tasks.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy heroes, monsters and clever escapes will love these Greek myths told in clear, lively language. Anyone drawn to Homer, Jason, Theseus and Perseus will find a friendly way in.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A clever boy, a boar and a scar
- A prince is tricked into joining the war
- A quarrel, a near flight and a night raid
- Fire at the ships, a lost friend, a ransom
- The beggar who stole the Luck of Troy
- From the Cyclops to Calypso's island
- A beggar king comes home to Ithaca
- Jason, the Golden Ram and the Argo
- Theseus lifts the stone and walks the dangerous road
- Perseus and the Gorgon
Who’s who
- UlyssesKing of rocky Ithaca, brave and cunning, who fights at Troy and then struggles for many years to get back to his wife and son.
- PenelopeWise wife of Ulysses, who keeps a houseful of suitors at bay by weaving and hopes her husband will return.
- AchillesThe fiercest Greek warrior, hidden as a girl by his mother until Ulysses finds him, proud and terrible when angry.
- HelenThe fairest woman in the world, married to Menelaus and carried off to Troy, unhappy and kind to Ulysses.
- JasonRightful heir of Iolcos, raised by Chiron, who sails in the Argo to bring home the Golden Fleece.
- MedeaColchian witch and king's daughter who loves Jason and uses her magic to help him win the Fleece.
- TheseusStrong young son of Aegeus, lifts the great stone, clears the roads of robbers and goes to Crete to face the Minotaur.
- PerseusSon of Danae, raised on Seriphos, who swears to bring back the Gorgon's head and uses gifts from the gods.
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Tales of Troy and Greece
by Andrew Lang · 1907
Ulysses blinds a giant, Jason sails for a golden fleece and Theseus enters a labyrinth in these retold Greek myths.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Picture a small rocky island that looks like a great shield lying on the sea, and a man who sees many rich cities yet longs only for that island. The man is Ulysses, and his story opens Tales of Troy and Greece, written by Andrew Lang, the Scottish author who died in 1912.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A clever boy, a boar and a scar
Ulysses grows up on Ithaca, a rugged island that looks like a shield with two peaks from the sea. His father Laertes keeps sheep and pigs and tends a garden of fruit trees.
His mother is the daughter of Autolycus, a master thief who worships Hermes. The old man names the baby a man of wrath, which sounds like Odysseus in Greek. The boy inherits his grandfather's cunning. As a small child he begs for trees of his own, and Laertes gives him thirteen pear trees, forty fig trees and fifty rows of vines.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1907
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 6 h 45 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Lang, Andrew. Tales of Troy and Greece. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-troy-and-greece.
Lang, A. (2026). Tales of Troy and Greece. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-troy-and-greece (Original work published 1907)
Lang, Andrew. Tales of Troy and Greece. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-troy-and-greece.
@book{lang2026tales,
author = {Lang, Andrew},
title = {Tales of Troy and Greece},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-troy-and-greece},
note = {First published 1907}
}
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What is Tales of Troy and Greece about?
It retells four Greek legends in clear modern prose. They are the story of Ulysses from the Trojan War to his homecoming, Jason and the Golden Fleece, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Perseus and the Gorgon.
Who wrote Tales of Troy and Greece and when?
Andrew Lang, a Scottish author who died in 1912, wrote it around the turn of the twentieth century. He based the tales on Homer, later poets and the archaeological finds of his time.
Is Tales of Troy and Greece a true story?
No, these are myths and legends. Lang mixes them with real details, such as the walls of Troy, the graves at Mycenae and the palace at Cnossos, to show the world that may have inspired the stories.
The author
Andrew Lang
1844–1912 · Scottish poet and folklorist
Andrew Lang was a Scottish writer born in Selkirk in 1844. He lived in London and died in Banchory in 1912. He wrote poetry, novels, literary criticism, and works on folklore. He edited The Blue Fairy Book, published in 1889, and other fairy-book collections, including The Violet Fairy Book in 1901.
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