Derived from the highly praised second edition of The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, this is the ideal reference book for anyone interested in the classical world and its literary heritage. Including accounts of the lives and works of the classical authors, character entries and plot summaries, general entries tracing the development of literary forms such as comedy and tragedy, and wide coverage of the historical, political, social, and artistic background of works, The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature is indispensable to the reader of classical literature, and equally accessible to those wishing simply to trace an allusion or understand the inspiration behind so much of Western art and letters.