Satyricon

Attributed to the Roman satirist Petronius, a courtier of the emperor Nero, c. 65 C.E. may be the first novel one as steamy as many modern bestsellers. Ruden (affiliation unspecified) integrates her translation with ten commentaries about the work and the ancient world, acknowledging Müller's 1983 edition of Petronius as her main source for the Latin text. Suggests readings beyond the references. Paper edition (unseen), $9.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Petronius Arbiter (c.27–66 A.D.) was a Roman courtier under the reign of Nero. Andrew Brown is a translator whose recent works include The Corsican Brothers and Letters to Pauline.