Volume 1 takes us on a visual tour from the earliest literature through the end of the 1700s. Along the way, we're treated to eye-popping renditions of the human race's greatest epics: Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey (in watercolors by Gareth Hinds), The Aeneid, Beowulf, and The Arabian Nights, plus later epics The Divine Comedy and The Canterbury Tales (both by legendary illustrator and graphic designer Seymour Chwast), Paradise Lost, and Le Morte D'Arthur. Two of ancient Greece's greatest plays are adapted—the tragedy Medea by Euripides and Tania Schrag’s uninhibited rendering of the very bawdy comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes (the text of which is still censored in many textbooks). Also included is Robert Crumb’s rarely-seen adaptation of James Boswell’s London Journal, filled with philosophical debate and lowbrow debauchery.\\Religious literature is well-covered and well-illustrated, with the Books of Daniel and Esther from the Old Testament, Rick Geary’s awe-inspiring new rendition of the Book of Revelation from the New Testament, the Tao te Ching, Rumi’s Sufi poetry, Hinduism’s Mahabharata, and the Mayan holy book Popol Vuh, illustrated by Roberta Gregory. The Eastern canon gets its due, with The Tale of Genji (the world’s first novel, done in full-page illustrations reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley), three poems from China’s golden age of literature lovingly drawn by pioneering underground comics artist Sharon Rudahl, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Japanese Noh play, and other works from Asia.\\Two of Shakespeare’s greatest plays (King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and two of his sonnets are here, as are Plato’s Symposium, Gulliver’s Travels, Candide, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Renaissance poetry of love and desire, and Don Quixote visualized by the legendary Will Eisner.\\Some unexpected twists in this volume include a Native American folktale, an Incan play, Sappho’s poetic fragments, bawdy essays by Benjamin Franklin, the love letters of Abelard and Heloise, and the decadent French classic Dangerous Liaisons, as illustrated by Molly\Crabapple.--publisher description.

Includes index.

William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Lisa Brown --Babylonian tablets ; art/adaptation by Kevin Dixon ; rendition by Kent Dixon -- Native American folktale ; story by Dayton Edmonds ; art by Micah Farritor -- Homer ; art/adaptation by Alice Duke -- Homer ; art/adaptation by Gareth Hinds -- Sappho ; art/adaptation by Alessandro Bonaccorsi -- Euripides ; art/adaptation by Tori McKenna -- Aristophanes ; art/adaptation and translation by Valerie Schrag -- from the Hebrew bible ; art/adaptation and translation by J.T. Waldman -- Plato ; art/adaptation by Yeji Yun -- Lao Tzu ; adaptation by Fred Van Lente ; art by Ryan Dunlavey -- Three panel review: Hamlet / -- The epic of Gilgamesh / -- "Coyote and the pebbles" / -- The Iliad / -- The Odyssey / -- Poem fragments / -- Medea / -- Lysistrata / -- The book of Esther / -- Symposium / -- Tao te ching / Three panel review: Hamlet /William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Lisa Brown -- The epic of Gilgamesh /Babylonian tablets ; art/adaptation by Kevin Dixon ; rendition by Kent Dixon -- "Coyote and the pebbles" /Native American folktale ; story by Dayton Edmonds ; art by Micah Farritor -- The Iliad /Homer ; art/adaptation by Alice Duke -- The Odyssey /Homer ; art/adaptation by Gareth Hinds -- Poem fragments /Sappho ; art/adaptation by Alessandro Bonaccorsi -- Medea /Euripides ; art/adaptation by Tori McKenna -- Lysistrata /Aristophanes ; art/adaptation and translation by Valerie Schrag -- The book of Esther /from the Hebrew bible ; art/adaptation and translation by J.T. Waldman -- Symposium /Plato ; art/adaptation by Yeji Yun -- Tao te ching /Lao Tzu ; adaptation by Fred Van Lente ; art by Ryan Dunlavey -- Mahabharata /Vyasa ; art/adaptation by Matt Wiegle -- Analects and other writings /Confucius ; adaptation by Fred Van Lente ; art by Ryan Dunlavey -- The book of Daniel /from the Hebrew bible ; art/adaptation by Benjamin Frisch -- On the nature of things /Lucretius ; art/adaptation by Tom Biby and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm -- Aeneid /Virgil ; art/adaptation by Michael Lagocki -- The book of Revelation /from the New Testament ; art/adaptation by Rick Geary -- Three Tang poems /Wang Han, Cui Hu, and Li Bai ; art/adaptation and translation by Sharon Rudahl -- Beowulf /Anglo-Saxon epic poem ; art/adaptation by Gareth Hinds -- The tale of Genji /Murasaki Shikibu ; art/adaptation by Molly Kiely -- The letters of Heloise and Abelard /art/adaptation by Ellen Lindner -- "O nobilissima viriditas" /Hildegard of Bingen ; art/adaptation by Molly Kiely -- "The fisherman and the genie" /from The Arabian Nights ; art/adaptation by Andrice Arp -- "The woman with two coyntes" /from The Arabian Nights ; art/adaptation by Vicki Nerino -- Poems /Rumi ' art/adaptation by Michael Green ; translations by Coleman Barks -- The divine comedy /Dante Alighieri ; art/adaptation by Seymour Chwast -- The inferno /Dante Alighieri ; art/adaptation by Hunt Emerson -- The Tibetan book of the dead (Bardo Thodol) /Padmasambhava and Karma Lingpa ; art/adaptation by Sanya Glisic -- "The last ballad" /Francois Villon ; art/adaptation by Julian Peters -- The Canterbury Tales /Geoffrey Chaucer ; art/adaptation by Seymour Chwast -- Le morte d'Arthur /Sir Thomas Mallory ; art/adaptation by Omaha Perez -- Apu Ollantay /an Incan play ; art/adaptation by Caroline Picard -- Outlaws of the water margin /Shi Nai'an ; illustrations by Shawn Cheng -- Hagoromo (celestial feather robe) /a Japanese Noh play ; art/adaptation by Isabel Greenberg -- Popol Vuh /sacred book of the Quiche? Maya ; art/adaptation by Roberta Gregory -- The visions of St. Teresa of A?vila /from her autobiography ; art/adaptation by Edie Fake -- "Hot sun, cool fire" /George Peele ; art/adaptation by Dave Morice -- Journey to the west /Wu Cheng'en ; art/adaptation by Conor Hughes -- The faerie queene /Edmund Spenser ; adaptation by Michael Stanyer ; art by Eric Johnson -- A midsummer night's dream /William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Maxx Kelly with Huxley King -- King Lear /William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Ian Pollock -- Don Quixote /Miguel Cervantes ; art/adaptation by Will Eisner -- Sonnet 18 /William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Robert Berry with Josh Levitas -- Sonnet 20 /William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Aidan Koch -- "The flea" /John Donne ; art/adatpation by Noah Patrick Pfarr -- "To his coy mistress" /Andrew Marvell ; art/adaptation by Yien Yip -- "Forgive us our trespasses" /Aphra Behn ; art/adaptation by Alex Eckman-Lawn -- Paradise lost /John Milton ; art/adaptation by Rebecca Dart -- Gulliver's travels /Jonathan Swift ; art/adaptation by Gareth Hinds -- Candide /Voltaire ; illustrations by Ian Ball -- "A modest proposal" /Jonathan Swift ; art/adaptation by Peter Kuper -- "Advice to a young man on the choice of a mistress" /Benjamin Franklin ; painting by Cortney Skinner -- London journal /James Boswell ; art/adaptation by Robert Crumb -- "Letter to the Royal Academy of Brussels" (a.k.a. "Fart proudly") /Benjamin Franklin ; art/adaptation by Stan Shaw -- A vindication of the rights of woman /Mary Wollstonecraft ; adaptation by Fred Van Lente ; art by Ryan Dunlavey -- Dangerous liaisons /Choderlos de Laclos ; illustrations by Molly Crabapple. -- Vyasa ; art/adaptation by Matt Wiegle -- Confucius ; adaptation by Fred Van Lente ; art by Ryan Dunlavey -- from the Hebrew bible ; art/adaptation by Benjamin Frisch -- Lucretius ; art/adaptation by Tom Biby and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm -- Virgil ; art/adaptation by Michael Lagocki -- from the New Testament ; art/adaptation by Rick Geary -- Wang Han, Cui Hu, and Li Bai ; art/adaptation and translation by Sharon Rudahl -- Anglo-Saxon epic poem ; art/adaptation by Gareth Hinds -- Murasaki Shikibu ; art/adaptation by Molly Kiely -- art/adaptation by Ellen Lindner -- Hildegard of Bingen ; art/adaptation by Molly Kiely -- from The Arabian Nights ; art/adaptation by Andrice Arp -- from The Arabian Nights ; art/adaptation by Vicki Nerino -- Mahabharata / -- Analects and other writings / -- The book of Daniel / -- On the nature of things / -- Aeneid / -- The book of Revelation / -- Three Tang poems / -- Beowulf / -- The tale of Genji / -- The letters of Heloise and Abelard / -- "O nobilissima viriditas" / -- "The fisherman and the genie" / -- "The woman with two coyntes" / Rumi ' art/adaptation by Michael Green ; translations by Coleman Barks -- Dante Alighieri ; art/adaptation by Seymour Chwast -- Dante Alighieri ; art/adaptation by Hunt Emerson -- Padmasambhava and Karma Lingpa ; art/adaptation by Sanya Glisic -- Francois Villon ; art/adaptation by Julian Peters -- Geoffrey Chaucer ; art/adaptation by Seymour Chwast -- Sir Thomas Mallory ; art/adaptation by Omaha Perez -- an Incan play ; art/adaptation by Caroline Picard -- Shi Nai'an ; illustrations by Shawn Cheng -- a Japanese Noh play ; art/adaptation by Isabel Greenberg -- sacred book of the Quiché Maya ; art/adaptation by Roberta Gregory -- from her autobiography ; art/adaptation by Edie Fake -- George Peele ; art/adaptation by Dave Morice -- Poems / -- The divine comedy / -- The inferno / -- The Tibetan book of the dead (Bardo Thodol) / -- "The last ballad" / -- The Canterbury Tales / -- Le morte d'Arthur / -- Apu Ollantay / -- Outlaws of the water margin / -- Hagoromo (celestial feather robe) / -- Popol Vuh / -- The visions of St. Teresa of Ávila / -- "Hot sun, cool fire" / Wu Cheng'en ; art/adaptation by Conor Hughes -- Edmund Spenser ; adaptation by Michael Stanyer ; art by Eric Johnson -- William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Maxx Kelly with Huxley King -- William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Ian Pollock -- Miguel Cervantes ; art/adaptation by Will Eisner -- William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Robert Berry with Josh Levitas -- William Shakespeare ; art/adaptation by Aidan Koch -- John Donne ; art/adatpation by Noah Patrick Pfarr -- Andrew Marvell ; art/adaptation by Yien Yip -- Aphra Behn ; art/adaptation by Alex Eckman-Lawn -- John Milton ; art/adaptation by Rebecca Dart -- Jonathan Swift ; art/adaptation by Gareth Hinds -- Voltaire ; illustrations by Ian Ball -- Journey to the west / -- The faerie queene / -- A midsummer night's dream / -- King Lear / -- Don Quixote / -- Sonnet 18 / -- Sonnet 20 / -- "The flea" / -- "To his coy mistress" / -- "Forgive us our trespasses" / -- Paradise lost / -- Gulliver's travels / -- Candide / Jonathan Swift ; art/adaptation by Peter Kuper -- Benjamin Franklin ; painting by Cortney Skinner -- James Boswell ; art/adaptation by Robert Crumb -- Benjamin Franklin ; art/adaptation by Stan Shaw -- Mary Wollstonecraft ; adaptation by Fred Van Lente ; art by Ryan Dunlavey -- Choderlos de Laclos ; illustrations by Molly Crabapple. -- "A modest proposal" / -- "Advice to a young man on the choice of a mistress" / -- London journal / -- "Letter to the Royal Academy of Brussels" (a.k.a. "Fart proudly") / -- A vindication of the rights of woman / -- Dangerous liaisons /