This book was banned. Centuries ago, while the Catholic Church had greater influence over the publication of reading material, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books.

While these works of classic poetry contain a religious subject matter, the Church opposed their distribution because Adam and Eve are portrayed in such a way that they appear to have been living in something other than perfect harmony before the Fall. The doctrinal teaching about Adam and Eve clearly states that they were in a state of perfect harmony with each other and the surrounding environment. After all, it was Paradise.

Despite the chance that readers might be led to believe something false, scholars consider these two epic poems important works of English literature. 

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A story told time and time again throughout Europe and throughout history. Truly, this
ancient romance is a legend. No original text can be found. The story has been told and
retold through generations like the stories our parents tell us when we are young. It continues to be shaped by the storyteller, the language it is spoken in, the passing of years, the branch from which it springs.

A more classic love story cannot be found and in my own speculation, it is quite likely that Shakespeare and his contemporaries were not unfamiliar with this magical, wondrous tale of joy and sorrow.

The Legend of Tristan & Iseult, here represented in softcover binding, redesigned for Ampersand Books, is drawn from the best French sources and retold by Joseph Bédier. Rendered into English by Hilaire Belloc. 

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A collection of pictures portraying significant moments in the life of Christ and His Blessed Mother.

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Christ’s life colors the background of the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a merchant’s son whose accidental offense against the Roman procurator calls upon him and his family immense dishonor. Bearing the suffering of enslavement with patience, Judah finds the way to save his mother and sister and seek revenge against the foe who dispersed his family all the while winning for himself the love of a woman whose virtue far outruns the estimation of ancient Roman society. 

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An exposition of the spirituality of the Dominican Order.  

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A question: Whither goest Thou?

Set in Ancient Rome, scenes of sin and debauchery surround Vinicius, tribune in the court of Nero. When he is stricken with love for one very unusual woman, he is forced to see the errors of Roman society. Lygia, with her mysterious faith, becomes Vinicius’ hope and final transformation while the Caesar carries on in passive destruction of one of the most powerful empires of all time.

This book is filled with a cast of many dynamic characters both good and evil, such as Petronius, Vinicius’ uncle; Chilo Chilonides, a poor philosopher and informant; Aulus & Pomponia, Lygia’s adoptive parents; Poppaea, the jealous wife of the Emperor; and rest of Nero’s corrupt courtiers, to name but a few.

Quo Vadis is the story of one man’s conversion to the Faith, despite a toxic atmosphere that forbids this at every turn. We see the foul desires of a deeply pagan society weighed against the true and eternal doctrine of peace that is Christianity.

Henryk Sienkiewicz writes with a clear and concise style that also revels in the delight and sorrow of the heart.

This is the original translation from the Polish by Jeremiah Curtin. Foreword by Josh Gillard.

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The most authoritative figure in classic Italian literature, Dante, employed a new form of poetry to portray his vivid and timeless representation of Hell, Purgatory & Heaven: terza rima. Though lost in translation, the present English edition has sought to convey all the nuance and meaning of the original.

Deeply poetic and yet grounded in the fertile soil of religious philosophy, THE DIVINE COMEDY will frighten, haunt and exalt an audience of every generation to follow. A work of immeasurable import, Dante, the Supreme Poet, raised the Italian language and nation to cultural imminence forever. This is the masterpiece of both a literary genius and the temporal era that surrounded him; the Middle Ages.

With himself characterized in the story of this epic journey in verse, he follows first Virgil, the ancient Greek poet, through a series of rings that encircle the deepest layer of Hell and then that of Purgatory, and finally, through Beatrice’s guidance, the spheres of Heaven, akin to celestial bodies that orbit the Sun.

This is H. F. Cary's 1814 translation in blank verse. 

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The story of Achilles' epic journey across the ancient Greek Empire has surprised and delighted readers for over 2000 years. This truly classic work of literature offers a glimpse into the Pre-Christian worldview of mankind at odds with the gods.

This edition of The Iliad is brought to you by Ampersand Books as a high-quality yet inexpensive paperback for simple enjoyment and study. Provided within are both illustrations and endnotes along with the 1899 text translated by Alexander Pope. Ample introductory material offers insight to the historical and literary context of this epic poem and also what little is known about the life of the author himself, Homer. 

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This edition contains an index of vocabulary familiar to the Ojibway Peoples of the Great Lakes Region. 

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