Apuleius' famous novel, The Metamorphoses, tells the story of a man who was magically changed into an ass, and who had various (humorous, sad, exciting, disturbing, erotic, horrific) adventures before he regained his human form. As well as being genuinely interesting and great fun to read, The Metamorphoses is of great value for the study of narrative technique, literary style, religious practices, contemporary culture in a Roman province and much more. This book contains selections from the novel and is aimed at students moving on to genuine, unsimplified Latin prose after completing an introductory Latin course. It contains a useful introduction, detailed notes providing a lot of help with grammar, expression and translation, a full vocabulary, and passages of appreciation to make the selections come alive as literature and to enhance students' perception and enjoyment of the stories.

'A particularly strong point of the book is its continuous attention to the overall composition of the novel and Apuleius' literary qualities, notably his narratological techniques. Thus students can not merely improve their Latin in a pleasant way, but also appreciate the Metamorphoses as a work of literature.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Paul Murgatroyd is Professor of Classics at McMaster University. He has published nine books and over sixty articles on Greek and especially Latin literature, and is also a published Latin poet himself. He is the co-author, with Garrett Fagan, of another intermediate Latin reader published by Cambridge, From Augustus to Nero (2006).