Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval > Medieval
Monthly median sales (top 30)
$364
The median book price
$13.03
Bestseller's daily sales
11
50th book's daily sales
1
Average number of pages per book
436
Monopoly/Olygopoly detected
Yes
Performance tracking
Competitiveness
Volume sales
Book price
Volatility
New releases
Self published
Matching KDP categories
nonfiction > poetry > medieval
61.24%
nonfiction > poetry > ancient & classical
53.03%
juvenile > fiction > historical > medieval
53.03%
fiction > romance > historical > medieval
53.03%
Keyword requirement
medieval, ancient��
Best selling keywords
Median title & subtitle length is 5 words:
- The Canterbury Tales: Penguin Classics
- The Divine Comedy: Penguin Classics
- The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Inferno (The Divine Comedy)
- Indie success
-
42.11%
- Volatility
- New releases
- KDP Select
100%
0%
3.33%
Extract of the best seller list's front page
Front-page bestsellers:
Book title | Author | Publisher | Absolute rank | Monthly sales volume | Price | Amazon stars | Amazon reviews | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Canterbury Tales: Penguin Classics | Geoffrey Chaucer | N/A | N/A | $489 | $17.49 | 2,385 | |
2 | Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) | Hafez | Self published | N/A | $447 | $15.98 | 200 | |
3 | The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation, Bilingual Edition | Dante | Self published | N/A | $504 | $18.00 | 3,922 | |
4 | The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: Illustrated Collector's Edition | Omar Khayyam | Self published | N/A | $419 | $14.99 | 335 | |
5 | The Divine Comedy: Penguin Classics | Robin Kirkpatrick - translator | Penguin Audio | 10,615 | $5,386 | $17.49 | 673 | |
6 | The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso | Dante Alighieri | Self published | 15,983 | $5,037 | $19.99 | 320 | |
7 | The Wanderer's Havamal | Jackson Crawford | Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. | 21,873 | $2,542 | $12.97 | 3,242 | |
8 | Paradiso | Dante | Self published | 25,426 | $2,832 | $16.86 | 174 | |
9 | La Divina Comedia | Dante Alighieri | AMA AUDIOLIBROS | 27,327 | $1,508 | $8.98 | 2,105 | |
10 | The Divine Comedy: Volume 1: Inferno (Penguin Clothbound Classics) | Dante Alighieri | Penguin Classics; Bilingual edition | 30,115 | $2,646 | $18.90 | 405 | |
11 | The Faerie Queene | Edmund Spenser | Penguin Classics; Reissue edition | 43,374 | $1,509 | $17.97 | 377 | |
12 | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Simon Armitage | W. W. Norton & Company; A New Verse Translation edition | 47,607 | $1,114 | $13.27 | 1,163 | |
13 | The Canterbury Tales | Geoffrey Chaucer | Dreamscape Media | 59,273 | $13 | $0.49 | 2,389 | |
14 | Inferno (The Divine Comedy) | Dante Alighieri | Nostra Vita Books | 64,232 | $363 | $12.99 | 9 | |
15 | The Iliad & The Odyssey | Homer | Self published | 74,741 | $268 | $9.59 | 3,386 |
The Canterbury Tales: Penguin Classics
Geoffrey Chaucer
Acclaimed translator Dick Davis breathes new life into the timeless works of three masters of 14th-century Persian literature Together, Hafez, a giant of world literature; Jahan Malek Khatun, an eloquent princess; and Obayd-e Zakani, a dissolute satirist, represent one of the most remarkable literary flowerings of any era. All three lived in the famed city of Shiraz, a provincial capital of south-central Iran, and all three drew support from arts-loving rulers during a time better known for its violence than its creative brilliance. Here Dick Davis, an award-winning poet widely considered “our finest translator of Persian poetry” (The Times Literary Supplement), presents a diverse selection of some of the best poems by these world-renowned authors and shows us the spiritual and secular aspects of love, in varieties embracing every aspect of the human heart.“Davis [is] widely acknowledged as the leading translator of Persian literature in our time…Faces of Love has made the Persian originals into real and moving English poems.” —Michael Dirda, The Washington PostFor more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Read more
The Divine Comedy: Penguin Classics
Robin Kirkpatrick - translator
Brought to you by Penguin.The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his encounter with his dead love Beatrice, and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. This major translation is published here for the first time in a single volume. Read more
The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
Dante Alighieri
A new edition of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic verse translation of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, including all three volumes of Dante's classic trilogy: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Divine Comedy (or Divina Commedia) is an epic-length narrative poem, written between 1308 and 1320 in the vernacular Tuscan of the era, that is widely considered to be the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and a foundational work of the literary canon. The poem traces the narrator's journey through the afterlife -- visiting first hell, then purgatory, and then paradise -- and presents an imaginative vision of the afterlife that provides great insight into the medieval Catholic worldview. Longfellow's verse translation was originally published in 1867 and is considered to be a literary masterpiece in its own right.Dante Alighieri (c.1265 – 1321), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher, most famous for his Divine Comedy, which is widely considered one of the most important poems of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language. Dante's literary output is largely responsible for establishing the use of the vernacular in literature at a time when most poetry was written in Latin, making it more accessible to the larger public and helping establishing the modern-day standardized Italian language. His depictions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven in the Divine Comedy were also enduringly influential on the Western literary and artistic imagination, heavily influencing future English-language writers like Geoffrey Chaucer and John Milton, and Italians like Petrarch and Boccaccio.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882) was an American poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. His work remains among some of the most beloved and enduringly influential works of poetry produced by 19th century America. Read more
The Wanderer's Havamal
Jackson Crawford
The Wanderer's Hávamál features Jackson Crawford’s complete, carefully revised English translation of the Old Norse poem Hávamál, newly annotated for this volume, together with facing original Old Norse text sourced directly from the Codex Regius manuscript.Rounding out the volume are Crawford’s classic Cowboy Hávamál and translations of other related texts central to understanding the character, wisdom, and mysteries of Óðinn (Odin). Portable and reader-friendly, it makes an ideal companion for both lovers of Old Norse mythology and those new to the wisdom of this central Eddic poem wherever they may find themselves. Read more
Paradiso
Dante
With his journeys through Hell and Purgatory complete, Dante is at last led by his beloved Beatrice to Paradise. Where his experiences in the Inferno and Purgatorio were arduous and harrowing, this is a journey of comfort, revelation, and, above all, love-both romantic and divine. Robert Hollander is a Dante scholar of unmatched reputation and his wife, Jean, is an accomplished poet. Their verse translation with facing-page Italian combines maximum fidelity to Dante's text with the artistry necessary to reflect the original's virtuosity. They have produced the clearest, most accurate, and most readable translation of the three books of The Divine Comedy, with unsurpassable footnotes and introductions, likely to be a touchstone for generations to come. Read more
La Divina Comedia
Dante Alighieri
AMA Audiolibros presenta la Narración del Audiolibro en Español (acento Castellano) de "La Divina Comedia" de Dante Alighieri en la voz de nuestro narrador Artur Mas a partir de la traducción en verso de Bartolomé Mitre.La Divina Comedia está considerada como una de las obras maestras de la literatura italiana y mundial. Está compuesta por más de 14.000 versos distribuídos en 100 cantos. Relata el viaje de Dante por el Infierno, el Purgatorio y el Paraíso, guiado por el poeta Virgilio. El objetivo de dicho viaje es redimir los pecados que ha cometido en el mundo terrenal para obtener la gloria divina.Esta obra es un fiel reflejo del conocimiento medieval dónde se entrelazan temas como la fe en Dios, la ética y la moral. Read more
Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. Describing Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life with Virgil as a guide, Inferno depicts a cruel underworld in which desperate figures are condemned to eternal damnation for committing one or more of seven deadly sins. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonising torture, Dante encounters doomed souls including the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicide Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit. Led by leering demons, the poet must ultimately journey with Virgil to the deepest level of all. For it is only by encountering Satan, in the heart of Hell, that he can truly understand the tragedy of sin. Read more
The Faerie Queene
Edmund Spenser
‘Great Lady of the greatest Isle, whose lightLike Phoebus lampe throughout the world doth shine’ The Faerie Queene was one of the most influential poems in the English language. Dedicating his work to Elizabeth I, Spenser brilliantly united Arthurian romance and Italian renaissance epic to celebrate the glory of the Virgin Queen. Each book of the poem recounts the quest of a knight to achieve a virtue: the Red Crosse Knight of Holinesse, who must slay a dragon and free himself from the witch Duessa; Sir Guyon, Knight of Temperance, who escapes the Cave of Mammon and destroys Acrasia’s Bowre of Bliss; and the lady-knight Britomart’s search for her Sir Artegall, revealed to her in an enchanted mirror. Although composed as a moral and political allegory, The Faerie Queene’s magical atmosphere captivated the imaginations of later poets from Milton to the Victorians.This edition includes the letter to Raleigh, in which Spenser declares his intentions for his poem, the commendatory verses by Spenser’s contemporaries and his dedicatory sonnets to the Elizabethan court, and is supplemented by a table of dates and a glossaryFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Read more
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Simon Armitage
The classic story that inspired the film starring Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander“A medieval romance…but also an outlandish ghost story, a gripping morality tale and a weird thriller.… I couldn’t put down Simon Armitage’s compulsively readable...energetic, free-flowing, high-spirited version.” ― Edward Hirsch, New York Times Book ReviewOne of the founding stories of English literature, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight narrates the strange tale of a green knight on a green horse who rudely interrupts Camelot’s Round Table festivities one Yuletide, casting a pall of unease over the company and challenging one of their number to a wager. The virtuous Gawain accepts and decapitates the intruder with his own axe. Gushing blood, the knight reclaims his head, orders Gawain to seek him out a year hence, and departs. The following Yuletide, Gawain dutifully sets forth. His quest for the Green Knight involves a winter journey, a seduction scene in a dreamlike castle, a dire challenge answered―and a drama of enigmatic reward disguised as psychic undoing.Preserved on a single surviving manuscript dating from around 1400, composed by an anonymous master, this Arthurian epic was rediscovered only two hundred years ago and published for the first time in 1839. Following in the tradition of Ted Hughes, Marie Borroff, and J.R.R. Tolkien, Simon Armitage―one of England’s leading poets―has produced an inventive translation that resounds with both clarity and spirit. His work, presented here with facing original text and a note by Harvard scholar James Simpson, is meticulously responsible to the sophistication of the original but succeeds equally in its ambition to be read as a totally new poem. It is as if two poets, six hundred years apart, set out on a journey through the same mesmerizing landscapes―acoustic, physical, and metaphorical―to share in and double the pleasure of this enchanting classic. 2 illustrations Read more
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales are the unfinished magnum opus of the great English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Written in Middle English between 1387 and 1400, the tales are a collection of stories told by pilgrims en route from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. The stories, told as part of a competition amongst the travelers are frequently bawdy, violent and humorous, painting a critical portrait of English life in the middle ages. This epic poem is thought to be an important contribution to vernacular English as a legitimate literary language, as opposed to the prevailing French and Latin of the times. Read more
Inferno (The Divine Comedy)
Dante Alighieri
Journey with Dante into the bowels of the earth and the profoundest depths of the human soul. The Inferno, the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy, has captivated readers for over seven centuries. This modern translation in terza rima captures the true essence of the Italian poem.This edition also includes:Notes: A single page of commentary for each canto, providing enough context for the modern reader to follow Dante's historical references and literary allusions, without getting bogged down by excessive notes. An extended commentary can be found online, at no additional cost, on the book's companion website (Dante's Afterlife).Bibliography and Further Reading: A detailed list of relevant primary and secondary sources (including online and multimedia resources), with short descriptions of each.Glossary: Concise descriptions and phonetic pronunciation guides for every person and place in the book. For each time a person or place is mentioned in the text, a canto and line number is provided in the glossary. It's easy to look up someone you're unfamiliar with, and it's equally easy to see where Dante refers to them in the text (even if they're unnamed).Illustrations, Maps, and Diagrams: Over a dozen original images and diagrams created by the translator, including a map of medieval Florence, a map of Tuscany and northern Italy, maps of Dante's Hell, a zodiac showing the positions of the planets at the start of Dante's journey, a timeline and schematic of the journey, and more.Dante's Afterlife: For readers and students of Dante who want to explore beyond the confines of the book, J. Simon Harris has created a companion website called Dante's Afterlife (a QR code and url are found at the back of the book). Here, the translator will publish extended commentary on the poem, historical background (a history of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, and the life of Dante), unique images, brief essays, translations of Dante's lyric poems and those of his contemporaries, and more. The website will be added to continually, and it will always remain free of charge. Read more
The Iliad & The Odyssey
Homer
The Iliad and the Odyssey, traditionally attributed to Homer, are two epic poems that are the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Each poem is divided into 24 books. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek kingdoms. It focuses on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles lasting a few weeks during the last year of the war. The Odyssey focuses on the ten-year journey home of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, after the fall of Troy. His journey lasted for ten additional years, during which time he encountered many perils. The Iliad and the Odyssey are among the oldest extant works of Western literature still read by contemporary audiences. Read more
Inferno (The Divine Comedy Book 1)
Dante Alighieri
Journey with Dante into the bowels of the earth and the profoundest depths of the human soul. The Inferno, the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy, has captivated readers for over seven centuries. This modern translation in terza rima captures the true essence of the Italian poem.This edition also includes:Notes: A single page of commentary for each canto, providing enough context for the modern reader to follow Dante's historical references and literary allusions, without getting bogged down by excessive notes. An extended commentary can be found online, at no additional cost, on the book's companion website (Dante's Afterlife).Bibliography and Further Reading: A detailed list of relevant primary and secondary sources (including online and multimedia resources), with short descriptions of each.Glossary: Concise descriptions and phonetic pronunciation guides for every person and place in the book. For each time a person or place is mentioned in the text, a canto and line number is provided in the glossary. It's easy to look up someone you're unfamiliar with, and it's equally easy to see where Dante refers to them in the text (even if they're unnamed).Illustrations, Maps, and Diagrams: Over a dozen original images and diagrams created by the translator, including a map of medieval Florence, a map of Tuscany and northern Italy, maps of Dante's Hell, a zodiac showing the positions of the planets at the start of Dante's journey, a timeline and schematic of the journey, and more.Dante's Afterlife: For readers and students of Dante who want to explore beyond the confines of the book, J. Simon Harris has created a companion website called Dante's Afterlife (a QR code and url are found at the back of the book). Here, the translator will publish extended commentary on the poem, historical background (a history of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, and the life of Dante), unique images, brief essays, translations of Dante's lyric poems and those of his contemporaries, and more. The website will be added to continually, and it will always remain free of charge. Read more
The Song of Roland (Penguin Classics)
Anonymous
On 15 August 778, Charlemagne’s army was returning from a successful expedition against Saracen Spain when its rearguard was ambushed in a remote Pyrenean pass. Out of this skirmish arose a stirring tale of war, which was recorded in the oldest extant epic poem in French. The Song of Roland, written by an unknown poet, tells of Charlemagne’s warrior nephew, Lord of the Breton Marches, who valiantly leads his men into battle against the Saracens, but dies in the massacre, defiant to the end. In majestic verses, the battle becomes a symbolic struggle between Christianity and paganism, while Roland’s last stand is the ultimate expression of honour and feudal values of twelfth-century France.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Read more
The Havamal
Saemundr Sigfusson
The Havamal is an extraordinary collection of Viking wisdom and insights into their culture and society, presented here in a modern English translation by Olive Bray. This ancient text offers valuable guidance on living a meaningful and honourable life, covering everything from farming and trading to bravery and loyalty to the mysteries of the universe.Composed by Saemundr Sigfusson, a medieval Icelandic scholar and chieftain, it is a collection of sayings, wisdom, and advice that provides a glimpse into the culture and worldview of the ancient Norse people.The translation by Olive Bray is faithful to the original text, preserving its beauty and power while making it accessible to modern readers. Bray's careful attention to detail and her deep understanding of the language and culture of the Vikings make this translation an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the Havamal or Norse mythology.Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of mythology, or simply seeking guidance on how to live a meaningful life, The Havamal is an indispensable read. Discover the timeless wisdom of the Vikings with this translation of one of their most cherished works. Read more
Tristan
Gottfried von Strassburg
Tristan - Gottfried von Strassburg and Thomas of England. A translation into English by A. S. Kline. Illustrated edition.Gottfried von Strassburg (died c.1210), writing in Middle High German, re-told the tale of Tristan and Iseult, and their illicit love, basing his version on an earlier 12th century work by Thomas of England, composed in Old French. The original story itself probably derives from Irish or Welsh sources. Gottfried left his work unfinished at his death, but fortuitously the surviving Thomas fragments allow the tale to be told to its end. Gottfried gives us the development of the ill-fated love affair, from its complex start to the lovers’ unhappy separation, in a well-structured and sophisticated manner. Thomas, by no means the lesser poet, writing in a more condensed style, further explores the intricacies of the four-fold relationship between Tristan, Iseult the Fair, and their frustrated spouses, Iseult of the White Hands and King Mark of Cornwall respectively, and completes the tale with the deaths of the ill-fated lovers. Both works employ rhyming couplets, and this unique modern verse translation, while preserving the rhyme scheme, offers a consistent and complete narrative, with a seamless linkage of the two poets’ work.About the authors:Little is known of the lives of Thomas and Gottfried. The former appears to have been connected to the court of Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (d.1204), previously the queen consort of Louis VII of France; she being a noted literary patron. Gottfried was likely neither a knight nor a member of the priesthood, but seems to have held a significant official position in his native Strasbourg. The court of Marie of France (d.1198), the daughter of Eleanor and Louis VII, and Countess of Champagne in north-eastern France, including the cities of Reims and Troyes, may well have provided the literary link between Strasbourg, on the Rhine, and the courts of France and England. Marie, also an important literary patron, notably of Chrétien de Troyes, was regent of the County between 1190 and 1197 at a time when Gottfried may well have been writing the early part of his Tristan. Read more
Un estupendo estuche con los tres volúmenes de la Divina Comedia.Edición y traducción del poeta Jorge GimenoPremio Nazionale per la Traduzione del Ministerio de Cultura (Italia)La Divina Comedia relata el viaje de Dante Alighieri por el infierno, el purgatorio y el paraíso en tres grandes cánticas.En el Infierno, el gran poeta italiano relata su viaje al inframundo desde el encuentro fortuito con su guía, el poeta latino Virgilio, hasta el avistamiento de Lucifer en el fondo del abismo. Viaje simbólico por el alma humana, su recorrido es un inolvidable catálogo de los pecadores que merecen la pena eterna según la escatología medieval. Sin embargo, su visión poética trasciende también el tiempo y, en sus horrores, alumbra la edad moderna que en parte ayudó a crear.El Purgatorio es la cántica del cambio, el paso del poeta por el reino en que las almas, mediante sus padecimientos y la oración de los vivos, conquistan la salvación que ya han obtenido. Pero no menos importa el aprendizaje del poeta, que amplía su conocimiento de la realidad verdadera a través de las revelaciones que le ofrece el camino. Tras un viaje entre lo velado y lo desvelado, lo que es y lo que no es, Dante se reencontrará con Beatriz y se dirigirá de su mano al bien supremo, ya un poco más dueño de su destino.En el Paraíso, culminación necesaria de la Comedia, Dante asciende a los cielos y consigue lo impensable: alcanzar el Empíreo, el no lugar y no tiempo de la presencia divina, para luego regresar a la tierra y contarlo. El sentido último del libro no es otro que místico, y los versos finales del poema se resuelven en la divinidad. Pero Dante se eleva en esta cántica también hasta la más alta expresión de su poesía, un estilo sacro, inimitable e irremplazable, que resume su destino literario.La presente edición, a cargo del poeta español Jorge Gimeno, incluye el texto original, una soberbia traducción en endecasílabos, una introducción general, un prólogo y un iluminador aparato de notas. Read more