Want to know what books Stephen Greenblatt recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Stephen Greenblatt's favorite book recommendations of all time.
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Paul Ricoeur, Emerson Buchanan | 4.26
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Mark Twain, Howard G. Baetzhold, Joseph B. McCullough | 4.23
In this brilliant and hilarious compilation of essays, letters, diaries, and excerpts--some never before published--Mark Twain takes on Heaven and Hell, sinners and saints and showcases his own unique approach to the Holy Scriptures including
*ADAM AND EVE'S DIVERGENT ACCOUNTS OF THEIR DOMESTIC TROUBLES
*SATAN'S TAKE ON OUR CONCEPT OF THE AFTERLIFE
*METHUSELAH'S DISCUSSION OF AN ANCIENT VERSION OF BASEBALL
*ADVICE ON HOW TO DRESS AND TIP PROPERLY IN HEAVEN
Behind the humor of these pieces, readers will see Twain's serious thoughts on... more In this brilliant and hilarious compilation of essays, letters, diaries, and excerpts--some never before published--Mark Twain takes on Heaven and Hell, sinners and saints and showcases his own unique approach to the Holy Scriptures including
*ADAM AND EVE'S DIVERGENT ACCOUNTS OF THEIR DOMESTIC TROUBLES
*SATAN'S TAKE ON OUR CONCEPT OF THE AFTERLIFE
*METHUSELAH'S DISCUSSION OF AN ANCIENT VERSION OF BASEBALL
*ADVICE ON HOW TO DRESS AND TIP PROPERLY IN HEAVEN
Behind the humor of these pieces, readers will see Twain's serious thoughts on the relationship between God and man, biblical inconsistencies, Darwinism, science, and the impact of technology on religious beliefs. The Bible According to Mark Twain is vintage Twain and is sure to surprise, delight, and perhaps shock modern readers.
Description from back cover less 
Stephen GreenblattMark Twain is a great comedian, and he gives you easy access to the whole Enlightenment push against the Adam and Eve story. (Source)
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This volume brings these three works together for the first time in English and provides a valuable and comprehensive introduction to each one. more This volume brings these three works together for the first time in English and provides a valuable and comprehensive introduction to each one. less Stephen GreenblattAugustine went back to the Adam and Eve story again and again over the course of his lifetime and changed his views. The book follows his development through to the moment he decisively repudiated allegory. (Source)
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4
Through a distinguished career of critical scholarship and translation, Robert Alter has equipped us to read the Hebrew Bible as a powerful, cohesive work of literature. In this landmark work, Alter's masterly translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the definitive edition of The Five Books. Winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Translation and the Koret Jewish Book Award for Translation, a Newsweek Top 15 Book, Los Angeles Times Favorite Book, and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book. more Through a distinguished career of critical scholarship and translation, Robert Alter has equipped us to read the Hebrew Bible as a powerful, cohesive work of literature. In this landmark work, Alter's masterly translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the definitive edition of The Five Books. Winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Translation and the Koret Jewish Book Award for Translation, a Newsweek Top 15 Book, Los Angeles Times Favorite Book, and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book. less Stephen GreenblattIt’s at once elegant and extremely sensitive to the Hebrew original. Alter has thought deeply about the literary power of the text he is translating and he’s highly alert to the precise implications of the Biblical Hebrew. (Source)
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5
In Paradise, God’s favored new creations—Adam and Eve—live in bliss, untainted by sin. In another realm, Satan and his banished rebel angels collude to destroy God’s tranquil new design. Into this idyll called Earth, and the confidence of Adam and Eve, Satan will instigate the fall of man.
At the heart of this complex, audacious epic poem is a drama driven by the most recognizable human flaws. More than a story from Genesis, it is the extraordinary expression of Milton’s search for personal truth and the meaning of existence, written to “justify the ways of God to men.”
more In Paradise, God’s favored new creations—Adam and Eve—live in bliss, untainted by sin. In another realm, Satan and his banished rebel angels collude to destroy God’s tranquil new design. Into this idyll called Earth, and the confidence of Adam and Eve, Satan will instigate the fall of man.
At the heart of this complex, audacious epic poem is a drama driven by the most recognizable human flaws. More than a story from Genesis, it is the extraordinary expression of Milton’s search for personal truth and the meaning of existence, written to “justify the ways of God to men.”
AmazonClassics brings you timeless works from the masters of storytelling. Ideal for anyone who wants to read a great work for the first time or rediscover an old favorite, these new editions open the door to literature’s most unforgettable characters and beloved worlds. less Stephen GreenblattMilton’s astonishing intervention in the Adam and Eve story includes thinking how it was possible—not for ignorant children, but knowing, thoughtful, complex human beings in a relationship with one another—to do what they did. (Source)
Emily WilsonParadise Lost is a homecoming story of marital breakup and martial reunion, just as the Odyssey is. They’re also both epics about redefining a community in the wake of a devastating war, and about whether there will ever be an end to war. (Source)
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