Working from the Reeves edition in the Teubner series, Morgan (classics, U. of Wales) translates and provides extensive commentary on Longus's novel of nature, art, truth, love, the passage from innocence to experience, and the place of tradition in life. Morgan examines the themes and influences of the work that operate beneath its pastoral surface in a comprehensive introduction and bibliography. He supplies both the Greek text and his English translation. He also concentrates on helping the reader understand "what it means to read a Greek novel as a work of literature" in his commentary rather than dwelling on complex textual and linguistic questions; in this spirit, his commentary includes modern literary theory on the narrative and remarks on the relationship of Longus to his literary tradition. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)