Ovids poetical career reached its climax in his masterpiece, the Metamorphoses. The work displays his mature genius and has become a standard treasure-house of mythology for all succeeding generations. This edition of the first four of the fifteen books presents a new line by line translation which strives to display something of the wit, polish and balance of the original. The Latin text provided reflects the considerable recent progress made in establishing a sound text of Ovids greatest work. The notes trace the sources from which Ovid worked and discuss how and why he adapted them. The history of Ovids influence on his successors in literature and art down to modern times is also extensively treated, with copious notes for further reading. [Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.]