Fixed Point Theorems with Applications to Economics and Game Theory

Book Description

One of the problems in economics to which economists have devoted a considerable amount of attention in recent years has been to ensure consistency in the models they employ. Assuming markets to be generally in some state of equilibrium, it must be asked under what circumstances such an equilibrium is possible. The fundamental mathematical tools used to address this concern are fixed point theorems. These outline the conditions under which sets of assumptions have a solution. This book gives the reader access to the mathematical techniques involved and goes on to apply fixed point theorems to proving the existence of equilibria for economics and for cooperative and non-cooperative games. Special emphasis is given to economics and games in cases where the preferences of agents may not be transitive. In addition, the author presents new proofs of old results in order to further clarify the results. He also proposes new results, notably in the last chapter, that refer to the core of a game without transitivity. This book will be useful as a text or reference work for mathematical economists and graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent survey of more than fixed point theorems........2000-06-02

The author compiles theorems, definitions, and properties on a number of topics. There's some convex analysis, maximization of binary relations, fixed point and selection theorems, and various sufficient conditions for existence of equilibria in games and economies.

A nice feature is that the author explains the equivalence or interconnectedness of theorems from different classes -- comparing the KMM lemma to Brouwer's fixed pt. thm., for instance.

This book is extremely useful for its many variations on common principles. Researchers can benefit from consulting it when they have a problem which does not satisfy the usual criteria -- for instance, if you ever have to ask, "I have a correspondence which satisfies all the conditions for Kakutani's theorem except that it is l.h.c. rather than u.h.c.; am I still able to guarantee a fixed point?"

Grad students in micro/game theory can benefit from the survey of theorems, and familiarizing themselves with the many ways they can get to desired results.

The book is compact and thorough with little exposition. Definitions are very clear, and the author is very good at noting when definitions vary, or the same term has multiple definitions in the literature. Though it presents itself as a mathematical text, its audience is clearly economists -- the conditions given and situations described are clearly ones that economists will recognize, and the applications are economic.

A very nice book for people who already know the applications of such theorems and who need minimal explanation.

the best buy.......2000-03-26

The author, one of the most prominet professors in mathematical economics surveyed fixed point theorems. The theorems are often used to prove the existence of solutions in game theory and economics. If you major in mathematical economics or game theory, you can't avoid to buy this book.

Fixed Point Theory in Probabilistic Metric Spaces (Mathematics and Its Applications)

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Fixed Point Theory in Probabilistic Metric Spaces (Mathematics and Its Applications)
O. Hadzic , and E. Pap
Manufacturer: Springer
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Probabilistic Metric Spaces

ASIN: 1402001290

Book Description

Fixed point theory in probabilistic metric spaces can be considered as a part of Probabilistic Analysis, which is a very dynamic area of mathematical research. A primary aim of this monograph is to stimulate interest among scientists and students in this fascinating field. The text is self-contained for a reader with a modest knowledge of the metric fixed point theory.
Several themes run through this book. The first is the theory of triangular norms (t-norms), which is closely related to fixed point theory in probabilistic metric spaces. Its recent development has had a strong influence upon the fixed point theory in probabilistic metric spaces.
In Chapter 1 some basic properties of t-norms are presented and several special classes of t-norms are investigated. Chapter 2 is an overview of some basic definitions and examples from the theory of probabilistic metric spaces. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 deal with some single-valued and multi-valued probabilistic versions of the Banach contraction principle. In Chapter 6, some basic results in locally convex topological vector spaces are used and applied to fixed point theory in vector spaces.
Audience: The book will be of value to graduate students, researchers, and applied mathematicians working in nonlinear analysis and probabilistic metric spaces.

The computation of fixed points and applications (Lecture notes in economics and mathematical systems)

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The computation of fixed points and applications (Lecture notes in economics and mathematical systems)
Michael J Todd
Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag
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Binding: Unknown Binding

Finite Model Theory (Perspectives in Mathematical Logic)

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A nice MATH book on this topic

Finite Model Theory (Perspectives in Mathematical Logic)
Heinz-Dieter Ebbinghaus , and Jörg Flum
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 354060149X

Book Description

Finite model theory has its origin in classical model theory, but owes its systematic development to research from complexity theory. The book presents the main results of descriptive complexity theory, that is, the connections between axiomatizability of classes of finite structures and their complexity with respect to time and space bounds. The logics that are important in this context include fixed- point logics, transitive closure logics, and also certain infinitary languages; their model theory is studied in full detail. Other topics include DATALOG languages, quantifiers and oracles, 0-1 laws, and optimization and approximation problems. The book is written in such a way that the resp. parts on model theory and descriptive complexity theory may be read independently.

Customer Reviews:

A nice MATH book on this topic.......2000-09-06

This book presents many nice topics in finite model theory. The material on infinitary logic and the finite model properties are nicely presented here and not really available elsewhere. The material on Finite Automata and Logic, and on Descriptive Complexity , is available and better done in other books. This entire field is a cross of computer science and math, and this book is strong on the math end, but not on the computer science angle.

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Fixed Point Theory and Applications

Manufacturer: Nova Science Pub Inc
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Fixed Point Theory and Applications (Cambridge Tracts in Mathematics)

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Fixed Point Theory and Applications (Cambridge Tracts in Mathematics)
Ravi P. Agarwal , Maria Meehan , and Donal O'Regan
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521802504

Book Description

This clear exposition of the flourishing field of fixed point theory, an important tool in the fields of differential equations and functional equations, starts from the basics of Banach's contraction theorem and develops most of the main results and techniques. The book explores many applications of the theory to analysis, with topological considerations playing a crucial role. The very extensive bibliography and close to 100 exercises mean that it can be used both as a text and as a comprehensive reference work, currently the only one of its type.

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This book provides a clear exposition of the flourishing field of fixed point theory, an important tool in the fields of differential equations and functional equations, among others. Starting from the basics of Banach's contraction theorem, most of the main results and techniques are developed: fixed point results are established for several classes of maps and the three main approaches to establishing continuation principles are presented. The theory is applied to many areas of current interest in analysis, with topological considerations playing a crucial role, including a final chapter on the relationship with degree theory. Researchers and graduate students in applicable analysis will find this to be a useful survey of the fundamental principles of the subject. The very extensive bibliography and close to 100 exercises mean that it can be used both as a text and as a comprehensive reference work, currently the only one of its type.

Fixed point theory and applications (Pitman research notes in mathematics series)

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Fixed point theory and applications (Pitman research notes in mathematics series)

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Fixed Point Theory and Best Approximation: The KKM-map Principle (Mathematics and Its Applications)

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Fixed point theory and best approximation

Fixed Point Theory and Best Approximation: The KKM-map Principle (Mathematics and Its Applications)
S.P. Singh , B. Watson , and P. Srivastava
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0792347587

Book Description

The aim of this volume is to make available to a large audience recent material in nonlinear functional analysis that has not been covered in book format before. Here, several topics of current and growing interest are systematically presented, such as fixed point theory, best approximation, the KKM-map principle, and results related to optimization theory, variational inequalities and complementarity problems. Illustrations of suitable applications are given, the links between results in various fields of research are highlighted, and an up-to-date bibliography is included to assist readers in further studies.
Audience: This book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers and applied mathematicians working in nonlinear functional analysis, operator theory, approximations and expansions, convex sets and related geometric topics and game theory.

Customer Reviews:

Fixed point theory and best approximation.......2000-04-22

This is a good book on the study of fixed points in terms of applying kkm theory. Authors focus on the study of fixed point and related best approximation theory by using the concept of the KKM mapping. This book contains the most classic results on both metric fixed point and topological fixed point results. It is a good reference for people who want to know what kind of fixed point existrence theorems available for their applications in nonlinear analysis and associated subjects.

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Fixed Point Theory and Its Applications
Srinivasa Swaminathan
Manufacturer: Academic Press Inc.,U.S.
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Binding: Hardcover

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Fixed Point Theory and Its Applications (Contemporary Mathematics)

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Fixed Point Theory and Its Applications (Contemporary Mathematics)

Manufacturer: Amer Mathematical Society
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Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Fixed point theory touches on many areas of mathematics, such as general topology, algebraic topology, nonlinear functional analysis, and ordinary and partial differential equations and serves as a useful tool in applied mathematics. This book represents the proceedings of an informal three-day seminar held during the International Congress of Mathematicians in Berkeley in 1986. Bringing together topologists and analysts concerned with the study of fixed points of continuous functions, the seminar provided a forum for presentation of recent developments in several different areas.

The topics covered include both topological fixed point theory from both the algebraic and geometric viewpoints, the fixed point theory of nonlinear operators on normed linear spaces and its applications, and the study of solutions of ordinary and partial differential equations by fixed point theory methods. Because the papers range from broad expositions to specialized research papers, the book provides readers with a good overview of the subject as well as a more detailed look at some specialized recent advances.

Book Description

The story of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece is one of the oldest and most familiar tales in classical literature. Apollonius of Rhodes wrote the best-known version, in Greek, in the third century B.C.E. The Latin poet Gaius Valerius Flaccus began his own interpretation of the story in the first century of the Christian era, but he died before completing it.

With The Voyage of the "Argo," the acclaimed poet and translator David Slavitt recovers for modern readers the only surviving work of this little-known writer. The result is an engaging rendition of Jason's adventures, of particular interest when compared to the Greek version of the story. While Apollonius' tale offers a subtle psychological study of Medea, Valerius Flaccus' achievement is to present Jason as a more complete and compelling heroic figure. Slavitt, for one, enjoyed the rediscovery immensely -- and he invites his readers to do the same.

"I am content to let my rendition into English speak for Valerius, but for those whom I imagine standing in an aisle of a library or bookstore, trying to decide, I can offer some reassurance. This piece is playful, unpredictable, oddly contrarian, sometimes almost mannerist. Valerius' description in book 8 of Medea's putting the serpent to sleep so Jason can filch the fleece involves a gesture no other Latin poet I know would have thought to try -- a brief moment in Medea's head when she allows herself to feel sorry for the snake... It is this kind of droll surprise that drew me to undertake the translation of a work that is not, I freely confess, well known." -- David Slavitt

Customer Reviews:

A vital piece of translation.......2003-07-18

David Slavitt's translation of Gaius Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica, has served to make this eminent Latin poet far more accessible to the twenty-first century reader. One of the only pieces of classical verse where we have a direct comparison to another - in this case Apollonius of Rhodes' version written some four hundred years earlier, the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece (further immortalized in a Hollywood epic) - it is given an entirely new look by Flaccus and is now brought to the attention of the modern reader.
The Argonautica is split into eight books and deals with Jason's search for fleece and his dealings with Medea. Book I opens with his uncle Pelias, enticing Jason to search for the fleece in Colchis, hoping that his nephew will find his death and thereby prevent the prophecy that Pelias will find his doom from his own kin. We are treated to a lengthy tabulation of all the heroes and demi-mortals that have chosen to participate in the voyage, yet Flacchus is very aware that a list of names does not grip a reader's attention. After the ship sets sail we are treated to the Olympian Gods threats and favors, Flacchus following a well-trodden path of depicting the Gods as taking sides over a game, each keen to encourage their favorites and stop their opponents.
In Book II the Argo's main visit is to Lemnos which has undergone a purging of the island's husbands caused by the trickery of Venus. The Argonauts spend some time Jason and Hypsipyle forming a union. However, they leave and the book ends with Hercules' rescue of the sacrifical maid from the Hydra monster at the legendary city of Troy.
Book III has them visiting the friendly land of Cyzicus. However, post-departure the goddess Cybele turns the Argo around and the shipmates blindly attack their new-won allies at night in utter confusion. A further adventure sees them stopping in a thickly wooded land (to repair Hercules' oar). During the sojourn, Hylas is lured to a watery death by nymphs and Hercules searches for him forcing the Argonauts to debate the merits of teamwork and eventually leave him there.
During Book IV Jove rescues Hercules and sends him to save Prometheus. Meanwhile, the Argo approaches Bebrycian ruled by the tyrannical King Amycus who kills all with a cestus. One half of the famous twins, Castor, defeats him in combat, thus saving an oppressed people. Sailing on there is a minor interlude as Orpheus recounts story of Io who was transformed by Jove into cow to avoid the wrath of Juno (she became Egyptian Isis, according to Flacchus, thus neatly placing Egyptian mythology secondary to Roman). Once this is recounted they land again and meet Phineus and his woeful tale of the Harpies that deny him decent substenance. Once the winged brothers, Calais and Zetes, defeat them Phineus foretells the coming adventures and they sail on to navigate the treacherous Cyanean rocks to the mouth of Pontus and reach the land of King Lycus.
Book V opens with pestilence as both the helmsman, Tiphys, and Idmon dying. Arriving at the Colchis shores the Argonauts meeting King Aeetes and request the Fleece. He coerces them into fighting on his side against his brother, Perses, the Fleece being the reward. The remainder of the book reverts to hero tabulation, namely of Aeetes warriors and we move swiftly into the battle against Perses in Book VI with yet more listing of whom slew whom, all the while avidly encouraged by Mars and Palla Minerva. The battle ends and we move into the Olympian actions with Juno enticing Medea - who is known as the greatest witch of her time - to assist Jason when Aeetes asks him to sow the dragons teeth (as a delaying tactic to giving him the Fleece). Juno takes Medea to the midst of the battle and using Venus' girdle, ensnares Medea's heart, as we move through some hundred-plus lines of a battle paean to Jason. The book ends with Aeetes' victory over Perses.
Book VII moves from the passion of war into the passion of the heart as Medea struggles to understand her feelings for Jason. It is at this moment that Aeetes hidden scorn for Jason pours forth, as he challenges Jason to prove yet further his valor by harnessing the bulls to sow the dragon's teeth. There follows Medea's subjective soliloquy as she strives to decide between aiding Jason (and thus Greece) or not aiding him and thus betraying her father. It takes a visitation from Venus disguised as Circe to convince her to aid Jason and to betray her country, her king, her father. Having decided she meets Jason in secret and he implores her to accept his hand. Thus captivated she explains what he needs to do with both it and on the further perils that await him. The next day dawns and with it Jason's fufillment of the task, to Aeetes dismay. We reach Book VII and Jason claims both Medea and the Fleece, fleeing away in the Argo, receiving the acclaimation of peoples on his return voyage. A chasing ship headed by Medea's brother, Absyrtus overhauls and blocks them in. Jason is convinced by his men to leave Medea behind and he agrees. When Medea finds out there is a terrible argument....
At this point the poem ends (due to Flaccus death?) and the poem is completed by Slavitt using the knowledge from other authors in order that the reader isn't left hanging on.
Slavitt's blank verse has rendered Flaccus extremely readable and the translator has retained much of the general sense of the original without reverting to the modern vernacular. What he has certainly achieved is to make this lesser known Latin poet far more accessible to the modern reader and has achieved it in a manner that gives new life to the myth of the voyage of the Argo.

Epic. Lyrical. Brilliant........2000-06-09

Slavitt's landmark translation of the seldom seen Argonautica of Imperial Roman Gaius Valerius Flaccus is a seminal work of the periods' literature. For many readers of antiquity, sadly, Roman literature ends with Ovid or Petronius. Valerius has been largely neglected for two thousand years. But he has his charms. His work is incomparably witty, with undeniable poetic genius and skill. With the exception of the Argonautic(k)a of Apollonios Rhodios, Valerius' Jason has never been surpassed. But to compare the two stylistically is a mistake; Apollonios set out to create a flawed hero with whom the audience could empathize. Valerius aims for an exciting and captivating adventure, succeeding spectacularly. This magnificent translation may yet launch Valerius into the pantheon of great ancient writers.

The Voyage of Argo: The Argonautica (Penguin Classics)

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Not a pleasing translation
An Enchanting Epic
Ian Myles Slater on: Jason the Almost-Hero
We are like birds trapped in the wide net of Destiny
A Sea of Troubles....

The Voyage of Argo: The Argonautica (Penguin Classics)
Apollonius of Rhodes
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140440852

Customer Reviews:

Not a pleasing translation.......2005-04-18

This epic is often talked up as some kind of ancient thriller, a there-and-back-again from the 1st Century B.C. However, even a casual read will reveal the problematic nature of an assessment of this nature. The poem is in reality a subtle and complex study of the nature of Greek epic. Apollonius is not simply writing an adventure story, the story was common knowledge then and there were multiple versions people could turn to. Apollonius, the scholar is meditating upon epic and its place in a modern world. The text is incredibly ambiguous and can reveal millions of alternate readings. Apollonius needs to be read again and again, often in the context of earlier epic works. You cannot fully understand Apollonius without Homer. On the surface it is an adventure story, but with no real hero, no real ending and with often no real motives.
A good translation by someone who understands the text is a must. Unfortunately I don't think that Rieu is up to the task. Only recently has Apollonius become a viable subject for study, and I think that Rieu's translation is out of date. By trying to turn Apollonius' text into an exciting adventure like his Odyssey, Rieu skips over textual ambiguities that imbue the text with more meaning. He even mistranslates the opening sentence and ruins its effect. Anyone looking for Apollonius is best advised to turn to Hunter's superb translation in Oxford Worlds Classics, it's modern, up to date and accurate.

An Enchanting Epic.......2005-03-08

The 'Argonautica' was written in the 3rd Century B.C. and depicts the pre-Homeric voyage of Jason to the land of Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece: a golden lamb's fleece brought by the gods that can work miracles. Unlike Homer's poetry of the Iliad and the Odyssey, this work was written in the Hellenic age and therefore focuses much more on action instead of poetic recitals and extensive character developments common to the Classical/Homeric period. Nevertheless, this work offers a great adventure of heroes, gods, and beasts that make it a pleasurable reading experience for adults and children alike.

Jason is the lawful heir of Thessally and seeks to avenge his father's death against the usurper, Pelias. In an effort to keep him at bay, Pelias convinces Jason that he must go on a perilous journey to Colchis to obtain the Golden Fleece before he can claim the throne of Thessally. Eager to claim his kingdom, Jason calls upon all of the greatest of Greek champions to join him on his quest. Requisitioning the ship 'The Argos' for the voyage, Jason is accompanied by a crew of Greece's greatest heroes and demi-gods such as Hercules, Castor, Polydeuces, and Odysseus' father, Laertes. After crossing many perils under the protection of Hera, the Argos reaches Colchis on the other side of the world (present day Turkey on the shore of the Black Sea.) Deceiving King Aeetes, Jason runs off with the Golden Fleece and the king's daughter Medea to return to Greece in triumph.

This is a great adventure covering the heroic age of Greece a generation before the time of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The novel is, as typical of the Hellenic novel, fast paced on plot with only minimal character studies. Unlike the Iliad, this work was a novel meant to be read as opposed to being orally recited as poetry. A novel that's fun to read for itself or to study Greek history and mythology. A fun story for adults and children alike.

Ian Myles Slater on: Jason the Almost-Hero .......2005-01-20

Homer mentioned the voyage of the Argo as a well-known story, and bits and pieces appear in surviving Greek lyrics and dramas of the Classical period. Jason's later life with Medea is a well-known subject of tragedy. Our oldest comprehensive account of the journey, however, comes from Hellenistic times, in a work by Apollonius, at one time associated with the Library of Alexandria, commonly known as "of Rhodes," supposedly from his favorable reception by the islanders.

The Jason of this version, from the third century BC, is a good deal less than an Homeric hero, overshadowed both by his companions (and who would not seem inadequate beside Hercules?) and by the goddesses who intervene on his behalf. He is not unattractive -- indeed, some may find him more appealing than the all-competent heroes of other epics. He has emotions one can recognize, including fear and despair. Still, one can see him later being both callous enough and stupid enough to dump the witch-princess of Colchis for a "better" (socially acceptable and politically advantageous) marriage in Greece.

That was the tragic plot which Apollonius avoids, but it was well-known in his day, and which has survived to our own in Euripides' version. He certainly had it in mind, and knew that those who read, or more likely heard the reading of, his epic, would as well. (Seneca's Latin tragedy "Medea," and Ovid's treatment of the character, of great importance in later European views of the story, were still in the future.)

This prose translation, first published in 1959 and reissued with some revisions and new apparatus in 1971, was the first new English version since 1912 (the Loeb Classical Library bilingual edition), and remained the only popular version for several decades. It has since been joined by others, in verse as well as prose. They represent more recent scholarship in both the Greek text and critical views of the poet and the epic. Two of them, at least, are considerably more ambitious as works of art. Barbara Hughes Fowler's "Hellenistic Poetry: An Anthology" not only contains the complete epic, but much of its cultural context. The hardcover edition of Peter Green's "The Argonautika: The Story of Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece" contained extensive commentary (abridged in the paperback edition). These are both in verse. There is also a prose version by Richard L. Hunter, "Jason and the Golden Fleece," published in the Oxford World's Classics.

Can the good old Penguin Classics standby still compete?

For those looking for high poetry, or for elaborate notes, or sophisticated critical positions, probably not. But, despite the comments of at least one competitor, Rieu's treatment is not without its merits. Although Rieu's English is now a little antiquated, it remains readable. His English version is helped as well as hindered by a tendency to reduce the relatively ornate style of a learned Alexandrian poet to something more approachable to an *intelligent* school-boy ("school-boy" being the critic's reproach). It is still a good place to begin, and for those who are simply curious about Jason's adventures, it may be the best place. Once convinced of its charms, the reader may be encouraged to try a more poetic version, and discover that Apollonius was more than an engaging storyteller with a modern taste for the anti-heroic.

Of course, I tend to favor a book that enchanted me when I read it in 1968.

(Reposted from my "anonymous" review of June 27, 2003.)

We are like birds trapped in the wide net of Destiny.......2004-06-15

Apollonius of Rhodes' story of Jason's quest of the Golden Fleece is certainly one of the highlights of ancient literature. It can be ranked on the same level as Homer's works.
It is also in some aspects a modern work. Some scenes are worth a Hieronymus Bosch or 20th century surrealism: 'She had been terrified by a nightmare in which she saw all the rooms and walls of her house streaming with blood, and fire devouring all the magic drugs ... A number of creatures whose ill-assorted limbs declared them to be neither man nor beast had gathered round her like a great flock of sheep following their shepherd from the fold.' (p. 165)
Psychoanalysis is not far away when an oracle hints that a ship is a mother's womb: 'Argo carried us in her womb; we have often heard her groaning in her pain.' (p. 184)

On the other hand, the gods are still allmighty and condition all important events. But like in Homer's works, the divine interventions are nothing more than today's psychological explanations of normal human behaviour. The physical feats, inspired, provoked or influenced by the gods, can only be human.
The highlight of the story is the love between Jason and Medea, who is clearly presented here as a witch. But Apollonius calls love poetically but realistically 'Unconscionable Love, bane and tormentor of mankind, parent of strife, fountain of tears, source of a thousand ills'. (p. 159)
This book has also a historical cosmological importance: 'He sang of that past age when earth and sky and sea were knit together in a single mould' (p. 49); in other words, a foreshadowing of priest Lemaitre's original single atom.
One also feels distinctly that this work is an abridged version of a former written epic. The end is far too abrupt and doesn't even relate the homecoming of Argo's crew.

This edition contains a good, but too long, introduction by the translator and an excellent glossary. It would have gained in quality if it had contained a map with Jason's most probable voyage.
A must, not only for fans of classical literature.

A Sea of Troubles...........2003-06-05

The Voyage of Argo is the second E.V. Rieu translation from epic poem to prose work of Ancient Greek literature that I have indulged in. The story laid out here is the quest for and return from obtaining the Golden Fleece by Jason and the 'Argonauts' as his traveling companions come to be known.

Each of the four 'books' of this crafting of Apollonius's tale relates the various trials, dangers, deceptions, victories, and defeats of the crew of the Argo.

Book one, 'Preparation and Departure' was, for me, the hardest to digest. The first several pages, following a lengthy introduction, read merely like a passenger manifest. Many are named, some easily recognizable from other tales of Ancient Greece. The crew sails off on their quest, led by Jason, son of Aeson, with Heracles (Hercules) as part of their company. By the end of book one, the disappearence of one of the crew, Hylas, sends Heracles off on a quest of his own, to find Hylas' abductors and punish them.

Book two, 'Onward to Colchis', finds the crew of the Argo in battle with the Bebryces, drawing the attention of Athene, who allows the ship to pass safely through the treacherous Clashing Rocks, and the loss of other crew members along the way. Jason and company find their way to Colchis and land there, with the divine influence of the Gods.

Book three, 'Jason and Medea', centers on the famed love story of the two title characters. Medea, struck by an arrow from Eros, falls in love with Jason, and becomes his greatest ally, as she is the daughter of King Aeetes, the man who knows the location of the Golden Fleece Jason and his crew seek. Aeetes, finding the company of the Argo to be brash and treacherous, proposes a test of their fortitude, and should they survive the flaming bulls and sharp toothed serpent, and obtain the fleece, they will have proven themselves worthy. Medea, desperate to help her beloved, contrives a plot of her own to aid Jason, and win his heart.

Book four, 'Homeward Bound' tells of the dangers Jason and crew once again face on the open seas as they journey home. Medea in tow, Jason must choose between his love for her and the lives of his crew as Aeetes sets out to destroy them and bring Medea back home to him.

A thrilling tale of bravery and cunning, The Voyage of Argo ranks with the Odyssey in terms of excitement and content. While reading this, and the notes that accompany the text naming this surviving version of the tale as a possibly 'revised second edition' of the actual story, I am left to wonder if perhaps the 'divine influence' of Athene and Here (Hera), and even Zeus himself, are not offered as simple explanation for events that seemed miraculous to the author. The story flows along easily and while it does not suffer from the 'interference' of the Gods, it is not exactly amplified by it either.

Whatever the case, The Voyage of Argo is a thrilling read. It is easy to see why it has spawned many fictional accounts, as it is an adventure tale ripe for the picking, and needs very little 'inventiveness' to augment it to a full-fledged fictional thriller.

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The Voyage Of Argo - The Argonautica
E. V. Apollonius of Rhodes; Translated with an Introduction by Rieu
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZF1Y6

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The Voyage of Argo : The Argonautica
Apollonius of Rhodes Translated By E. V. Rieu
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KF1TT6

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Voyage of Argo the Argonautica
Apollonius/rieu
Manufacturer: PENGUIN BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UDHKS2

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