In this 1876 commentary Robinson Ellis portrays the life and work of Catullus, whose poetry illuminates the last years of the Roman Republic. Ellis examines the sources and textual history of the poems, discusses influences and metre, and speculates on the identity of the poet's beloved Lesbia.

This edition of eighty poems of Catullus is designed for college students. An introduction deals with the life of Catullus, his indebtedness to Alexandrian poetry, and the later history of the poems. The commentary interprets the poems in the light of modern linguistic and literary scholarship. The Latin text comes from the Oxford Classical Text edition edited by Roger Mynors.

First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.