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Rating: 
Summary: Chasing Immortality
Review: An epic of many gaps, the tale of Sumer's Gilgamesh has the potential to bore the dander off your hide. Fortunately, David Ferry has a poetic ear and his version of the tale, not really a translation, enlivens this recounting of a king's quest to cheat death. Utnapishtim's description of the terrible flood, with its torrential rains and the construction a mammoth ship, is both interesting and provocative, generating enquiry into the validity of the strikingly similar Biblical account. My seventh graders were able to draw parallels between Noah and Utnapishtim, the immortal who teaches young Gilgamesh with some particular tough love: beasts and serpents and Ur, oh my. Ferry's verse definitely compliments any study of Sumer's foggy past, fleshing out one of its many (possibly historical) kings.
Rating: 
Summary: TIMELESS
Review: Ferry has done a tremendous service in making this ancient story accessible to the non-academic. All the human themes are here: friendship, love, death, sex, questioning authority, all here. Ferry's re-telling of this ancient story provides startling proof that no matter how things change, the more things stay the same...
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical and Beautiful, But Short
Review: I was initially introduced to this version of the classic epic of GILGAMESH through Harold Bloom's THE WESTERN CANON. This is, without a doubt, the best translation of the Mesopotamian epic, giving the reader a taste of the style of the original.GILGAMESH is one of the oldest works of Western literature, having been written around the same time as the Bible. It tells the tale of King Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu and their journeys, finally, with the tale of Gilgamesh's attempts to escape death. David Ferry's translation of GILGAMESH is exquisite. Poetic and lyrical, it has a flavor uniquely of its own. With excellent explanatory notes, anyone with an interest in ancient literature, or in the GILGAMESH epic would do themselves a favor to read Ferry's translation. If there is any weakness to GILGAMESH, it is the fact that the epic itself is very short, and will leave readers feeling that the stories ended all too soon.
Rating:
Summary: Gilgamesh comes alive
Review: If you enjoyed Robert Fagels' wonderful translation of the Illiad and the Odessey, I think you will appreciate what David Ferry has done with this ancient story. By his own admission he has taked some poetic liberties but by doing so he has made these archaic characters accessible and human. Other editions will give you a feel of the problems of translation; this will give you a sense of the primordial power of simple story telling and simple themes.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stop turning the pages!
Review: Of the two versions of Gilgamesh that I have read, David Ferry's is by far the better of the two. Ferry makes Gilgamesh so easy and interesting to read that even I, a person who does not usually like to read, could not stop turning the pages. I really enjoyed the book for many reasons. One of which is the role of women in the epic. It was shocking to me that the woman was so highly regarded in the text. All of the women in Gilgamesh are highly regarded, and hold positions of power, but are also seen as a motherly figure. In a society where women are still not equal to men, it was nice to read this epic where women are regarded with respect, and looked to for advice. Ferry's also uses many repetitions in the epic, which I have to admit were originally very annoying. However, once I started to closely look at it, I saw slight variations in each repetition that made each very interesting. Ferry uses these variations to reveal to the close reader things about the plot that you may have missed if you just skimmed over the repeating phrases. Using this technique and by making the role of women a positive one, Ferry kept me enthralled in Gilgamesh's life from page one until the end of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A student's veiw...
Review: Okay, I am not an expert on ancient history, nor do I read much from Sumerian times. Having said that, I did have to read "Gilgamesh" for a history class, and while it is a very good story (fellow students-you won't be bored), Ferry's translation is not the way to go. First, it is written in poetry form. Unless that is something you are looking for, I just believe it makes the story unclear. Secondly, and let me remind you I am not a scholar; the lines did not flow well. Ferry's interpretation also seemed to deviate from other editions I have read. 3 stars, because if you know what you are looking for, this translation is not without merit. And one final thought, I liked the Penguin Classics translation by N.K. Sanders. It was clearly written, in a story form. Plus, there is a lot of background information, historical facts and footnotes to guide the reader.
Rating:
Summary: A student's veiw...
Review: Okay, I am not an expert on ancient history, nor do I read much from Sumerian times. Having said that, I did have to read "Gilgamesh" for a history class, and while it is a very good story (fellow students-you won't be bored), Ferry's translation is not the way to go. First, it is written in poetry form. Unless that is something you are looking for, I just believe it makes the story unclear. Secondly, and let me remind you I am not a scholar; the lines did not flow well. Ferry's interpretation also seemed to deviate from other editions I have read. 3 stars, because if you know what you are looking for, this translation is not without merit. And one final thought, I liked the Penguin Classics translation by N.K. Sanders. It was clearly written, in a story form. Plus, there is a lot of background information, historical facts and footnotes to guide the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Gilgamesh, David Ferry translation
Review: There have been many translations of this Sumerian story over the years due. David Ferry's translation is rather readable; Ferry's decision to write the story in heroic couplets of iambic pentameter makes the story easily accessible and easy to follow. Gilgamesh deals with many issues traditionally found in epics. The Sumerian Prince learns of loyalty and friendship through his one companion, Enkidu. There are battles of epic proportion; the companions battle the forest monster, Howawa, and the bull of heaven. Gilgamesh even sojourns to the land of dead, which reminds readers of Odysseus' journeys. The text is occasionally repetitive, but one would expect that of an epic. It's length and ease of readability make it attractive, however. Qualms with the story itself aside, Ferry has produced an admirable translation.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Gilgamesh, David Ferry translation
Review: There have been many translations of this Sumerian story over the years due. David Ferry's translation is rather readable; Ferry's decision to write the story in heroic couplets of iambic pentameter makes the story easily accessible and easy to follow. Gilgamesh deals with many issues traditionally found in epics. The Sumerian Prince learns of loyalty and friendship through his one companion, Enkidu. There are battles of epic proportion; the companions battle the forest monster, Howawa, and the bull of heaven. Gilgamesh even sojourns to the land of dead, which reminds readers of Odysseus' journeys. The text is occasionally repetitive, but one would expect that of an epic. It's length and ease of readability make it attractive, however. Qualms with the story itself aside, Ferry has produced an admirable translation.
Rating:
Summary: to become the standard text of Gilgamesh
Review: This is the best translation ever. it captueres all the idioms, alliterations, comparisons and overall feeling of the original
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