The Epic of Gilgamish

The Epic of Gilgamish is a book by R. Campbell Thompson, first published in 1928. One of the oldest surviving works of literature, this Mesopotamian epic tells the sweeping adventures of Gilgamesh — king of Uruk — and his companion Enkidu. Thompson’s translation renders the standard Babylonian and related Old-Babylonian episodes into readable English, presenting the hero’s confrontation with monsters, the loss that sends him questing, and his encounter with Utnapishtim and the flood narrative. Readers looking for classic world literature, ancient Near Eastern mythology, or foundational flood myths will find this edition useful for both study and enjoyment. Thompson’s work sits in the tradition of early 20th-century Assyriology: a scholarly, literal approach grounded in cuneiform sources and museum tablet collections. While later translations have benefited from new fragments and revised philology, this translation remains historically important — valuable to readers who want a direct, early scholarly rendering of the text and those curious about the history of Gilgamesh scholarship.