Sumerian is the world's oldest written language, first written down, in ancient Iraq, some 5000 years ago. These translations into modern English are the most comprehensive collection available of the world's first literature, encompassing narrative myths, lyrical hymns, proverbs, and love poetry, This excellent little book thoroughly deserves to find the wide readership it courts, and also to endure as a standard tool for university teaching and research. It is required reading for all who are interested in ancient intellectual cultures, in the study of the oldest literary forms, and in the field of comparative literature.