Ovid's Metamorphoses
 

Since we're on the kick for ancient bestsellers, I'm putting in a plug for Ovid's Metamorphoses. This is a very unpretentious poem meant to tell the story of everything, in a "continuous thread of words, from the world's first origins to my own time."

I found a couple of things interesting. After forming mankind, which quickly degenerates, the Gods decide that it is necessary to destroy the human race. Jupiter is about to obliterate the earth via his weapon of choice, the lightning bolt, but then remembers that an oracle prophesied of a time when the world was to be burnt completely by fire, and that the heavens would catch fire as well. Not wanting this to happen just yet, he decides to flood the earth instead. All mankind dies in this flood, with the exception of a pious man and his wife, who go on to restore the human race (though via means other than the old fashioned reproduction).

I found that interesting.

I love Ovid. The guy is great. I must say, though, I find Ovid very pretentious (delightfully so).