They Said It First provides a unique twist on quotation collections: ancient Greek and Roman sayings, alongside English translations, are paired with their more modern counterparts. The likes of W. E. B. Dubois and Mark Twain may have eloquently expressed eternal truths and pithy witticisms—but frequently, Homer or Seneca the Younger got there first.

Who knew the ancient world could be so funny? This collection of cartoons was taken from the archives covering 26 years of publication of Pompeiiana, a newsletter devoted to student-developed material. Popular topics for the cartoons include Medusa (e.g., her chicken-haired cousin), Julius Caesar (e.g., Caesar reforms the colander), the Trojan War (e.g., Ulysses getting a Trojan warrior to shout his comments thus making the Trojan hoarse) as well as commentary on Caligula's horse in the senate (always voting "neigh"?) and Horatius playing cards or Horatius at bridge.