Ancient History Books

The Land of Osiris restores to the Egyptian people their true proud heritage. Mehler looks at how research into the history of Egypt has been built on the opinions of non-indigenous people; foreigners who filtered what they saw with a chauvinism and superiority that was endemic to the invaders of this great land.

Not satisfied with the Greco-Roman model of the evolution of civilizations on this planet, Mehler began to study the oral tradition of the indigenous people of Egypt and learned that there was a hidden story waiting to be told. His book recounts this oral tradition and enlightens us to a much richer and older civilization than what we have been taught.

The Land of Osiris is a huge stepping stone in our journey to recover the wisdom of the ancient Khemitians (Egyptians).

Abd'El Hakim Awyan is a tourist guide. Period. Albeit an excellent guide, I personally would be hesitant about the accuracy of Hakim's information. This comes from years of living in Egypt and observing how these "indigenous masters" work and how they interact with foreigners, as well as how they acquire their information about various topics. Besides, the indigenous peoples of Egypt are not the Egyptian villagers who live infront of the Sphinx. The true indigenous people are the rare bedouin tribes still roaming the deserts such as the Hamitic Beja tribes or the Berbers of the Siwah tribe....

The Land of Osiris by Stephen Mehler is a very outstanding book. It is in fact the first book on the actual history and pre-history of Egypt written on the basis of knowledge received from the keeper of indigenous traditions, Egyptian archaeologist with European education Abd'El Hakim. Paradoxically, by so far nobody of Egyptologists was interested in the true history retained by autochthonous keepers! The book astonishes the reader by a great quantity of names of people who have explored archaeology and history of ancient Egypt. The book shows that the author is encyclopedic learning and deep awareness of manifold branches both of science and human life. His talent for a wide comprehensive analysis is a rarity among researchers.

S. Mehler filled the book by startling photographs, which allow us to touch to pre-historical places of boiling life of ancient Khemitians, autochthonous population of Khemitia (called Egypt by antique Greeks). In particular, a great surprise is the photograph of traces of a pre-historical harbor located now among uninhabited sands. He also presents incontestable evidence about direct contacts between pre-historical American civilizations and Khemitians. Basing on Hakim's knowledge of the Khemitian language, S. Mehler gives the correct interpretation of many terms, which so far were perceived as absolutely faithful (pharaoh, tomb, pyramid, etc.). The deciphering conducted radically changes our taking of ancient Egypt and put the Khemitian history back where their history found it. The book also tells about the organization of Khemitian community as a society of people with equal right. We have learned about the structure of their community that possessed a very deep scientific knowledge, which was based on the harmonic coexistence of people with Nature, or more exactly, with the universe that they perceived as a universal organism.

In fact, The Land of Osiris is an actual breakthrough in Egyptology. Bravo, Mehler! The book awakes consciousness and that is why it is highly recommended to everybody, from amateurs to scientists, from young to adults. A deep book for deep people.

Stephen Mehler's research, spanning over 30+ years, indicate that whenever there is a so-called "Power Place", sacred site or Vortex on Earth - three things will always be found. Flowing water, a source of natural crystal, and igneous rock (itself a source of crystal) - these three elements are found at every major site in Egypt, not by any accident. His major theme in the book is that the ancient Khemitian civilization, over 10,000 years old, was based on ANOTHER Nile River, in what is today called the Western Desert. The ancient Khemitians drilled miles of tunnels through limestone bedrock to divert this river to the present Nile Valley, and also built huge above ground aqueducts and channels to bring water to the sites. EVERY Per-Neter had water flowing into it to create acoustic harmonic resonance with each other . . . tremendous amounts of energy could be created this way.

This completely concurs with the evidence and functioning of the subterranean section of the Great Pyramid.

My copy of "The Land of Osiris" is highlighted thoughout. It is packed with solid new information.

Stephen's indigenous teacher, Abd'El Hakim Awyan, stated "Follow the water". Absolute truth.

If you want a fresh understanding of Ancient Egypt, The Land of Osiris is your best guide. In this well-written book Stephen Mehler provides a new perspective of this ancient culture distilled from his own research spanning over 30 years plus the invaluable knowledge provided by Abd'el Hakim Awyan, a master of the oral indegenous tradition. Rather than Egyptology with its western outsider bias, Stephen believes that we need a new tradition, a new paradigm, which incorporates this living indigenous knowledge and chooses to call it Khemitology. I believe this is a bold and necessary departure because the dead weight of mainstream Egyptology simply does not answer the questions that need to be answered. To put it in different terms, who were the ancient Khemitians and what did they know? Stephen's book is an introduction to answering those questions.

So what does Stephen give us. As a matter of fact, there are many items of fact and deduction but I will suggest a few. He gives us the land of BU WZR, the Land of Osiris and what it entailed. He asserts that the culture may stretch as far back as 65,000 years ago. He defines and clearly delinates the difference between a place of power (per-neter), a place of burial (per-ka) and a house of worship (per-ba). In the process he corroborates Christopher Dunn's theory that the Great Pyramid was a place of power. He shows us a clear connection between the Maya and the Khemitians. From satellite-based maps he demonstrates the bed of the Ur-Nile or proto-Nile covered most of what is today western Egypt. From shards of limestone canals he was shown by Hakim, he claims that water was diverted from West to East. He argues that the Bu WZR pyramids may have been part of a huge Fibonacci spiral rather than a ground map of the heavens as asserted by Hancock and Bauval. And perhaps the biggest of all, he concludes that the Sphinx is very, very old. Hakim, in fact, believes that it is over 50,000 years old. If you think this is a stretch, read Our Cosmic Ancestors by Maurice Chatelain about numbers found in Assurbanipal's library which were known over 64,000 thousand years ago.

Stephen has provided an invaluable service and guidebook for all students of ancient Egypt. I highly recommend this book to all.

Although it's a very good translation, I prefer to read the books of Plutarchos in the original Greek texts because the version of Dryden is now somewhat obsolete. And if you don't understand the ancient Greek language well, I recommend you to read several volumes of Plutarch in THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY.

I have now plowed through the second and final volume of this series, and though my energy began to flag, I still think this is one of the great classics of all time. Though not exactly chronological, the stories in this volume tend to occur later than in the first volume and are often longer, which is understandable given that Julius Caesar and Alex the Great are covered in this volume. THe stories are also more intricately interwoven - you get lives that overlap, such as those of Brutus and Caesar, with slightly different takes and details in each one. The upshot of all this is that the serious reader will need to keep this around as a reference, going over the text again when some question of detail comes up or to refresh one's point of view. Plutarch's take on things is very different from that of many authors: he is a pro-aristocrat conservative and admiring of martial prowess, yet pro-Republican. Once again, the reader really needs to know the historical context before undertaking this. It is not at all introductory.

Warmly recommended. Though it takes real effort at times to continue, it is well worth the slog.

A most concise volume of all the most important people of the Roman Empire.

Plutarch's parallel lives, parallels the life of a great Greek with a great Roman. Theseus and Romulus, Demosthenes and Cicero, Alexander and Ceasar. There are forty- six such pairs which tell not only the story of the individuals but of their society . Plutarch brings to bear his tremendous learning from a wide variety of sources . Plutarch's first interest is in the character of the people he writes about, and the moral lessons he can draw from comparison of the lives. His work has had great influence and provided inspiration and material to Shakespeare, Montaigne, Browning and others. The reading of the work is not always easy, and there are strange and questionably credible tales and details but the work is humanly alive. The reading and studying of it was once considered a basic part of true humanistic education, and not the confine of a few scholars in the classic departments of universities. It once had broad reader appeal and anyone with a keen interest in biography, and the subject of how lives have been lived in worlds far from our own, would do well if not to read this work cover- to- cover than at very least have a good read in it.

Twain's pejorative definition of `classic' need not apply. I define classic as that (text) which speaks to the heart over an extended duration - perhaps for several generations, as in `classic rock', or several millennia, as in Plutarch's "Lives". I probably never would have read Plutarch, were it not for a glorious discovery of Montaigne in mid-life. Having acquired enough distaste for the copious demands required to master classical languages after five years of Latin in secondary school, I made an arbitrary and direly misguided vow to eschew all Classics courses at the university level. And thus again is revealed the fateful difference between post-modern (post-1945), and the modern (c. 1500 - August 5, 1945) pedagogy, of which I unwittingly, if serendipitously, caught the tail end. The modern cannon required thorough immersion in the classics, and, for many years, Plutarch was required reading in the best schools, and should be even now. The author of the Shakespearian plays came to Plutarch by way of Montaigne (and likely read the Amyot translation, and only later the North, if at all), and the English schools came to Plutarch by way of Shakespeare. We might say that the revival of Plutarch was one of the most far reaching achievements of the Northern Renaissance.
At one point in his celebrated chronicle of the self, Montaigne (as a shaper and bona fide member of that cannon, guardian of some of what is best in our cultural inheritance) amusedly reveals that, when his critics believe they are attacking his work, they are actually attacking Plutarch and/or Seneca, so profound is their presence in his writing, and, in his "Defense of Plutarch and Seneca", he declares that . . . "my book [is] built up purely from their spoils".

And what a book it is! But Plutarch's magnum (see the 14 volumes of the Loeb Classical Library for his other works), is the greater. Montaigne is one of the great students of the self. Plutarch is the first (and may yet still be the definitive) historian of virtue. Montaigne, in scrutiny of his own nature, seeks to recognize the limitations and potentials of the self, and thereby sketch our general spiritual contours. Plutarch, in an unparalleled series of real life, historically and culturally pivotal, examples, shows us what they are.

The book records in the most remarkably intimate style (Plutarch has few peers as a master of narrative and an uncanny ability to ferret out of detail the significance of individual actions as a unified whole), the major events in the lives of the most impacting figures of the ancient world. Therefore, like the best novels, the book forms a world in itself, a lost world, the world of our ancestors, through a landscape drawn of actions and consequences. The structure of the book is such that an account of the seminal moments in the life of a noble Greek and then of a noble Roman are brought forth in pairs, followed by a comparison. In some sections of the work these comparisons are absent. They appear at some point in antiquity to have either been lost to or removed from the text, which would seem to explain why, for instance, there is no comparison of Alexander and Caesar. But the comparisons are brilliant, and eminently instructive.

Of course, from the details alone, we may draw our own inferences. Alexander, as a mere teen, leading his troops in hand-to-hand combat, won his first battle fighting uphill at night. Caesar, a heavy drinker, was wont to ride horseback at full tilt with his hands clenched behind his back. He had a life-long passion for Cato's sister and it is said that from their relationship, which continued through their respective marriages, Brutus was born. Et tu? Of course, one cannot fail to mention, even in this briefest review of the abundantly rich description in the nearly 1,300 pages which comprise the book, the death of Cato the Younger - one of the most exquisitely drawn figures in the book. Hunted down with the remnants of his troops into the wastelands of Carthage by the army of Octavius Ceasar in an effort to snuff out the last vestiges of republican resistance and opposition to Empire, realizing that the last realistic hope for freedom is lost, Cato attempts ritual suicide (a Stoic custom common to Roman nobility) by disembowelment. As Plutarch describes the scene, ". . . he did not immediately die of the wound; but struggling, fell off the bed, and throwing down a little mathematical table that stood by, made such a noise that the servants, hearing it, cried out. And immediately his son and all his friends came into the chamber, where, seeing him lie weltering in his own blood, great part of his bowels out of his body, but himself still alive and able to look at them, they all stood in horror. The physician went to him, and would have put in his bowels, which were not pierced, and sewed up the wound; but Cato, recovering himself, and understanding the intention, thrust away the physician, plucked out his own bowels, and tearing open the wound, immediately expired." In Seneca's words: "For Cato could not outlive freedom, nor would freedom outlive Cato."

However, the life most appropriate for the contemporary reader, I feel (and wish that every member of the shadowy corporate/military junta that seems to be ruling us these days would read and take to heart) is the life of Crassus. Crassus was the most successful businessman in the history of the Roman Empire. Plutarch relates that at one time he owned virtually one-third of the real estate in Rome. However, such mind-boggling success was not enough for him. His yen, and later, obsession, was to be revered as a great military leader, a world conqueror, expand the domain of the already burgeoning Empire, and the object of his fantasies was the area of the world at that time known as Mesopotamia and Persia, today as Iraq and Iran. We follow as he makes extensive preparations, investing his own fortune and a great deal of the nation's wealth into outfitting an army for the venture. And at first, the invasion of Mesopotamia seems to go well. But the centers of population are spread out over great stretches of desert, and the occupation never really succeeds, because a central authority cannot be solidly established. Crassus, however, remains undaunted, even though the troops are becoming mutinous as supplies begin to run thin. Led on by treacherous advisors, he enters Parthia (somewhere in the vicinity of modern day Syria). Plutarch describes the grueling denouement with his usual detachment, aplomb, and gifted eye for pertinent detail. Having lost the greatest fortune in the world, he proceeds to lose his troops, then his sons, and finally his life. These lessons are never too late for the learning, and my apologies to Twain, but a classic is a text which retains its urgency to be read, and read now.

I read the Dryden/Clough translation. Dryden was never my favorite writer of his period, the late 17th century - hardly a match for Burton or Milton, in my opinion, but he was poet laureate, and this work I love - his English is fine, and resonates with classic dignity. Clough, the mid-nineteenth century British scholar who revised the translation, befriended Emerson when he traveled to England, and became a sort of mentor to the New England Transcendentalists in general. We can be grateful for such a wonderful rendering for one of the very greatest and edifying masterpieces.

This book is very elegantly written with awesome illustrations. I found the book very captivating and informative. Would definetely recommend.

I received this book as a gift from a friend, and at first I was kind of skeptical, but once I started reading it, I just loved it. The pictures, the details, down to the last page, this book was precise and intriguing. I would definitely suggest this for anyone and as a great gift idea!!

This book was truely amazing. I couldn't believe that Jewish history could be so interesting and exciting. This book is truly a MUST-READ. It brought joy into my life and made me very proud to be a Jew. I am awaiting the movie with great anticipation.

A true epic. Takes you back in time as if you're there. Terrific story and images. Can't wait for the movie.

Here is a True story that is almost beyond belief! The author has obviously researched the topic comprehensively and has skillfully shown us the remarkable courage and strength of the human spirit. I believed I knew the story - until I read this book. Can't wait to see the movie.

This book looks like new! I saved money and the book is in great condition. The seller was very helpful.

This book is fascinating to say the least! When I first got it I spent an hour flipping though looking at pictures and reading the captions. When I finally got around to reading the 'book part' it was even more intriguing. Some might be unnerved by the pictures of the mummies, and its hard not to be with some of them (pg 66 for example ;) But I was glad to finally see what alot of other books only describe. This book is an excellent buy for the price. Great for those with an interest in Egyptian traditions/history and in mummies in general. Strong stomach recommended ;)

This book is worth 10 stars. there is so much info in this book and it is very easy to understand. when i first looked at this book of 192 pages i thought i would never get through it all but it was so easy once i picked it up i couldn't put it down. if you are interested in learning about ancient egypt this is the book to buy.

I looked for a book on mummies after seeing the excellent television documentary hosted by Egyptologist Dr. Bob Brier. I saw this book and was a little skeptical. The title "Mummies, Myth, and Magic" sounded like a book that may sacrifice scholarship for a more mainstream account to appeal to those wanting to read about mummy curses, etc. I could not resist the fascinating photos in this book, so I bought it despite my reluctance over the title. I soon realized I was wrong to be the least bit skeptical. It is a very scholarly account by an obvious expert in the field. Christine El Mahdy details how mummies were buried during different periods; the mummification techniques; how Egyptians bargained with, communicated with, and regarded their various gods; animal cults, etc. A short section on the "curse" of the tombs is included at the end and is expertly written: "...the dead positively welcomed the living. Their immortality depended on the survival of their name..." (174). The author assumes nothing in her analysis and gives a clear, erudite account of every subject examined. She offers an excellent description of what it was like for a robber or collector like Giovanni Belzoni to enter a tomb. She also explains what information can be gathered from mummies; from age and health to the duties Egyptians had under certain titles. The illustrations in this book make it a must for the serious Egyptologist to the casual enthusiast. Symbolism and the design of sample tombs are clearly diagrammed. The photos and x-rays of mummies are fascinating. There is a disturbing photo of an unknown mummy that some witnesses to its discovery believe was buried alive that will stick with you long after you put down this book. In addition, a chronology of the different dynasties is included at the beginning of this book which is essential for readers like me who have a very limited background on Egyptian history. What impressed me most of all was the deep respect the author demonstrated towards this subject: "Few of the living were ever permitted even to gaze for long upon the face of a pharaoh--so perhaps it is presumptuous to demand more of them dead than they gave when alive" (91).

"Mummies, Myth, and Magic" explores practically all facets of its chosen subject matter: burial, preparation, symbolism, even the excavators charged with elaborating on all of the above. The essays spent on modern mummy examinations are fascinating, not to mention the fabulous photography. The affect of various periods in Egyptian history--such as the Intermediate periods and the Amarna period--on the country's religious beliefs/expectations is also discussed. Oh, enough with my being well-spoken.... Just read it! :)

This book is interesting, but it is very dry. It was originally published in the 1920's, and that does show. There are untranslated quotations of Latin and Greek that the author uses to illustrate his points. This is great if you can read Latin and Greek, but if not then you should order a dictionary as well...

What will be found in the Anglican scholar Samuel Angus,' "The Mystery-Religions," is an informative overview of the principle cults which dominated the Mediterranean world from Alexander's conquests up to the early centuries of the Christian era. The crux of this work lies in Angus' erudite analysis of the various factors which facilitated the spread and subsequent decline of the Mystery-Religions, and likewise the factors that ultimately aided the spread and triumph of Christianity. He is clear in his presentation of key points and sincere with the information he provides. Angus' deep familiarity with both the ancient texts and the current modern scholarship of his times, on the whole, presents a well-researched work valuable for students and scholars alike. This work is an enduring masterpiece, which offers readers a complete and useful tool for understanding the multifaceted belief systems of the Mystery-Religions.

Anyone curious for a well written collegiate level review of the Ancient Mysteries and the similarities found in Christianity will find this work complete.

I don't believe a better work on this topic has been written.

For the esoterically minded, Hermeticist, Freemason, Rosicrucian, look no further.

As someone with no background in this type of material, I was curious surrounding some of hype of the "Da Vinci code" so I picked up this tome. After a difficult start due to my lack of knowledge in this field of studies. I read slowly then avidly and gained so much from this very learned man. It is a balanced book it that does not have any agenda only that it speaks the truth. Now as for the level of writing these types of books do go beyond the college-lite education that is so common today. The style is lucid and clear and with an excellent usage of vocabulary.

The true origins of Christianity are explored in depth and dogma is set aside in favor of esoteric philosophy. A wonderful wonderful book.

I was completely convinced by Huson's hypothesis about the origins of Tarot. His research and arguments seemed impeccable.

But what I found most astonishing were the medieval associations with some cards. For example, how could the Queen of Wands be the Amazon Queen Penthesilia, the Biblical Rachel and a harlot? How could the murderous Judith be the Queen of Hearts? The way the Tarot was seen in earlier periods is historically valuable because it could be the key to unlocking the way they thought.

This book clears up any misconceptions about the history of the cards.
It is also handy if you are a collector of tarot, as it deals with the types of tarot cards in terms of categories and geographic locations of origin.
Huson is considered by many to be the last word on the history of the tarot.
Add this one to your library!

Paul Huson explores the roots of the symbolism of the tarot in this excellent volume. From Mamluk cards, to triumphal parades to medieval dramas, he shows how the symbols in the tarot grew out of visual images that would have been familiar to all in their time and place. In his sections on card meanings, he cites interpretations from Etteilla, Mathers, Waite, and the Golden Dawn, which are fascinating to compare. This is a very valuable book for anyone interested in the history of tarot.

Where Paul Huson's 1972 work `The Devil's Picture Book' presented a rich melange of broad speculations regarding the emblems of Tarot, his new book `Mystical Origins of the Tarot' approaches the subject along entirely different and decidedly radical lines, challenging preconceptions and removing layers of fanciful superimposition which have hitherto obscured Tarot's roots. He subjects the images of traditional Tarot to a penetrating and rigorous process of historical analysis and thematic elucidation employing an approach which can best be described as `symbolic archaeology' - the results are quite remarkable. The research brought to bear on the origins of the enigmatic cards is impressive, thorough and original: for instance the four suits signs of the Minor Arcana are painstakingly traced via the surviving decks of Mamluk Egypt to the heraldic symbols denoting the Four Virtues and the four Mazdean castes of ancient Persia. An important paradigm-shift in understanding is achieved via the author firmly locating each of the figures of the Major Arcana in the beguiling world of popular religious dramas, mysteries and miracle-plays in the High Middle Ages - he even provides examples of their speeches from the original dramas. The chapter on the Major Arcana in this context is as illuminating as it is convincing.
Furthermore Paul Huson goes deeply into the traditions underpinning the cartomantic significance of each card, giving the divinatory rundown from Pratesi's Cartomancer of 1750 to A.E. Waite in 1910 along with his own suggested keywords for readings. One surprising turn-up for the books transpires when the author locates the direct source of the Golden Dawn Decanic system of the Minor Cards in the section on the 36 Decan images in Book II of the Arab grimoire called the Picatrix. The 16 legendary personages identified with the court cards likewise opens up fascinating points of symbolic comprehension.
The sections on practical cartomancy will be found invaluable by both beginners and seasoned users of the cards: a great deal of utile information and insight is imparted which will facilitate practise. I especially like the techniques for `linking' the cards.
The above gives but an indication of some of the absorbing contents of this inspiring book. In its own way the research it unfolds is as compelling to follow as a detective story as the author indefatigably tracks down the emblematic minutiae of Tarot symbolism to their archaic and mediaeval originals.
Ranging with great erudition from Shia, Sufi and Magian symbologies, to Neoplatonic doctrines, mediaeval mystery-plays, 18th century cartomancers and scholarly art history this packed study delivers such a veritable feast of fresh information and insight on the subject of Tarot that beginners and veteran tarotists alike will find it a real treat to read and an indispensable resource for reference. It is illustrated throughout with a wealth of examples of card-images, allegorical emblems and images skilfully executed by the author. This is very likely the definitive study on the subject. Highly recommended.

Paul Huson has given the reader a well written and researched guide to the tarots and their meanings. Mr. Huson has gone beyond the ordinary tarot books available on the market and given a book akin in many ways to 78 Degrees of Wisdom. I highly reccomend this book to any student of the tarot, you will not be dissapointed.

This is an unusual interesting book combining a synopsis of Homer"s Odyssey with a travelogue describing the current state and feel of the most likely locations. It offers insights into the mindset of the habitual voyager, and masks serious scholarly research under an unassuming self effacing narration. I just got back from Greece yesterday and this book was a constant companion and a joy.I had visited Troy 2 years ago and the author articulates some of my own thoughts and feelings only better! I recommend it highly.
Ajay Parghi

As Huler admitted, I gave only a cursory read to "The Odyssey" back in grade school. Since then, I've heard that it is the genesis of all story prototypes, heard that it is a critical piece of oral and written literary traditions, and even repeated these mantras as if they were my own realizations. Upon reading Huler's fine book, though, I finally see what professors, lit-snobs, and well-bred readers actually mean with those comments. Huler quite ingeniously presented The Odyssey through lessons, asides, and the narration of his own trip, in a way that penetrates the language (er, poetry) barrier and shows me what all the buzz is about. He also entertains on nearly every page, weaving his story very well around the original Odyssey, making me laugh and cringe and read passages out loud to hear echoes of my own inner monologue in his words. I'd be glad to heist a brew with Huler; I feel more confident now in discussing the Odyssey; most importantly, I feel my money and time were very, very well spent on his book. Perhaps next he could take a road trip tracing Sherman's March to the Sea...

Exceptional. Read this with one eye on Homer's version and the other on Huler's. An epic journey all comes together.

A very interesting book. Scott Huler does a very good job of blending an ancient tale of travel and adventure with his own personal wanderings around Southern Europe. Scott's obsession with "The Odyssey" becomes the reader's obsession too. - Ray Charlton

At age 44, having finally read James Joyce's Ulysses (which he had vowed never to do), Scott Huler immerses himself in Homer's epic tale, The Odyssey, and embarks on an adventurous six-month pilgrimage to retrace Odysseus's return from the Trojan war to Penelope and Telemachus, his wife and son, in Ithaca.

When Polyphemus the Cyclops demands to know Odysseus' identity, Odysseus replies, "My name is No-man." Later, when the Cyclops cries out, "No-man is killing me!" his fellow Cyclopes think he is not in any trouble. Hence the book's title, and Huler's determination to boldly go where No-man has gone before.

Along the way, we encounter the Lotus-eaters, the Cyclopes, the Laestrygonians, the witch Circe, the kingdom of the dead, the island of the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the cattle of the sun, and enjoy many other episodes.

Whether The Odyssey is historical/geographical or a mythological tale imagined by a poet ("The poets always lie," said Plato), cannot be ascertained. However, Huler quotes many ancient Greek and Roman writers--Thucydides, Strabo, Herodotus, Ovid, Pausanias, Polybius--who provide a plausible itinerary for Odysseus's travels.

Reading Huler's travelogue/memoir is a sheer delight! Filled with self-deprecating humor, No-Man's Lands provides numerous chuckles and laughs. The book is more than slapstick humor, however. The author's critical analyses reveal an impressive knowledge of Homeric questions, and his sensitive judgments takes the answers he learns and sagely applies to our own lives and world.

Take note fans of historical fiction, the genre has a new star in E.S. Kraay. Novels with an historic focus, featuring actual figures from history present a great challenge for authors. Can the writer capture the flavors of the period without turning the story into a text book full of dry facts which overwhelm the story? A delicate balance must be struck to tell the tale and create the proper backdrop to honor the actual climate of the characters and their culture.

E.S. Kraay succeeds in this because he is an exceptional story teller. It is obvious that he is an outstanding historian, painting an extraordinary picture of ancient Hellas and its people. His descriptive and poetic passages bring to life the land and people of the story in all their glory as one of the ancient cultures responsible for founding modern western civilization.

Kraay's story is narrated by the Greek poet Simonides who continually weaves stories about honor and redemption throughout the entirety of the book. These tales succeed in establishing the setting of the story, the Olympic games and the battle of Thermopylae. Kraay's stories are exceptionally well told and very entertaining. I feel a good book should be easy to read because you are drawn into it and this novel kept the pages turning for me because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

In addition to telling a great story, this book uses events from ancient Hellas to deliver a message that still rings true to us today. There comes a time when many a person faces a challenge to seek personal glory or decide to make a sacrifice for the greater good of mankind. Honor and redemption are tools that build great civilizations. Pride and personal glory are weapons that can tear down a civilization. The Olympic champion Theagenes and the "300" Spartans demonstrate the power of choosing a hire cause than personal glory.

Our own culture in America is currently facing tough times and serious challenges. The fighting men and women of the US armed forces are facing these threats on a daily basis. While reading this book I was able to draw many conclusions about our own era and country. While this book is a tale of ancient Hellas, its message is one for all ages and this is the mark of an amazing storyteller.

E.S. Kraay is indeed a bard, historian and storyteller for the modern age. As a huge fan of historical fiction, I truly feel a new star has arrived. If you choose to read this book, I promise you are in store for a great read.

Having written tales set in ancient Greece myself, I know how difficult it is to strike the proper feel, rhythm and tone of voice to attempt to re-create a world that is, on the one hand, vanished and, on the other, totally present and inhering in our modern, Western sphere. If you get too "ancient," you lose the reader. Go too contemporary and the piece feels fake. Eugene Kraay hits exactly the right note with this tale of Theagenes, the great Olympic boxer, as told by Simonides, the poet who wrote the famous epitaph for the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Theagenes is a tremendous character. Superhuman, larger than life, but deeply flawed, self-tormented, driven, even consumed, by inner imperatives of honor and redemption. This is very Greek (and very American) and "The Olympian" makes you feel it in your bones. It's a quest story. Theagenes starts out seeking one form of redemption, a bout with the great Spartan champion Lampis, and in the end finds another form that is unexpected, far deeper and rings absolutely true. I confess I was skeptical picking this book up because a friend had told me what its ambitions were. But it hooked me from the first page. I know Greece, the land and the sea, and "The Olympian" gets that right too. I felt as if I were reading an actual manuscript from those days that had somehow just been dug up from an archaeological dig. Eugene Kraay is a born storyteller. His tale zigs and zags and never loses a jot of momentum. He gets you "on the road" with his characters and you feel you're right there with them. The scenes at Olympia are tremendous sportswriting, if such a phrase can be applied. By the time the story reaches Thermopylae, to which Theagenes and Simonides have trekked because Lampis has gone there with his fellow Spartans to help defend the pass against Xerxes and the invading Persian multitudes, you are living every second with them. I won't spoil the ending. Suffice it to say, no one has ever hit Thermopylae from this angle and it is powerful, effecting and unforgettable. One final thought. There are many writers who can write a great sentence or a great paragraph or a great chapter, but very few can conceive a story from start to finish, make it unique, and have it hang together all the way through, so that when you've reached the climax, you can look back as a reader at everything that came before and see how nothing was superfluous and everything has borne you skillfully to the pleasure of the finish. Eugene Kraay does that with absolute ease and assurance in this, his first book. I can't wait to see what he'll do next!

I heard an interview with the author here in New York City, and he struck me as the type of guy I'd like to have a beer with. Greek history seems like a hobby for him, but one that he has mastered. That's why I bought the book.

I'm into epic stories about heroes rising to the occassion, saving the day by making the ultimate sacrifice. While this story really does touch on all of the manly things that I typically enjoy in books and movies alike, it really gets down to a deeper matter, which is what I hope people really take from this book. The story, like others have said, is captivating and this is indeed an "easy read," but the underlying message beneath it all is one that isn't reflected upon often enough in today's society: A man's true worth is not found in what he does for himself. It's a very profound message and the author was very cheeky in making that point clear, all the while telling a gripping story.

Two points I would like to make about the content of the story:
1. The scene at Thermopylae will choke the reader up. In that moment, you are watching these Spartans get slaughtered, and there's nothing you can do about it. In a time when terrorism steals the headlines, it will likely make you think of some modern day events (ie 9/11, Madrid, etc).
2. The way the characters speak, their language, is different from what I expected. It's almost as if you really are being told the story in the tongue of the ancient greeks.

Very good stuff.

How do you know what makes a true hero a hero??? This book truly has it all. The story brings out so many emotions from the reader. You see triumph, you feel defeat, you cry at loss. This story encompasses so many lessons that we often forget every day. ES Kraay has a way of telling an amazing story and making us re-evaluate how we think. The entire time I was reading this story, I could just picture every detail. We often forget what truly makes a man, a 'man.' We can all relate to thinking Theo is a man's man. He is big. He is powerful. He is a boxing champion! What man would not want to be feared by all in their respective areas??? But as Kraay reveals as the story develops, it is not who we are that defines us, it is what we give back and who we become that people remember. It is about plenty more than us as individuals. This book takes you through a whirpool of mixed emotions, that leave you wanting more! It is a very quick and easy read. Once you start reading, you do not want to put it down! The further you get into it, the better it becomes. I cannot wait to see this movie on the big screen!!! The characters are so relatable. We all know a Theo. We all know a Simonides. You can feel their pain as they watched the Spartans amazing display of courage at Thermopylae. As Theo digs the massive grave, you want to be their helping him; not because he needs our physical help, but because you feel him growing. You see him making the turn as a human being and realizing life is about much more than his personal conquest. All I can say is do yourself a favor, read this book. It will open your eyes. It will give you a friendly reminder of ageless lessons!!!! I cannot wait to see what is next up by this amazing newcomer!!!! GREAT WORK!

Gene Kraay masterfully introduces us into the ancient world of Greece. Kraay's enthusiasm for his characters, their thoughts, and their challenges, quickly become our characters, our thoughts, and our challenges. It is evident from the outset that the author loves this story and is genuinely anxious to share that love with us. He succeeds in grand fashion. As he develops each character, and their unique and distinct personalities, we seamlessly slip into their shoes, recognizing a slice of our own personalities in each. We have all thought ourselves a poet, like Simonides, a peacemaker like Parmenides, self centered, in our youth, like Xeno, and all of us dream of being a hero and champion, like Theagenes
While Kraay leads us through the landscape of ancient Greece, he subtlety educates us on this most critical time of our history, and he does so with passion and fervor. The excitement of olympic competition is interwoven within this history and is experienced in both victory and defeat. This novel will evoke a multitude of your emotions, from love and compassion, to fear and anger, and ultimately, reflective satisfaction and joy.
Ancient Hellas would be proud of E.S. Kraay and his Olympian.

Are the father-centered family, private property, and the state necessary and inevitable part of all human societies?
Frederick Engels, coworker of Karl Marx, says no. Engels demonstrates that these three institutions arose in the fairly recent history of the human race, as a way to establish the rule of the many over the few. And, conversley, when these institutions are an obstacle to human progress, they can be dismantled.
Although this book was written about 125 years ago, the subject matter and his point of view sound surprisingly modern. Evelyn Reed, a Marxist anthropologist, writes a 1972 introduction that updates the original work from the point of view of 20th century anthropology debates abd the rise of modern women's movement. An additional short article by Engels, "The part played by labor in the transition from ape to man" is a lively piece that could be part of today's debates on human origin with almost no hint of its vintage (except maybe for his use of the term "man", instead of gender-neutral "humanity").

Marx and Engels made a fundamentally wrong guess about the nature of human beings. But it is very important to understand their line of reasoning, because they developed quite a few critical insights along the way. Due to political charge associated with their teachings it is practically impossible to find suitable third party narrative of their works. So, the only way to enlighten yourself is to dig right down into originals.

This is a serious, scientific and materialist analysis of development and change in human society and its institutions. Frederick Engels, who along with Karl Marx was one of the central founders of the modern communist movement, wrote this book in the late 1800s based on the latest developments in the then-new science of anthropology. Studying it can help us understand society and be better prepared to organize and work to change it.

Engels takes up the rise of the state and of the family and the oppression of women as early societies became more productive, making possible the division of groups of human beings into those who produce and those who live off them, and the need of the exploiters to perpetuate this state of affairs.

The Pathfinder Press edition also has a valuable introduction by Evelyn Reed, long-time socialist activist and author of works including "Woman's Evolution," "Sexism and Science," "Cosmetics, Fashion and the Exploitation of Women," and "Problems of Women's Liberation."

Why is society so cruel? It seems to be self-defeating. Why doesn't the war of the sexes ever end? In no other species do the two sexes battle against each other.

In this book we learn that things weren't always this way. In fact, oppression and exploitation are recent inventions, if we count that human history dates back EIGHTY thousand years since the rise of homo sapiens sapiens. At one point most cultures suddenly became sedentary and agriculturalist - and private property in the land emerged. Private property of land resulted in an overthrow of the matriarchal family by its male members and in the establishment of a separate group of men who violently protect unequal relationships (the state as we know it today). All happened together in a revolution that occurred in the course of just a few generations some SIX thousand years ago.

Nonetheless, the moral of this story is one of hope. If we were capable of remaking ourselves once, and based on that have advanced dramatically in a limited sense of creating material culture, then humankind can remake itself again and found a culture that enriches all aspects of everyone's lives. But this time the redesign will have to be conscious and conscientious, the beginning of a humane human history in which all participate on an equal basis. Such is the future that socialism and communism promise for us.

As a companion to this volume, be sure to read Women's Evolution, by Reed. Written a century later, it shows that anthropology's evidence overwhelmingly coincides with the theory Engels put forward in this book.

Was human society always overseen by a military and police force?
Was wealth and the means of producing more wealth always the private possession of individuals or a small section of society?
Were women always at the bottom of society, treated primarily as sex objects and machines for child-bearing and child-raising?

And is this humanity's destiny?
In this book published in 1884, Fredrich Engels answers the above questions in the negative. His book is based on anthropological data available in his day from societies around the globe. New discoveries since have confirmed his conclusions and the book is remarkably relevant today.

Deep among the treasures of Cambridge University Library, England are to be found two Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts which illustrate, through text and pictures, the life and philosophy of Gautama the Buddha in especially moving and powerful form. Both are about a thousand years old, and one is thought to be the oldest dated Indian illustrated manuscript extant anywhere in the world (997 CE); both share the title 'Astasahasrikaprajnaparamita', or 'The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines'. They were probably produced during the reign of Mahipala I (992-1042 CE) over a territory approximately including parts of present-day northern India and Nepal.

Craig Jamieson's new volume is not a complete English translation of 'The Perfection of Wisdom' (that has already been done by other hands), but an attempt to bring this remarkable material to a wider audience through a judicious selection of text - newly translated - and pictures. As such, it succeeds admirably.

The volume begins with a foreword by no less an authority than H.H. the Dalai Lama, who tells us that 'in ancient India and later in Tibet, it was considered an act of virtue to honour the practice of "The Perfection of Wisdom" by creating or sponsoring the creation of elaborate and illustrated editions'. Craig Jamieson contributes a brief but informative introduction; the illustrations are explained in detail at the end, and a glossary and bibliography are provided. All the necessary apparatus is there for the reader to approach the tenets of Buddhism through the vehicle of the mind; meantime, the body of the book sets brief text extracts against full-colour pictures in such a way that those who choose may simply feel their way towards enlightenment instead.

It would be presumptuous for the non-initiate to attempt a commentary on the ideas, intuitions and paradoxes that leap to the eyes from the perusal of these pages. I shall therefore let a few of those thoughts speak for themselves:

'The perfection of wisdom is neither form nor other than form.'

'Where there is no consciousness, no names, no words, no designations, that is called the perfection of wisdom.'

'A mass of words, a mass of sentences, a mass of syllables, Ananda, that is bound by a limit, but this perfection of wisdom is bound by no limit.'

The illustrations are all taken from the two manuscripts; indeed, in the case of the older manuscript every illustration is reproduced. The technical quality of the reproductions is excellent. Red and gold tints gleam richly in the artists' hieratic visions of Bodhisattvas and Taras (male and female characters seeking enlightenment), lions, elephants or lotuses. Text and illustrations complement each other admirably.

The millennium-old Buddhist world of these manuscripts might seem alien or impenetrable to many English-speaking readers today; the days of instant enlightenment for Westerners, of what the writer Gita Mehta calls 'karma cola', have receded into the past. However, anyone with a serious interest in understanding the philosophies of the Indian subcontinent, whether on the path to enlightenment or for purposes of mere knowledge, should derive pleasure and profit from owning this beautifully-produced and eminently readable volume.

Christopher Rollason, M.A., Ph.D.

This book is a selection of excerpts from The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Verses (or Astasahasrika Prajna Paramita in Sanskrit), the first in a series of Mahayana Buddhism's sacred texts on The Perfection of Wisdom (or Prajna Paramita). The Perfection of Wisdom texts, which include the much shorter Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika Prajna Paramita Sutra) and Heart Sutra (Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra), essentially expand and go beyond the Buddhist concept of "no-self" to the more profound idea that all of existence is itself fundamentally empty.

Basically, the concept of "no-self" states that no one has an absolute or fixed "self" because the five aggregates that collectively make up an individual is ever changing i.e. a person changes from moment to moment and is never the same "self" yesterday, today or tomorrow. Since the "self" is an illusion, the clinging of the "self" to pleasant things (belongings, fame, pleasure, etc.) can be ended. Likewise, the tendency of the "self" to avoid unpleasant things (criticism, pain, discomfort, etc.) can also be ended. Complete equanimity can be achieved, leading to the cessation of desire and to the achievement of Nirvana (release from existence i.e. Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth).

The Perfection of Wisdom texts go further and propose that all of existence is itself empty i.e. everything we experience here in this world, in this universe, is nothing but an illusion - everything is essentially void. Since existence is itself void, Nirvana is therefore no different from Samsara. As the Heart Sutra explains, "There is no suffering, origin, cessation or path; no exalted wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment. Therefore, because there is no attainment, all bodhisattvas rely on and abide in the perfection of wisdom; their minds have no obstructions and no fear." The obsession with attaining Nirvana can itself obstruct our view of the truth that Nirvana is here with us because such obsession is itself a form of clinging. Thus, only those who can see the true nature of all existence can be free from fear.

Richly illustrated with pictures of the historical Buddha as well as various Bodhisattvas from ancient texts, this book is a worthy addition to any library.

Now I know that I should write a review illustrating how good this book is, and how practical its advice is, and how lucid the prose is, (all of which is true), but the thing that made me buy this book was 10 little words:

"Introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama" and "Printed in China."

Yep. *That* China.

I don't know how long this edition of the book will be in print, but it's definitely unique.

Having bought the book I would agree that of all the Mahayana texts I've read, this is quite accessible, with beautiful illustrations, and should be read by anyone who wants to seriously study Buddhism. Of course, the tale told is mythical/metaphorical, but the logic and wisdom is profound.

One minor quibble: I'd have appreciated a bit more of a scholarly preface and historical background.

This is a wonderful book. It drew me in with wonderfully reproduced graphics taken from the collection of Cambridge University. However, while browsing the pictures I found myself reading, and entranced by, the text. The translation and explanatory notes by Mr. Jamieson take this far beyond being a mere coffee-table book. It is a book which can please both visually and intellectually.

The most understandable and beautiful version I've yet seen. This is not a review, only a comment. In my opinion we need more books like this that relate to the average reader. It seems clear to me that this book was not written for the scholar, but the beginner; easily read, understandable and beautifully illustrated. R.C. Jamieson seems to have an ability to relate to this audience in a remarkable way!