Greece Books

Because of my interest in ancient Greece, I received this book not once, but twice, as a Christmas present. I enjoyed flipping through the pages and glancing at the combinations of different ingredients. Finally I went to the trouble of trying some of the recipes.

Of course there are differences between the ancient recipes and those from which they are derived. The author updates the recipe for ingredients that are available today (although some of them are still not easy to find, or are very expensive when you do find them) - measurable quantities and temperatures and times - and some accounting for changed palates. So in many respects, these updated recipes are not really the foods that the ancients were eating. On the other hand, I think that these are foods that the ancients would enjoy, if they were given a chance.

Nearly everything I've prepared has been a major hit at dinner parties. The lentils and artichokes (although the artichokes were not necessary), the golden beet soup, the lamb with pomegranates and even the brussel sprouts. How often do you have guests make a run on your brussel sprouts - even people who say that they don't usually care for the vegetable? So in terms of the results the cook book is a great success.

However, a few warning: check your spice cabinet to make sure you have all that's needed. You may need to hunt in a few different grocery stores to find the ingredients for some of the recipes and you may be surprised by the prices when you do find them. Some of the recipes are labor intensive - scooping out pomegranate seeds! - so this is not the cookbook that a busy person can use on a daily basis.

I've made a number of recipes in this book and they have all been delicious and unusual. The photographs are lovely and the book contains appropriate quotes that stimulate the intellect as well as the appetite!

Ever since I first ate at a "Roman" restaurant in Trier Germany (the ancient Roman capital of Germany), I have been fascinated with ancient cuisine. When I first heard of this book, I was anxious to get it and did as a Christmas present. I have prepared several of the recipes so far and they are fantastic. The book makes for great reading as well and is a joy to just page through, though eating the results is even better.

This is a pleasant little book, with some good recipes in it, but it is not for the person attempting to re-create dishes as the Romans would have eaten them. What you have here is good basic cooking without tomatoes or other New World additives. Without the pretense, there is some good food here.

For the person who wants to eat as the Romans ate, there is not a lot of choice. You have to get a copy of Apicius and start playing with quantities, hoping that your substitutions are passable (hard to find liquamen in the supermarket; asafetida is a great ingredient that should be used more, but even the Romans said it was no substitute for real sylphium, gone forever), and trying to get a feel for the tastes and textures of a different time, recognizing that even Apicius does not offer what the typical Roman ate day-to-day.

The Philosopher's Kitchen is a decent cookbook with a very proper emphasis on fresh ingredients, and there are some very pleasant dishes in it, so long as you aren't looking for much genuine antiquity.

This is the third literary themed cookbook by self-styled food historian Francine Segan. The first, which I have not reviewed or seen, dealt with meals from movies. The second volume that I did read and favorably review dealt with recipes of dishes based on quotes from Shakespeare's plays and documents contemporary to Shakespeare. Aside from the fact that `contemporary of Shakespeare' was interpreted a bit liberally, with references to works which were published many decades after Shakespeare's death in 1616, this was an entertaining and informative book with recipes you would actually want to make, as the author modernized all of the texts to fit modern cookery praxis and cookbook readers' expectations.

This third book, `The Philosopher's Kitchen' deals with recipes from ancient Greece and Rome. In many ways, this book is superior to the Shakespeare volume. For starters, I suspect many people are actually much more interested in Mediterranean cuisine before the advent of New World fruits and vegetables than they are with the early version of a cuisine with few contemporary claims to fame. A second advantage is that there really are a lot of ancient references to recipes, many with a lot more substance to them than the hint given in a single Shakespearean line. Those Greeks and Romans liked to talk about and write about their food as much in ancient times as they do now.

I have often heard it said that the ancient Romans were basically vegetarians, with only the occasional piece of meat used more as a seasoning than as an important source of protein. You can see from these recipes why beans and greens and mushrooms and other vegetables are so important to modern Mediterranean cuisine by seeing their role in these recipes.

The olive and the grape were as important in ancient times to the Mediterranean cuisine as they are today. In fact, there is a Latin quote that says that a meal without wine is a meal for the dogs. It seems odd, therefore, that the author did not include any wine recommendations with these recipes, although wine and wine vinegars are used liberally in these recipes. Similarly, olive oil was as much a final dressing to dishes as it is today in Italian cuisine. Mario Batali would have been right at home in an ancient Roman kitchen.

The attention to sauces also reminds one of French cooking of Careme and Escoffier that has often been described as being done to accommodate poor teeth. I suspect the dental equipment of the ancients was no better than that of 19th century Frenchmen.

The nine (9) chapters of recipes follow a very traditional organization, with the twist of titles borrowed from ancient texts. The eight chapters of recipes are:

Ad Gustum: Appetizers where lots of olive based goodies look a whole lot like Italian, Provencal, and Spanish starter dishes. The author takes more than a little poetic license by using pasta that, strictly speaking, was a medieval invention. All is explained, so all is forgiven.
Fire: Soups and Stews where the absence of the tomato is more dramatic than in most sections. Figs are an important ingredient in recipes throughout the book and it is surprising to see them appear in meat stews in this chapter.
Earth: Salads and Vegetables have lots of fennel, kale, beans, squash, celery, leeks, and Brussels sprouts. These recipes seem especially fresh and inviting.
Water: Seafood has many dishes that look remarkably modern such as the red snapper in parchment. The ancients didn't use their good vellum to cook. They used salted fig leaves to take the place of the modern silicone product.
Air: Poultry also has many modern looking recipes, as the New World vegetables play less of a role in cooking birds.
Macellum: Meats has meatballs, pork chops, steak, stuffed squash, pork loin, lamb, veal chops and tenderloin. Gingersnap cookie crumbs stand in for ancient spiced breadcrumbs here.
Panis: Bread where I suspect the variation from the ancients is pretty dramatic. They had yeast, but certainly not `instant dry' yeast. And, baking powder was not invented until the late 19th century.
Ambrosia: Desserts has simple recipes which are probably closer to the ancient original in substance than many other dishes, especially the breads.

The original ancient text on which the modern interpretation is included with every recipe, so you can easily see how much interpretation was done to create transpose the ancient quote into a modern recipe. Not surprisingly, a large number of recipes are from the famous Roman cookbook `On Cookery' attributed to Apicius.

While the author is credited with being a `food historian', these works are much more like popular interpretations of food history than they are scholarly works. The author very wisely includes an extensive bibliography of her references, but this does not make this an academic book. Aside from the enjoyment of reading the recipes, stories, and rationales in recipe translations, the very best use of the book would be as a source for entertaining to a theme of ancient recipes. The recipes are just complicated enough to impress guests, and just simple enough to allow them to be done by cooks with modest talents. The added cachet of serving dishes from the ancient world is more than worth the price of the book. Use if for your next ides of March party.

The rationale for using philosophers in the title of this book is a bit thin, especially as most of the dishes are based on Roman sources and Imperial Rome was not known for its philosophers. A similar case could probably be made for poets or playwrights. They probably wrote about food as much or more than Plato and Aristotle.

Excellent source for themed entertaining and a darn good foodie read.

Dr. Connelly has produced an outstanding piece of work on the subject matter. I highly recommend this easy to read and understand material. Many kudos are deserved. Simply put, an enjoyable read with a wealth of information.

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece is a book I'd recommend to scholars. It is well researched and well composed. However, the topic is also of interest to those who enjoy exploring the ancient world and a woman's place in it. Women's lives in this historical period are difficult to access but Connelly has done so in a way that is both useful to those who work in the field and accessible to those who have a general interest and curiosity about the women who acted in and acted out the roles of priestess. An impressive collection of images is of interest to both groups of readers. RD Anderson

This is a fantastic book. I am a non-specialist and found it easy and understandable. The photographs are beautiful, and her understanding of the material complete. Having read the book, I feel like I have a much greater understanding of women's lives and the work of priestesses in the ancient world. This is a classic in the field and wonderful for both scholars and non-scholars alike.

Wow! This is a substantial body of work! The author is articulate but not boring, a very difficult balance to achieve given the amount of material she is wrangling. Her hypothesis make sense and are well supported. The photography, graphics and composition are excellent. This is a book to savor, chapter by chapter. There is simply too much to digest quickly, especially since much of what is presented completely upsets long held paradigms. Kudos to Joan Breton Connelly for investing the time and effort to produce such a satisfying brain food banquet!

The status of women in the ancient world has long been a controversial issue. The traditional view of male historians has been that it was always a male-dominated world. Some feminists have countered this with arguing, on rather fragile evidence, in favor of prehistoric matriarchy and mother goddesses and so forth. Ancient Greece, in particular, has always been a kind of blank screen on which thinkers project their own image of what it was like. Most of the written evidence has suggested that women in ancient Greece were subordinate and secluded. Against this has been the fact that some powerful Greek gods were female and served by female priests. What these priestesses did,, and what their place was in society, has been somewhat mysterious because what we got from the historians and poets and playwrights was scanty. Connelly supplements this by a careful and scholarly (perhaps too scholarly for the general reader) examination of epigraphs and images.
The text is pretty hard going for the non-specialist but the pictures are great and it will make a handsome addition to a feminist coffee table although it will be a shame if it stays there. I think the large format is justified on more than esthetic grounds because Connolly's argument depends on her ability to bring to bear on the subject her abilities as an art historian and therefore adequate illustrations are needed. These are more than adequate; they are magnificent. It would be presumptuous to pronounce on the strength of her case without more expert knowledge than mine. No doubt other academics will be on the attack and it will be fun to see the fur fly in the Times Literary Supplement etc.
At the risk of quibbling I must break a lance in my ongoing battle against publishers who transcribe Greek inscriptions into lower case. Greek lower case was unknown before the Byzantines. I noticed that she does not mention the triple bronze serpent in the Hippodrome at Istanbul in her discussion of the Pythian oracle at Delphi. Is it authentic?

The quality of the chapters varies by author, but the material by classicist Carl Ruck alone is worth the price of admission. And yet mainstream classicism, and political philosophy, continue to remain ignorant of these ancient practices or, worse, deliberately distort and misrepresent - so as to delegitimize - arguments such as those found in this work. This book is, quite simply, essential reading for anyone interested in ancient Greece.

If other books are dynamite, this is nuclear. It documents how the Mystai at Eleusis became Epoptes, a standard rite of passage for all the famous Greek minds we seek to understand. Full understanding is not possible without initiation such as is outlined in this volume. Eleusis is at the end of a line of mystical experience that goes back to 5000 BCE. Is is not so much that the Mystery of Eleusis is revealed, as that it points the sacred way how to unravel the mystery of our own existence. The Greeks knew, and if you do as they did, you can. Wasson tells us what the Greeks did.

The authors of `Road to Eleusis' - they include Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, and Gordon Wasson, the white man who in 1957 revealed the continued existence of the pre-Columbian sacred-mushroom rite to the non-Mexican Indian world - argue that a water-soluble alkaloid contained in ergot, a tiny fungus which attacks grains and grasses, was the principal psychoactive ingredient of the `kykeon', the sacred potion drunk before the celebration of the Mysteries of Eleusis by those awaiting initiation. The philological and psycho-pharmacological argument of `Road to Eleusis' is compelling but to get the most from the book, read it in combination with `Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter' by Karl Kerenyi, a disciple of Carl Jung, which provides an introduction to the history of Eleusis and contains a psychological study of the Mysteries.

In pre-Classical times, it is likely that almost the entire population of Athens walked the fifteen-mile distance to Eleusis at harvest time every year in order to drink the `kykeon' and experience the sense of the mythic reunion of Persephone, the Daughter, with Demeter, the Mother who taught men how to plant seeds and reap the fruit. The Christ, the draw in the psychological game of chess between the Hellenised Middle East and Israel, speaks distantly but clearly of Eleusis in John 12: 20-24 and Cicero, the Roman philosopher, author and statesman who coined the phrase `bread and circuses' to damn the spectacular politics of his time, was an initiate.

Iktinos, architect of the Parthenon, also designed the Telesterion, the classical-period temple of the Mysteries of which only broken columns survive. However, scattered throughout `Eleusis' by Kerenyi are bits and pieces of the psychological vocabulary of the Mysteries which with the help of ancient Greek and Indo-European comparative etymological dictionaries allow a reconstruction of the mind of the initiate. For example, `tele', from `telos', the full circle, the crown - today, we hear it many times every day in connection with technology; however, at Eleusis `tele' had a sacral meaning.

Eleusis was to religion in Athens what democracy was to Athenian politics: essential.

`Road to Eleusis' and `Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter' - read both; and when in Greece, don't miss Eleusis, 20 miles south of Athens on the mainland across the water from the island of Salamis, open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. except Monday when the site is closed.

This is an inspiring collaboration between a passionate amateur scholar and his professional scholar friends. How delightful to read something that isn't dumbed down. The analysis and induction is nicely supplemented by the "Hymn to Demeter." Much for the brain to chew on!

Wasson et al's revelations of the complexity of the myths that surrounded the Eleusian mysteries are fodder for hours upon hours of thought play about the foundations of our culture today.

The authors of `Road to Eleusis' - they include Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, and Gordon Wasson, the white man who in 1957 revealed the continued existence of the pre-Columbian sacred-mushroom rite to the non-Mexican Indian world - argue that a water-soluble alkaloid contained in ergot, a tiny fungus which attacks grains and grasses, was the principal psychoactive ingredient of the `kykeon', the sacred potion drunk before the celebration of the Mysteries of Eleusis by those awaiting initiation. The philological and psycho-pharmacological argument of `Road to Eleusis' is compelling but to get the most from the book, read it in combination with `Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter' by Karl Kerenyi, a disciple of Carl Jung, which provides an introduction to the history of Eleusis and contains a psychological study of the Mysteries.

In pre-Classical times, it is likely that almost the entire population of Athens walked the fifteen-mile distance to Eleusis at harvest time every year in order to drink the `kykeon' and experience the sense of the mythic reunion of Persephone, the Daughter, with Demeter, the Mother who taught men how to plant seeds and reap the fruit. The Christ, the draw in the psychological game of chess between the Hellenised Middle East and Israel, speaks distantly but clearly of Eleusis in John 12: 20-24 and Cicero, the Roman philosopher, author and statesman who coined the phrase `bread and circuses' to damn the spectacular politics of his time, was an initiate.

Iktinos, architect of the Parthenon, also designed the Telesterion, the classical-period temple of the Mysteries of which only broken columns survive. However, scattered throughout `Eleusis' by Kerenyi are bits and pieces of the psychological vocabulary of the Mysteries which with the help of ancient Greek and Indo-European comparative etymological dictionaries allow a reconstruction of the mind of the initiate. For example, `tele', from `telos', the full circle, the crown - today, we hear it many times every day in connection with technology; however, at Eleusis `tele' had a sacral meaning.

Eleusis was to religion in Athens what democracy was to Athenian politics: essential.

`Road to Eleusis' and `Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter' - read both; and when in Greece, don't miss Eleusis, 20 miles south of Athens on the mainland across the water from the island of Salamis, open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. except Monday when the site is closed.

This is one of the best books ever written on skepticism. The author takes the position that dogmatists are sick and in need of a cure. This cure is skepticism. He then attacks beliefs in dogmatic positions such as belief in God, the certainty of knowledge and so forth. This is the one true book for the skeptical position. Skepticism as presented in this book is as skepticism should be, that is, a double edged sword. Empiricus attacks everything, including other skeptics. This is as skepticism should be, not the watered down version practiced by most skeptics nowadays. For instance, most skeptics believe in atheism and evolution, wheras their are major objections against these positions, that clearly refute them. A true skeptic looks at both sides of the issue. An excellent book.

This work is a classic; it largely is a recording of the otherwise unavailable teachings attributed to a Greek philosopher of the 4th c. BC named Pyrrho of Elis. The reason I wrote this, however, is that the "synopsis" presented by Amazon summarizing the book is seriously faulty. First of all, I can't imagine why it says that this book considers "th[e] theory as set forth" by Sextus that "certain knowledge is possible--that the physical world and ideas formulated about it could be given solid foundations unaffected by the varieties of mere opinion." Sextus, and Pyrrho, the man of whose teachings Sextus is mostly just a scribe, believed precisely the opposite. I think the synopsis may just have been poorly written, but in any case it gives an incorrect impression.

Second, it is deeply false to call Sextus the "founder of the 'skeptic' school of thought." Though no one is sure when Sextus lived, it was several centuries after Pyrrho, and even Pyrrho couldn't be called the founder of Skepticism. His teacher Anaxarchus taught a reasoned and systematized series of arguments that explained his epistemological doubts. Moreover, Plato's work "Theatetus" also sets forth detailed epistemological skepticism, and that work predates even the lifetime of Anaxarchus. "[S]keptic school[s] of thought" had flourished for centuries in Greece and Rome before Sextus was even born.

The synopsis is misleading and inaccurate.

This book explains a very thoughtful, rigorously worked out consideration of the following perplexing observation, which is one I think we all share: "I do not seem to know anything for certain." By having so carefully considered this issue, I believe that this ancient book represents a coherent and complete answer to the predicaments that modern skeptics so worry and strain themselves over; for example, it achieves Sartre's own goal, which was to "work out a coherent atheism," and did so 2000 years before Sartre was born.

The Outlines, like the other extant works of Sextus Empiricus, is largely a recording of teachings attributed to a Greek philosopher of the 4th c. B.C. named Pyrrho of Elis. Pyrrho is a shadowy figure and himself left no extant writings, but is believed by longstanding rumor (preserved most quote-ably by the Roman historian Diogenes Laertius) to have been influenced by Buddhism during his travels with Alexander the Great to India.

Pyrrho's thought influenced middle and later phases of Plato's Academy and flourished there for some centuries, where it was intensely worked and re-worked. Indeed, Pyrrho's thought ultimately exerted such great influence in classical civilization that his name became synonomous with the modern technical meaning of the word "skepticism" (in fact, the title of this work, which in Greek is "Pyrrhoniae Hypothesi," is sometimes translated as "Outlines of Skepticism").

Ancient skepticism fell into obscurity following the fall of Rome and languished in obscurity for nearly a millennium. Fortunatley, however, the works of Sextus were rediscovered during the Italian Renaissance and from there enjoyed wide attention in Europe for some centuries, impacting the works of such notable figures as Montaigne and Walter Raleigh.

Nevertheless, ancient skepticism again fell out of academic view in more recent times. This is peculiar and unfortunate; this body of thought was no less influential than Platonic, Aristotelian, and other classical movements now effectively canonized in Western culture and was kept well in the forefront of academic thought for many centuries, but is now largely a curiosity seriously studied only by specialist philosophers and classics scholars.

What is most interesting to me about ancient skepticism is that I think everything that could possibly be said by modern doubters -- the phenomenologists, the existentialists, the mass of usually unthinking and poorly educated oafs who call themselves postmodernists -- was already said by the ancients. Indeed, the absolutely key points that a doubter must make in order to render his doubts even coherent all appear in the Outlines, in my opinion, and I see nothing in the supposedly radical works of modern day doubters that is really more radical than what is contained in Sextus.

Finally, there is no better introduction to ancient skepticism than the Outlines. Sextus is unbelievably straightforward and easy to understand, especially if you have any experience reading other works of skepticism.

Personally, I think the Barnes & Annas translation, available in an in-print Cambridge University edition, is better because it is better suited to modern readers and is copiously annotated. However, this or any other edition will do for a non-specialist looking for an understanding ancient skepticism.

This is one of the best books ever written on skepticism. The author takes the position that dogmatists are sick and in need of a cure. This cure is skepticism. He then attacks beliefs in dogmatic positions such as belief in God, the certainty of knowledge and so forth. This is the one true book for the skeptical position. Skepticism as presented in this book is as skepticism should be, that is, a double edged sword. Empiricus attacks everything, including other skeptics. This is as skepticism should be, not the watered down version practiced by most skeptics nowadays. For instance, most skeptics believe in atheism and evolution, wheras their are major objections against these positions, that clearly refute them. A true skeptic looks at both sides of the issue. An excellent book.

This is "without a doubt" the best book ever written for those who sincerely want the truth. Empiricus does an outstanding and brilliant job on describing skepticism. He shows that a true skeptic doubts everything, and not just the paranormal and "fringe beliefs". The book is a how to manual for being a skeptic. The author shows why doubt is necessary to establish truth. He shows why we can never know something for certain,and that all beliefs are only probabilities. After reading this book, one will get a better understanding of unorthodox beliefs. One will see that people who believe in unusual things may not be irrational at all but hardened skeptics who may in fact be wise. This book should be required reading at all schools including doctoral levels of learning. If people were more skeptical of everything including the orthodox teachings of science and established "knowledge", we may come closer to truth and wisdom instead of believing things that are not true.

I got this book from the library, and now I'm about to order it its so good. In the starting its kind of stupid...because they fall in love almost emediantly.But after wards its almost perfect! Its very unique in that there maried threw most of the book so thats nice because usually books end were he asks her to marry him and....The End But this ones different! Mrs.Chaiken has a talent for writing fasinating books were there all diferent but you can tell there written by the same person.I love it

This book is very well written. I would recommend reading Linda Chaikin's Lions of the Desert series before this book. Thursday's Child is a continuation of Lions of the Desert. It takes place a generation later during WW II. A very interesting book.

This was a wonderful book. If you have read Linda's other novels and liked them, you will definately love this one. If you haven't I highly recommend it. Especially if you are into spies, intrigue, and mysteries!! :)...

This book is another great masterpiece by Linda Chaikin. Believe me you'll be surprised at some "interesting" things that Mrs. Chaikin puts in there. This is different than what she has done before but you'll be pleased at what she puts into the plots. Very well-written plot and unique characters. Paulette has far to go in the search for her missing husband. She forsakes all and places herself in God's hands to reunite with Garret. Her journey was remarkable and I was glad about how the story turns out. I hope Mrs. Chaikin would get an award for her A DAY TO REMEMBER series. This series deserves an award because you can tell that she researched this very carefully and they're not the same old plot with different characters all the time. I can't wait for "Friday's Child" to come out and I'll definitely read the whole series more than once!!! Great Job Mrs. Chaikin! God bless!

I was a little disappointed with the plot of this book. I felt that Linda Chaikin could have done better. But I did love the very intriguing twist with the characters. Mrs.Chaikin has never interwoven her characters from others book series into others. I don't want to give away anything though so I'll keep quiet. All of you Linda Chaikin fans out there should read this book because I'm sure that you'll love it and find some parts to be very interesting(You'll understand once you've read it! I can't give away anything!).

Like other books in the Travelers Tales series - this book gives excellent insight into the Irish way of life and provides excellent reading (I am slightly biased, having written one of the short pieces that is included - titled Cycling to Dun Aengus). The overall quality of the book is excellent and the descriptions pull you right into the landscape and geography of Ireland - from sitting in smoky pubs to driving past weather beaten coasts. Some of these pieces are also hilarious. Highly recommended not only as a prerequisite to a visit - but for a great read. TJLMullen@cs.com

This book consists of a wide variety of stories from the humourous to the profound to the historical. There are stories that you want to sit down with a friend and read it to them: specically, "A Pub Fairy Tale" by Pamela Ramsey tells of a visit to an Irish pub by the author who wanted to take in the "ambiance" of the music and dancing. She hoped that she would be asked to dance, but as closing time drew near, her hopes seemed slim. Then an energetic old gentleman finally asked her, and she describes it this way: "I could feel the other dancers watching us, nodding, laughing, giving us encouragement, but the old man and I had eyes only for each other. We were two odd strangers caught in a moment of tenderness. A moment of magic. I was Cinderella, the belle of the ball, dancing with my Prince - an old, almost-blind man, wearing a black beret." Beautiful. Another story tells of the estrangement of a son and his father when he married outside the faith, and how, when the father died, a reconciliation of sorts was established with his brother with they go hiking on the hills where there father had hiked with them, and how he came to understand his father's secret strength and connection with the isle: "Walking the Kerry Way", by Tim O'Reilly. This brief description of Mr. O'Reilly's story does it a gross injustice, because there is a depth of feeling that only the author can convey. The brief biographical descriptions at the end of each story are informative and to the point. At the end of the book, there is an extensive, "The Next Step" which includes a number of websites, and a good bibliography. The book is well put together, and succeeds very well in conveying "true stories of life on the emerald isle."

I'm on my way to Ireland in a few days. This is just a note to say that I found this book on Ireland, to my surprise as so many nice things can be, enormously sensitive and moving and classy. Classy because the type style, the paper stock, and the interior arrangement of the stories and back-of-the-book tips and advice show a lot of editorial thought, being so well done. I was deeply moved by the selection of the tales, each its own chapter, and I definitely felt a sense of coming to know Ireland in a way no other book I could buy would bring me. Lots of laughter and tears and thoughts arriving as I stared out a window, enveloping the mood of a story I'd just finished. They were wonderfully written for me, to my standards, which are impossibly high -- I admire the best, even if I can't write at that level -- and overall I sensed that the editing was careful, thoughtful. There'd been plenty of work put into this volume. The end of the book with all the tips was very enjoyable, and I've read it through twice so far as I sense it will all come true for me, all prove to be good advice, on this, my first trip to Ireland.

I am giving one less star than the other commentators here not out of contrariness but simply to let readers know of the very uneven quality of the 44 entries, most of which are excerpts from longer works by established writers, although a minority appear to be written for this anthology. Not to say that the latter suffer necessarily; the best essay in here, and the only one that examines the other side of the tourist's encounter, is Janine Jones' "Tea With Mr. Curtain." Jones ponders what to do when the more unsavory side of a revered local man is revealed to apparently only her "privileged" view as a visitor. She opts for reticence rather than revealing his secret side to the rest of the village that she will soon leave but he never will.

The familiar authors mingle with the unknown, and to the editors' credit, they offset their knowingly but fulsomely lavish encomium of the oul' sod's charm prefacing this collection with a final section highlighting the shadowy scandals of an Ireland beyond the postcard views too often limiting many of the writers here included. The best sections are this last portion, for its frankness, and the beginning that in its "Essence of Ireland" does set out neatly such observant scenes as that of a kayaker, Brian Wilson, who finds his moored craft suddenly whisked away under the local Conamara customs of flotsam and jetsam belonging to those who live by the sea's bounty; Rosemary Mahoney's look (from her excellent "Whoredom in Kimmage: Irish Women Coming of Age") at how the Legion of Mary's volunteers work in inner-city Dublin; David Blaker's decision to call himself a Jew when hitching rides in the North to avoid uneasy conversations; and David W. McFadden's meeting with an amateur archeologist in the Tipperary town of Cahir. The second section is most disappointing: the contributors are either too blase or mundane about their activities, or what they report matters little to engage the imagination of the reader.

Valuable essays in part three about destinations are those of Katharine Scherman on Skellig Micheal; poitin-making by John McLaughlin; Thomas Flanagan on the real Mayo that inspired his "Year of the French" novel; and Jonathan Harrington's brief but moving tale of finding and meeting distant relatives one uncomfortable night. In the last section, Scott Anderson exposes the racketeering and an even more dangerous climate of intimidation that because of its underground impact on both sides of the sectarian divide has followed the decline in paramilitary violence; Martin Dillon gives a literally awful anecdote from his "God and the Gun" about a priest forced to hear the confession of a man the IRA is about to execute; Fintan O'Toole offers a typically nuanced examination of the Bishop Casey-Annie Murphy scandal.

The listings at the back, with succinct advice for tourists, are helpful and cogent, if by now of course dated a bit. The bibliography is well-chosen. Finally, sidebars in the text give additional observations from other texts, and these snippets are placed often to play off the longer essays in nimble fashion.

I really enjoyed this book on Travler's tales from Ireland. It had some great stories. You really got to know about the country, and it's people from reading this. I highly recommend it.

What fun, what vision, what a great shipwreck story. I've read plenty of sea adventures, but never one that merged grit, adrenaline, and fear with a lyrical excursion worthy of Calvino or Marquez. And that's one part of one essay. Like a travelogue shot by a feature filmmaker, this beautifully wrought book offers sharp, compelling storytelling images set in luminous portraits of the natural world.

"If one must travel, one should do it with the eyes of a child, the mind of an ecologist, the heart of a pagan, and the words of a poet. Astonishingly, Emily Hiestand has all of that." --Kirkpatrick Sale, author,The Conquest of Paradise

"The prose quivers with grace and wit as it charges the large questions with luminous details." --Bonnie Costello, author, Marianne Moore:Imaginary Possessions

"In these fresh accounts of far-flung locations, Hiestand keeps returning us to the profound questions not of exploration, but of home. That is the book's great discovery: we're in this together, wherever we are." --Patricia Hampl, author,A Romantic Education

"The most exciting travel writing I have read in years.... These pieces are, in the best sense, world-views... The poetic eye is their greatest strength; or rather, a poetic sensibility and intuitive perceptiveness combined with a remarkably cultivated and civilized intellect... The style seems to be an expression of good manners, good intellectual manners. She confronts head on some of the basic issues of writing and thinking about nature." --Robert Finch, ed.,The Norton Book of Nature Writing

"Her range of references is wide and unexpected, and she is a wonderful observer... [W]hat holds the book together is a wry and elegant dexterity of intelligence, a sense of humor that engages both the solemn revelations and the undignified exasperations of travel with precision and elan." --Franklin Burroughs, author, Billy Watson's Croker Sack

"Hiestand journeys in this altogether terrific book to the far reaches of the human heart as well as to places for which there are maps. Her language is special. It is also, in the best sense of the word, 'poetic': precise, intense, compacted, and full of surprises." --Geoffrey Stokes, The Boston Globe

"Categorizing The Very Rich Hours as a travel book seems at first an underestimation of its scope, but this tour de force of personal narrative is indeed an odyssey of sorts, a rich and rewarding literary journey told with the voice of a poet and the heart of a consummate observor...Hiestand has crafted a complex, yet elegant, naturalist approach to travel...This is a rare book, one that is astonishing fluid and keenly observant." --Fiona Luis, The Boson Globe

"Here is a dazzlingly different kind of travel book. And it's just in time too, for a genre that was in danger of running to ground in the old ruts.... Deftly, Hiestand moves from specific physical observations to her big philosophical question: 'What is right habitation?' As she travels, she looks closely at our world and thinks hard about why and how we are to live in it. It is a rare experience." --Luree Miller, The Washington Post

"Hiestand won the 1990 Whiting Writers Award and received a National Poetry Series award. Her book is more than a collection of travel essays...She brings a keen intellect and intuitive insight into human nature, and her prose is both evocative and lyrical...With its natural synthesis of poetry and prose with nature and culture, this volume provides a literary treat for the mind." --Jane Gilliland, Library Journal

Traveling through the eyes and heart of Hiestand is engaging and thoroughly fulfilling. As Bonnie Costello said, "The prose quivers with grace and wit as it charges the large questions with luminous details." Or, as Robert Finch said, "The most exciting travel writing I've read in years."

The Very Rich Hours does not merely tell; it transports. And if this is not enough, it also entertains. Hiestand has an eye for the humor innate in most situations involving human beings, a sense communicated delicately and wryly rather than broadly. The tableau which features Hiestand and her travelling companion learning how to navigate a houseboat in the Everglades is as funny as choice parts of Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See. Like Adams, Hiestand does not allow her own discomfiture to eclipse the enjoyment her audience might obtain from her experience. Hiestand also knows that the real adventure in travelling lies in discoveries like the Stromness Natural History Museum, with its "hundred frozen-in-flight, frozen-on-a-branch, or frozen-in-defense-of-their-young stuffed birds," or the sudden appearance of an herbalist shop, populated by "crones," on a busy Athens street. She finds many marvelous surprises, and she invests the time and att! ention required to appreciate and understand them. The Very Rich Hours deserves the same attention.

For many Westerners, history is something that happened last year and this deliberate ignorance of the past gives rise to many false beliefs today. Chief among them would be the belief in the West that we have always been aggressors in the Levant and Islam is simply now fighting back. Even a cursury examination of history reveals the dangerous falsehood in that belief.

Niccolo Capponi's book on the Battle of Curzolaris (AKA Lepanto to many Americans)is well worth the time to read. Though he breaks no real new ground, his detail and love of subject (pre 16th century Med cultures, esp. Italy)shows. Copiously end noted with many charts comparing manpower, ships, armaments, losses etc (about 20% of the book), the book puts together an engrossing story of a world at war.

From the pre League political climate and the earlier attempts to forge a concerted Christian force to battle the Ottomans as they ravaged the shores of Europe, Mr. Capponi's book does an admirable job of illustrating the problems and weaknesses of Christian Europe at this time. He notes how the new Pope, Pius V would be the mover and true shaker of the enterprise. to do so, he had to overcome a relucant Spain, many suspicious Italian states, the crusading orders of St Stephen and Hospitallers, the machinations of France trying to aid its Ottoman allies(!), and everyone's suspicions of Venice. By devious use of subsidies and reminders of religious duty, Pius finally cobbles together his League.

Ironically it would be the Ottoman capture of Famagusta(Cyprus), a Venetian possession and the treatment of the garrison and inhabitants that would cause a creaky alliance to tun into a avenging force that went on to destroy the bulk of the Ottoman fleet. It is here that Capponi is strongest, his detailed knowledge of the people involved paints the battle in colorful detail. He highlights the bravery of both sides and gives credit where it is due to both Moslem and Christian bravery.

The battle itself is well treated but it is the prefacing of the battle and the aftermath (often surprising and sad at the same time) that is the best part. This time was not one of cleanly divided lines, politically or religously. Both sides had no problems with slavery or disrupting lives and livelihoods in the region. Alliances were often temporary and often surprising. Both sides were torn with factional infighting but for this once, the Christian side was less so. It can truly be said that this was one of the turning points of history....

Niccolò Capponi has written a fascinating and detailed history of Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and the fractious relationships between the European states,the Venetian Republic,and the Papacy. Often more suspicious of each other than of the Turks, they finally merged into a shaky Christian coalition which faced down the Sultan's navy at the battle of Lepanto. Although full of historical and military detail, "Victory of the West" is a very readable book, laced with humor and compassion, and much attention to good storytelling. When the two naval forces finally face each other, I guarantee you won't be able to put the book down until the finish!

A good description of this so important battle events that lead to it and the main characters involved.

The description of the battle itself could be more extended, but I realize that without animation and modern resources it is hard to describe a 500 ship melee.
Maybe someone could design an adequate animation to complement a fine book like this one?

by far the best book I have read on this battle, full of information and ancedote

An excellent book that from now on (but just until I'll write my own narration of Lepanto ....) will be the unquestionable reference work on the subject. Almost one hundred years ago Alethea Wiel, in The Navy of Venice (London, 1910) wrote: "They (the six Venetian Galleasses positioned in front of the Christian fleet) bore so distinguished and important a part in the crushing defeat of the Turks at Lepanto as to have, it is said, secured the victory to Venice and her allies." This in one of the various points that Niccolò Capponi, leading Italian military historian, probed and researched in depth providing full evidence of what really happened the 7th of October 1571. Many errors, constantly repeated since the times of Jurien de la Gravière (and perhaps earlier) by almost all the authors, have been so eradicated with the help of an opulent amount of newly discovered archival documents.
Some inaccuracies: at page 187 the moschetto, a small piece of artillery was named after a bird, a special kind of falcon; at page 192 Antonio (and not Arturo) Surian, called the Armenian, was a very well known inventor and not a Master Gunner. This is all I have been able to discover so far but, being green with envy, I am sure that reading the book again I'll be able to uncover other crucial blunders of the same magnitude.
Summing up: a virtually flawless, superior level academic work that can be read with absolute ease and pleasure.

King Alexander III of Macedon is the first monarch to whom both Greece and the Persian Empire (the East, Asia), for one or another reason were forced to accept as undistinguished ruler. It did not last long. Alexander the unifier, the autocrat, the warrior, the hero, the intellectual, the "philosopher king", and Alexander, the human being, the lover, the man needing affection, warmth, closeness, and fondness did not live a long existence on earth.

This book may sound a bit out of contest when considering the Great Alexander. Scholarship has struggled trying to sketch Alexander's private life, his sexual preferences, the women, and men in his life, and more. I have read with interest this book. I do read a lot about Alexander - sometimes I come to believe there is not one book about Alexander I have not bought for my personal library. I also must admit that many are just debris, a petulant repetition of what has been said - (or hypothesized) in the millennia. Initially I believed this was going to be another of those books. I am most glad to say IT WAS NOT. This book is excellent. It is a very thorough essay about what has been written in the past about Alexander's love life. It acquires consistency by elaborating a credible and thorough panorama of customs, sexual practices, socially and culturally moral beliefs beginning with Archaic Greece, the Golden age of Athens, the classic age, and sexual practices available in the kingdom of Macedonia, included what (or what not) did water Philip the Second's mouth (Alexander's father).

I will never stop emphasizing how much of Alexander's persona can best be understood through an in-depth reading of the Iliad, the myth of Achilleus and Patroklos, and the subsequent literature that has been produced by some of the most eloquent writers in the history of drama and tragedy (Aeschylus, Euripides, etc.).

This book will not give definitive answers: However, the hypotheses are consistently supported by available reliable sources. Furthermore, they are presented, and elaborated in a very intelligible and sensible fashion. It is this consistent use of sources, fragments, artworks, as well as an accurate depiction of that Era that render justice to this excellent essay.

I recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those who more or less are familiar with Alexander's age, classical works, as well as archaic and classic philosophy. I personally believe that only two people have been most important in Alexander's affective development. The first one is the sorcerer, the Great Mother, the arcane Olympia, and the second one is Hephaistion, the mythical Patroklos, the only one who did generously offer continued sincerity, fondness, and love for his lifelong friend, Alexander, and not the great king Alexander the third.

Alexander is not the gay icon many would like him to be. Alexander is the dwarfish king (he was a short man) who, with enormous sacrifices brought the Greek poleis, the whole Persian Empire, and Asia at his feet.

Alexander's lovers, sexual partners, women and men (or eunuchs, if at all), were probably just a little slice of his overall vision. He was most interested in unifying the known world and in many ways an idealized society where all spoke the same language: yes, old Greek. Alexander's partner was elevated to the prestigious role of Chiliarch, someone that was second only to Alexander. Hephaistion was the only one that a great king such as Alexander, the true Achilleus, and Heracles, the son of the Gods, could trust always and forever.

Read the Iliad: When the ghost of Patroklos appeared to Achilleus asking him for help in the underworld. Patroklos longed the moment when finally he could rest along with Achilleus in the golden urn (or vase with two handles) that had been given to Achilleus by his mother Thetis. Hephaistion died in November 324 BCE -- Alexander died in June 323 B.C.E in Babylon, probably from malaria. Alexander was a natural survivor; one who had endured all kinds of wounds, warship, and sacrifices. I am skeptical about the hypothesis that Alexander's death is ascribed to excessive use of uncut wine. The wine was probably more kind of a self-medication. It made him forget about the ever-growing emptiness in his affective and emotional life. Who knows how many times Alexander waited for Hephaistion to appear in his dreams. It was time for him to rest in the metaphorical (and mythological) urn made out of gold mentioned by Patroklos. Alexander had already accomplished so much in his short but glorious life. It was time for him to join Hephaistion, in the same fashion as Achilleus did with Patroklos. Malaria would have not killed him had he the wish to live longer. Yes, I should not forget he already had made plans to invade Arabia, the northern coast of Africa, and finally Rome. Nevertheless, without Hephaistion, things would not have been the same anymore.

I must admit that mine is only a possible hypothesis that some authors have already postulated back in time. In fact, the eloquent author of this book offers lots of reliable alternative hypotheses to which I often agree. My suggestions: Well, buy this book at your convenience, and then find yourselves time to read it. Believe me: It is worth the risk!!!!


The Iliad of Homer, Translated by Lattimore 1961

"Alexander's Lovers" by Andrew Chugg is a fascinating and helpful book about Alexander the Great and his lovers. What information is included in the book?

The first 60 pages or so are about Alexander's life and accomplishments, including sections on "The Pursuit of Darius", "The Brahmins and the Mallian Arrow" and "The Mutiny at Opis". Then there is a lengthy section on Hephaistion (pgs 64-130). The wealth of information here is astounding. Many different sources are quoted and credited for their input, allowing us to see where the similarities and differences are in their information. There are also various sketches of statues and copies of paintings (black and white). Compared to Hephaistion, the other sections in the book are quite small. But considering how important he was to Alexander, this makes sense.

After Hephaistion, pages 131-143 are on Barsine. Next is the section on Bagaos the eunuch. (pgs 144-154). Many histories have left out Bagoas entirely, preferring that he not existed. However there is undeniable evidence that he did exist, and again there is a wealth of information here on him. Bagoas is followed by the section on Thalestris (Queen of the Amazons) and Cleophis (Queen of Massaga) from pages 155-163.

One of the greatest mysteries about Alexander was why he married Roxane. Many argue that she was the only woman he ever loved. Roxane's section is 164-184, followed by Stateira and Parysatis (The Persian Princesses). Pages 185-197 deal with the Persian Princesses, including their backgrounds, and their political importance. A short epilogue follows this section, and includes the fates of Alexander's relatives- including his brothers/sisters/mother/ and children.

I quite enjoyed this book. As another review stated, this is perhaps the most written about Hephaistion anywhere, and it is very helpful to finally have it all in one place instead of constantly cross referencing. As Alexander once stated, "He too is Alexander." It is sad that there isn't more information on him, considering his importance to Alexander. It even seems that his successes were downplayed, although after reading this book you will see that he was a brilliant strategist and general. In closing, Alexander the Great is an important figure in history, and true scholars will want to pick up Chugg's story.

For more on Hephaistion and Bagoas (if you are at all interested in historical fiction), I'd recommend Mary Renault's Alexander the Great trilogy- Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy (A personal favorite!), Funeral Games.

This books delves into the personal side of the great king and looks at those who are thought to have been linked in a romantic way with him. The best sections are on Hephaistion and Bagoas. This may be the most written on Hephaition in a book, so it's worth the money strictly for his section.

All-in-all, an excellent addition to any Alexander collection.

This book is so different than any other Alexander books I have read because it focuses on something other than Alexander's conquests. This gives you a look at Alexander's private life and shows how passionate he was towards those he loved. The most intriquing part for me was the chapter dedicated to Alexander's one true love and life long companion, Hephaestion. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Alexander the Great. It's a different perspective and a very well written book.

Peter Green is correct in saying, "The Greeks have influenced Western society more, and more fundamentally, than any other nation in history." The Greeks introduced much of the vitality into our aesthetics, literature, ethics, and our language. Their wars with Persia saved the West. The Greeks insisted on making sense of things. The world must have an order, and the Greeks had the intelligence and fortitude to discover it. Likely, their elite were as close to gods as man has yet become. Athens, with about 50,000 citizens, produced more knowledge than today's cites of over a million. If you are a serious person on history this is the book for you.

I just had to laugh when I saw the previous reviewer's comment that Peter Green's area of expertise was not ancient Greece. It certainly is! He has written a critically acclaimed biography of Alexander the Great, Alexander of Macedon 356-323 BC: A Historical Biography, ..., as well as numerous histories of many of the pivotal events in Ancient Greece.

This book is an introductory survey of the civilizations on ancient
Crete, Greece, and the Greek cities of Asia Minor.

From the outset he acquaints the reader with the interpreting of
physical artefacts, texts and also the impact of geography and
climate.

He draws on insights from images on ceramic, emphasizes the larger
contributions of written records, and points out for the student where
speculation must stop. For example, despite passionate and clashing
assertions, nobody really knows what the "Archaic smile" signifies on
statues from Miletus, though Miletus' philosophical currents were of
huge importance.


What drew me in to the book was the early geographical theme. Mr.
Green links the Greek proclivity to open-air discourse and oratory to
the abundance of clear weather, and matches class differences to the
different uses of the land.

This approach pays off in the telling of Athens' political feuding and
Cleisthenes' redistribution of tribes in 508, after which he says
"Athenian democracy had at last come of age."

Professor Green's specialty is the 4th century BC.

This book delivers more concepts more rapidly than other survey
works such as the Pelican Greek Ancient History.

This is a edited version of my review because some people are taking for too much offense at this short review. I advise them to read it again. Green is a specialist in the Hellenistic period, a culture quite different from the Classical city of Athens or the archaic development of the polis for example.

If one reads the review below you'll note that I did not trash this book, I pointed out that it was lacking evidence and topics btut also how it might best be used in a classroom. I'm a college instructor so I think in terms of what I would use in a history class and how best to use it. I stand by what I said below because I'm comparing the book to others of its type, and this book is not the best (that would earn 5 stars).

You should also note the "?" in my title -- you are entitled to your own opinions but when people start sending me nasty private emails about my reviews, I can only feel sorry for their lack of professionalism.

For the specialist, Green's book is too concise, short on evidence to support all of his "facts". However, for the introductory history class, it might be a good book if supplemented by cultural and social history by the instructor. It is clear that Green's area of specialization is not ancient Greece but he is knowledgable nonetheless.