Greece Books

This is just one in a series of four books written by Jane Shuter. This book focuses on various aspects of the Greek city-states and their citizens. Shuter defines the meaning of a city-state, describes how they were run, and what it was like to live there. Other areas that are featured are voting, education, women, writing, religious beliefs, entertainment, and fitness. All the information is written in simple language and is appropriate for all readers. Each page of the book is attractively decorated, and most have either colored illustrations or photographs of ancient Greek artifacts. Special quotes from famous ancient Greek writers are included and address ideas from the page they are printed on. A very simple map and timeline are included in the brief introduction as well as a glossary of boldface words from the text, an index, and a short list of more books to read on the topic. This book was both simple and interesting, and would be an outstanding elementary classroom resource on ancient Greece.

This remarkable compilation of essays offers both an opportunity to examine the interactions of Greek and Turkish nationalisms and strong essays on the development of national culture in the two countries. Of particular interest to many of the scholars is the ways in national identity and citizenship interact in these two-post Ottoman states. I am more familiar with the scholarship on Turkey than that on Greece, but the scholars chosen to address Turkish history, including Caglar Keyder, Hakan Erdem, and Yesim Arat, are all first rate.

Unfortunately, Routledge has not (yet?) published a paperback copy of this work and, with the cost of the hardcover edition placed at over $100, it is likely that only university libraries will be inclined to purchase it. This is unfortunate, given the quality of the essays included and I hope that Routledge addresses this decision in the future.

For students of the Ottoman Empire, nationalism, and the Balkans, this volume constitutes an invaluable contribution to the literature.

The Bérard's school brought structuralism into the study of imagery. But this book also studied categories of greek thought which are very often neglected, and revealed their presence in the athenian everyday life.This book was sold at the Louvre in Paris and received a tremendous success. It's impossible to find in Europe.I can only encourage every classical archaeologist to read this book, and the pubhlisher to print a new edition. A classical schoolbook!

This is a wonderful book about history of china.Thousands of years of passing time of China is a miracle.

This innovative and deliciously illustrated guide to the arts of Greece and Rome is composed in a light-hearted, humorous vein and provides as much entertainment as artistic edification. Furthermore, its unique exploration of Greek art through the prism of Roman culture offers a refreshing new perspective on the development of the wildly influential high classicism of the empire. In short, a delightful and beautiful book.

Couch's book covers the Early Minoan Period (3500-2300 B.C.) to the Graeco-Roman Period (146 B.C. to 330 A.D.). The first edition was published by Brown University in 1936, and in this newer, second edition, Couch substitutes photos where there were formerly hand-drawn diagrams (of the Phaestos Disc, for example). He also adds more commentary, which is an advantage of the second edition. Couch's commentary is swift and decisive. He anticipates the era of the New Critics and values universal themes and interiority in art and literature. While this may seem old-fashioned to modern readers, there's a quaint power to Couch's judgments. For example, he concludes a passage on Zeno's formulas against the possibility of motion with an all-encompassing final verdict: "Logic was thus developed without relation to reality at this point in the history of philosophy." There are more astute observations too. By a comparison of the fifth-century Fallen Warrior of Aegina and the Hellenistic Dying Gaul of Aphaea, Couch finds the descent of Greek art in the proliferation of technical devices used in the later sculpture! Whatever one thinks of his interpretations, Couch's comments offer a springboard for judging the progression of the Greeks from independent city-states to subject colonies of Macedonia and Rome. It's endearing that Couch feels so acutely the loss of Athenian independence and power. He entertains opinions of Greek superiority in the ancient world that would make judicious readers today blush, or cringe. (For instance, he believes that Persian rulers like Xerxes represent the natural rashness of Asian despots.) One great facet of this book is its terse but thorough outlines of each era's art, architecture, literature, and philosophy. Couch can't write about discoveries that weren't made yet, so there's no mention of important developments like the decipherment of Linear B. Overall, though, this is an excellent book for anyone who wants the basics of Greek civilization.

Excellent book for both its recipes (easy to follow with directions given for both the English and American cook) and its description of Roman life, for both the Roman commoners and the citizens of stature. If you want to have a Roman banquet, or a simple, traditional Roman meal, this is an ideal book. I especially enjoyed the well-written sections on Roman history, which perfectly integrate the recipes with what we know about the people's lives and the ingredients which were available to them. I looked at every Roman cookbook I could find, in both the USA and England, and my three favorites are: Classical Cookbook, by Dalby and Grainger, and, A Taste of Ancient Rome, by Ilaria Giacosa, and Roman Cookery, by Mark Grant. The latter two have more recipes than the first, but Classical Cookbook is a quality book with exquisite pictures, illustrations and explanations.

I was always a history buff, but my interest in ancient Greece was dormant until my father ordered a series from Time/Life, which he did not announce. That was dad's style. The book arrived in cardboard, its contents unknown. My father handed the unopened delivery to me. A whole new world was reopened as I turned the pages and a revival began.

Just the cover of Poseidon preparing to throw a trident was mystical. I stared at bronze friezes, maps and modern ruins wondering what it must have looked like 2,000 years ago. Each chapter acted as a catalyst to the next. The Archaic Period was like reading about the dawn of a trememndous civilization. The Classical Period was the shining light of day that conveyed the vitality and vigor of a civilization confident in its achievement in philosophy, government, drama, science, and warfare. The Hellenistic Period brought the close of Greek greatness, but not its influence.

I felt the rise of Greek confidence reading about Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis and the astonishment of a greatly outnumbered force doing the impossible that allowed everything Greek to influence us to this very day. These were battles that are still marvels in the annals of time. I felt the disappointment of the Peloponnesian War reading about great Greek city-states destroying each other becoming a shadow of what they once were.

The rise of Alexander the Great brought this classical age, to an end. Reading this was like watching the last flicker of light ending what had once been so bright and stirring.

This book is not for the serious scholar, but it is what turns an interested person into one. Everything in this book peaked the interest of a teenager to learn more of anything about ancient Greece. If it was only about the intrigues and frailties of the gods, the culture of Sparta and Athens, or the remarkable achievement of a people who only united when they had to, it was exciting.

I remember ignoring my study of Macbeth because all my attenton was turned toward learning about Pericles, Demonsthenes, the Dialogues of Plato, Sparta, Leonidas, Euripides, the Olympians, or Epaminondas.

This book created a craving that could not be satisfied.

I recommend you come home with this book, or on it.

Well, maybe just come home with it. Civilization could depend on it.

ALALA!

This is an outstanding anthology of articles about the ancient world, each article written by an expert in the age or society in question. What sets it apart from other books about the same era is that it covers more than just Greece and Rome (although it gives a fine overview of them). Also covered are civilizations in other parts of the world and their achievements in the same time period, including Egypt, China, India, Africa, and Central America. There is also a chapter on important religious developments in classical times, such as the emergence of Buddhism in India and the early days of Christianity in the Mediterranean region. The introductory article by the editor, noted historian Don Nardo, which ties togehter all these threads in one coherent narrative, is also excellent,and the bibliography is large and very helpful. I highly recommend this book for students and teachers in both high schools and undergraduate college courses.

Beyond "excellent" in content and detail, this book can be described as an "anthology of summaries and reviews" of classical writers from Homer to Umberto Eco. For those involved in the Classical Christian school movement, Kennedy's book helps to explain how Jewish scholars assigned authority differently from the Greeks and how both the Greek and Jewish traditions carried on into the Christian era. The book addresses both the content and artistry of classical rhetoric, is well-indexed and documented, and includes an excellent bibliography. Highly readable as well, this survey (in my opinion) should be in every library in a classical school.