Greece Books

This is an excellent study of the Hellenistic Queens. Coverage is extremely thorough, and the analysis is very balanced. I'm quite impressed with the amount of information that the author makes available to the reader. The text is aimed a little more at scholars than at the layperson, but it is still accessible to the non-expert. This is a good resource especially for people who need to write article-lenght pieces in the field.

This book, as is true of Dr. Sarton's other works, is written in a highly personalized style chuck full of anecdotes and personal musings of the author who has indeed done his homework. Briefly, he takes us on a three hundred year journey through philosophy, language and letters, religion, culture, medicine, science and technology. The timeline of the book begins with the disintegration Alexandrian empire and ends with a discussion of Orientalism and the Parthian empire. The enormous caste of characters of this book include men and women of learning. From recollections of Alexander through Zenon, each individual is well described and neatly framed in this great historical opus. While Dr. Sarton says he "wrote the book for men of science, interested in the origins of their knowlege," I think it may be read with great profit by anyone interested in history. For as Dr. Sarton said "The whole past and world are alive in my heart, and I shall do my best to communicate their presence to my readers".........He does

Since we don't have any surviving works of Heraclides, this book serves as the most important source for his thoughts and the remnants of his writings.

The name "Heraclides" may mean "son of Herakles," and Heraclides mentions several crucial connections to the myths about Herakles, the most important Greek hero.

Readers with inquiring minds will not be disappointed.

When I first got this book,I wasn't really sure what to expect since it was primarily for ages 9-12. However,I found it to be quite enjoyable with a wonderful lesson to boot:Just because you may look like a geek or nerd,that doesn't necessarily mean that you are one and if people look closer,they'll find that you do have something to offer. I highly recommend this book for anyone of any age-you'll learn what a hero is really all about.

Kerenyi's book offers the most profound and interesting discussion of the trickster I have yet run across, although it is one of the briefest of books on the subject. Of course, he discusses the trickster in his ancient Greek avatar, but that is important for it allows him to make familiar connections which lead down, down to Hermes' chthonic meanings--and that is where the mystery of this god springs from. You will always learn a great deal from reading anything by this "renegade" of classicists, and this book is one of his best.

I read this book a few years ago and was taken by the simplicity of the Christian life in the holy land and its people at that time. The spirit of Hermitess Photini still exists in the Orthodox Church. It is the spirit of Christianity that is lost in West. I highly recommend this book to any one who wants to understand the original orthodox Christianity as is practiced in the East

Not being an expert in translations from ancient Greek to English, I can only comment that I got what I wanted out of the MP3 CD. To learn about the Persian Wars. The narrator is easy to understand, and made a worthwhile presentation.

This is a great story which help to understand about the Greek gods. It is great for beginners. It helps explain about them and what they mean. I would recomend this to anyone interested in Greek Mythology.

Xenophon is a clever classical writer. For him, there are two sorts of people: `those who work and those who live on the products of others' work.' Or, `a policy of not initiating unjust wars would enable us to punish our enemies far more quickly, because they would not find anyone to come and support their cause.'

While `Agesilaos' is a hagiography of a Spartan king, `a superman of self-restraint', an example of a perfect ruler, not a cruel tyrant;
and, `How to be a good cavalry commander' contains some good devices: a good commander should be better than his men in executing the tasks he ordered them to do, otherwise he is despised; or, `deceit is your most valuable asset in war'.
`Hiero the Tyrant' and `Ways and Means' are superb texts.

Hiero complains that a tyrant `spends all his time as if he has been condemned to death by the whole human race for his iniquity.' But, why doesn't he willingly give up his position? The answer is simple: `How could a tyrant ever raise enough money to pay back in full the people he stole from? How could he recompense all the people he put to death?' `I think that the only person who might profit by hanging himself is a tyrant.'!!
For Xenophon, what a tyrant should do is manage the State in the interest of the people, not of himself and his cronies, and enhance the power of his community, not of himself.

`Ways and Means' is an important text for two reasons. First, the all importance of peace: `The State's funds were enormously increased in times of peace and completely drained in times of war.'
Secondly, Xenophon shows us the major importance of silver mines for Athens, not only for the cash it generated, but also for the `huge numbers of men working in the mines; in fact, there was always more work than there were workers.'
Xenophon was a proto-Keynesian, pleading for direct State intervention. For him, the State should imitate private entrepreneurs by exploiting itself directly some of its mine concessions. He is also one of the first true economists, explaining the laws of supply and demand, the advantage of pooling capital (risk management) and the multiplier effect.

This superbly translated book, with excellent introductions and notes, is a must read for all those interested in the history of mankind.

From the seventies Ace paperback edition:

"After the horrible accidental death of her husband, Alix Johnston is in urgent need of rest and relaxation, and sets off on what is supposed to be a holiday on the exotic Greek island of Corfu. But hiding out on the island is Cary, her husband's cousin, a notorious financier who is wanted by the police. Alix discovers that his son, Benjamin, who is supposed to be with his mother in England, is being kept a prisonoer on the island by his father. Loyalty and fear for the child sweep Alix into a smuggling plot filled with danger and intrigue. Drawn deeper and deeper into the devious scheme for the boy's sake, Alix must ultimately deceive the one man who can help her - and with whom she has fallen in love - and finds herself aiding a murderer in an escape plot that takes her and Benjamin on a dangerous journey through the island mountains where Alix discovers that she is the HIGH HOSTAGE."

This author consistently comes up with plots that equal those of England's beloved Mary Stewart - the damsel in distress facing danger in an exotic locale. This one compares favorably with Mary Stewart's Corfu book THIS ROUGH MAGIC - although they are by no means anything alike. Worboys does not write quite as exquisitely as does Stewart, but she's more than good enough, and she wrings as much as possible out of the island's wonderful geography, classic sites, and colorful residents.

If you like the vintage romantic suspense without the silly obligatory sex scenes and serial killers of today's books in this genre, this is one for you. The sun will warm you, the suspense will kill you, and you'll quickly be surfing the Internet for more Anne Worboys books. Don't miss THE LION OF DELOS (Greece) and THE WAY OF THE TAMARISK (Sicily).

This is a breathtaking romantic suspenser in the vintage style!