Greece Books

This volume deal with the German campaigns in the spring of 1941 into Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete. There is not quite as much in the way of operational maps, but that is simply due to the greater simplicity of the campaigns and the more restricted areas they dealt with. It also looks at the political dealings of Germany with Rumania, Bulgaria and the remainder of the Balkans.

A few things of interest:

Hitler was not actually concerned about conquering the Balkans as long as they were stable and would continue to supply Germany with resources, in particular, oil from Rumania. He initially had no plans to invade the region but was working to build alliances to allow him to begin the war with Russia. Italy's failing invasion of Greece and a personal insult from new leadership in Yugoslavia prompted his quick change in plans.

After months of strong political pressure, the leader of Yugoslavia agreed to allow Germany to move troops through his country and recognized the Tri-partate Act. This caused a coup in his coutry in defiance of his decision. Only weeks later the successful new government came to the same conclusion as the former King, and accepted the treaty that they had rebeled over. It did not matter, because a now angry Hitler invaded anyways, completly taking the country in a few weeks.

Trapped and cut-off in Albania, the greek 1st Army surrendered. They did so to a mid-ranked officer who was quick to sit down and work out the arrangements. Infact, aides had to find the commanders from both side later to formally sign the documants. A higher ranked german officer felt the papers were not detailed enough...the Greeks surrendered again. Italy protested, beliving they should be involved, and so the Greeks complied, and surrendered a third time.

The Good: Great photo-essays on the assaults on the greek mountain defenses, german paratrooper doctrine and training, and the surrender of the Greek first Army (as above). Great detail on all three campaigns.

The Bad: Not much. Placement of the photo essays still causes you to flip back and forth a bit.

The Ugly: German Paratroop landings on Crete. The German doctrine had troops landing lightly armed and the battle plans had them close to enemy positions and at several different locations. The initial losses were not just severe, but devastating. Had British forces realized how weak the remaining german units were, they could have counterattacked in force and destroyed them before they were reinforced.

The German campaing in the Balkans in the spring of 1941 is a little mentioned episode in the history of World War II but it is really very interesting not only for its strategic consequences but also of its operational aspect. This excellent Time-Life book gives first the political and diplomatic background to the campaign, explaining how Hitler forged his alliance with countries like Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, and how the coup in Belgrade changed the whole nature and scope of the operation. The analysis of the war against Yugoslavia and Greece is very well presented with many nice photographs and maps and the final chpater deals with the airborne assault on Crete, a real historical first. This is a very well made volume and a valuable addition to the library of every WW II buff.

Arnold Joseph Toynbee's clear genius focused on a project of his younger years. It all started with Toynbee's insight into an enlightened contemporary reference to Gibbon's own account of De Administrando Imperio and to its author. Toynbee's mother also had a role in this " project " which is, afterall the work of a professor of byzantinology. The author's pertinence, honesty, erudition and writing style are, as usual, unsurpassed. If it were only by this book, and Toynbee would enter the famous historiographic gallery guarded by pillars such as Edward Gibbon and Lord Acton. However, my cultural hero, whose own interests ranged from International Affairs to Archives of the British Admirality and from anthropology and histories of religion to those of cities and sociology, did it greater than ever. Civilizations, wrote Toynbee, don't die. They only commit suicide.

The intricacies of Byzantine life in the time of Porphyrogenitus show all that. It is not surprizing that in a sort of testament of the imperial idea, the Great Lavra of Mount Athos was inaugurated shortly after Constantine's death, as if the realm of spiritual conquest retired towards the inner and true life. In a seminal work, Virgil Gheorghiu epitomizes the Western Civilization almost in the words of Mahatma Gandhi ( What do I think about Western Civilization ? I think this would be a very good idea... ). To me, at least, it is no wonder that Virgil Gheorghiu's prophetical work, The 25th Hour, stronger than Kafka and much stronger than Orwell, started with a quote from Toynbee. But that is for the following review...

Taking his cue from the De Administrando written by Constantine VII and other Byzantine historians before him, this thick volume may be Toynbee's greatest achievement. Throughout, he takes Constantine's own words with a grain of salt, especially about events before the Macedonian dynasty by applying a historical perspective to this entire period of Byzantine civilization (c. 800-1050)

Political intrigues are explained in terms of the contemporary situations and also probable alternate hypotheses. And though it is a work of Academic scholarship, the writing is clear - the author takes great pains to explain in detail the unbelieveably complex (Byzantine) nature of the Imperial palace.

I bought the first edition in 1996 and have been using it regularly since. Well researched on out of the way places - it's one of the few english-language guides to mention the two tavernas at the tiny Ayios Ghiorgios along the coast from Ayia Ghalini on the south coast, although you can walk it in 30-40 min rather than the 2hrs quoted if you ask the locals the way. Logical layout, decent maps, sensible advice, and not too much history and politics, which just adds bulk to so many guides. On the other hand, just enough about people and customs to be genuinley useful as a starter if you want to move from the north coast tourist strip. I bought the map separately and I don't recommend it. There are 4 decent scale (1:79,000) maps of the Chania, Rethymnon, Iraklio and Lassithi areas available locally. Highly recommended for a first-time visitor.

In preparation for my month in Crete recently, I bought three books...Globetrotter's Travel Pack/Crete, Berlitz's Greek Cassette Pack with Phrase Book and Wicked Greek for the Traveler and out of the three the one that proved most comprehensive and valuable was Globetrotter's Travel Pack. Nick Hanna does not fail the traveler in any aspect of his descriptions...from what sights to see, to accomodations, to where to find a great meal. I stayed with an American friend who has lived in the village of Kiparissos, outside of Chania, for 12 years (and who is considered to be horiata or native) and we were always, genuinely delighted and amazed at the detail Mr. Hanna provided as we adventured around the island of Crete doing the tourist trail with this lovely little book and map in hand.

Outside of the ocasional typo or incorrect telephone number (not unusual for Crete) Globetrotter and Mr. Hanna do a superb job of presenting Crete to the traveler on a silver platter. Bravo!!!!

I can only echo what the previous reviewer has indicated: this is an excellent overview of the compulsory population exchanges between Greece and Turkey mandated by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). In addition to exploring the mechanics of the exchange and its place in international law, essays address its long term ramifications in both countries in fields ranging from politics to literature to architecture. Central to most essays is the importance of the transfer and of immigrants in the formulation of Greek and Turkish nationalism.

One might have wished for more historical context than is provided here. The introductory essay by Hirschon notes some major trends but, in my opinion, a more detailed essay would have been helpful. This, however, is a minor complaint, regarding a very useful collection. Individuals with more than a passing interest in the subject might also wish to consider Birtek and Dragonas, eds., Citizenship and the Nation State in Greece and Turkey, another excellent collection which takes on a somewhat broader but nonetheless related set of questions.

"Crossing the Aegean - An Appraisal of the 1923 Compulsory Population Exchange Between Greece and Turkey" is a collection of thoughtful and well written articles, written by twelve different scholars. The authors of this book are professors and researchers with a variety of backgrounds and specialities, allowing them to approach this topics from very different angles.

This book not only explains the history of the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, stemming from the post-war treaty of Lausanne but give lengthy accounts of the short and long terms consequences of the forced migration. The real strength of this book is that it tells the both stories, the plight of Greek Orthodox populations forced to leave Turkey and of Muslim populations forced to leave Greece, explaining what both communities lost and the difficulties endured by Orthodox and Muslim communities that remained behind.

If you are interested in understanding the consequences of the forced migration of over one and a half million inhabitants of Greece and Turkey, read this book. You will not be disappointed.

This book surprized me with its concise text, but full of informations, not only regarding the jewels, but also with a short description of each kingdom it belong(ed) to, since centuries ago!
Almost all pictures are coloured. It is a jewel in itself.

I absolutly love this book. It has many gorgeous pictures of the The Crown Jewels. It feature the Crown Jewels of: Great Brtian (Includes the Crown Jewels of Sctoland), Russia, Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia, Italy, Spain and Portugal, Denmark, The Netherlands, Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia, France, Sweden, Norway and last but not least Hungary. This book is definitly and joy to own. It's 144 pages packed with information.

Marcus Rautman has performed splendidly in this comprehensive overview of daily life in the Byzantine realm. He treats a variety of subjects, including cities, the countryside, the military, religion, art, and intellectual pursuits. He examines topics as basic as money, food, and clothing but also gives considerable attention to such matters as pressing olives, setting up an army camp, and becoming a monk. While the book is largely a survey spanning the entire "Byzantine millennium", Rautman now and then points out specific changes that occurred within this period, such as the transition to a more meat-centered diet around the seventh century. The author is also to be commended for the eminent readability of his text. He manages masterfully to present his great abundance of facts in way that neither overwhelms nor bores the reader. Also, his sentence structure is sound, his transitions well executed, and his grammar refreshingly correct - which makes all the more puzzling the rare misspellings that do creep in. All in all, this is an exceptionally well researched and delightfully written guide to daily life in a relatively little-studied civilization.

In his book "Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire" Marcus Rautman has outdone himself. In this book, he has skillfully brought together insights about the Byzantine way of life from various fields in a well-organized and easy to read format.

Reading the book, you can help but feel as if you are actually visiting the Byzantine Empire. There are sections of the book that describe how Byzantines perceived life, their daily routines, the Byzantine family, and how life varied in Constantinople, larger towns and the countryside. As well, there are special sections devoted to the lives of soldiers, monks, artists and scholars. In these descriptions, Rautman explains how the situation changed at different points in the Empire's long history.

If you would like a solid background on Byzantine society, read this book. You will not be disappointed.

This book, as well as all the other Inspector Roper mysteries, was excellent! I have read all of Roy Hart's mysteries and, needing another "fix" from this author, even read his espionage novel, "A Position of Trust". He has spoiled me for other authors. I keep hoping for more publications from him.

After discovering Roy Hart in "A Pretty Place for A Murder"
and "Fox in the Night", both enjoyable British police procedurals, I looked for others by him and came across "A Deadly
Schedule", apparently his most recent. While the previous two were good, this one was outstanding - a real page-turner. Inspector Roper encounters a murder in Crete while on holiday and tries, with difficulty, to remain detached. Upon returning
home to Dorset, however, two more murders crop up and of course
the reader suspects a connection. Motives remain elusive, and
red herrings abound, but it all comes together nicely in the end.
Woven through the story is the inspector's growing relationship
with Sheila Carmody (whom he met in Crete) and surprisingly (!)
she lives near him in Dorset. In previous books he seemed a
confirmed bachelor, but now he seems vulnerable ... which makes
him more likeable. This is Hart at his best, I hope he has
written another since 1996 as he is getting better and better.

Usually one hears about the "decline and fall" of ancient Rome. In this case, it's ancient Greece that declines and falls. The book consists of a series of essays by well-known historians who give a fnely detailed synopsis of the centuries in which the Greeks fought each other to the point where they were too weak to stand up to the Romans. The list of books in the bibliograpy is huge and helpful for those looking for more information on the subject.

This book tells the exciting and tragic story of how the ancient Greeks fell from glory. It consists of a series of essays written by noted historians who are experts on ancient Greek history and culture. Each essay has an introduction that tells what it is about and also tells a little about the person who wrote it, a very helpful feature. The book was edited by Don Nardo, who is himself a fine historian. He provides an excellent summary at the beginning of the book telling the main points that the essays later tackle in greater detail. He also provides an excellent bibliography. I have already begun to read two of the books he listed in it. I have also been reading some of Mr. Nardo's other ancient history books. Most that I have seen were aimed at students and general readers, but he uses a semi-scholarly style and includes numerous primary sources quotes and explanatory footnotes that make this and his other books very authoritative. The Greeks declined for a lot of reasons, but mostly because they couldn't get along with each other and unite into one strong country. Mr. Nardo makes that point strongly in his introduction and also includes one whole essay that discusses this theme of disunity. I highly recommend this book to students and anyone else who is interested in past civilizations.

It's a terrible shame that this book and its companion volume, The Mask of Jove, are out of print. In beautiful, eloquent prose Stringfellow Barr traces Greek history from the Homeric Age through the death of Alexander. The companion volume, The Mask of Jove, picks up where The Will of Zeus leaves off and covers the Roman period from its earliest beginnings to the death of Constantine, the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. Each volume is about 500 pages. Anyone who reads them both will have acquired with the greatest pleasure an in-depth knowledge of the Graeco-Roman world and the foundations of Western Civilization. I loved these two beautifully written books and I can't believe the publisher let them go out of print.

This book, now out of print (but available used), is a beautiful read about ancient Greece. It weaves together the history, the politics, the philosophy, the religion, and the art, of this extraordinary civilization. It should be re-released. (Barr also wrote an excellent companion book, 'The Mask of Jove', about the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity.)

I have been interested in history since I was young. As a boy, I heard so much about things in the Bible, finding out about things that were going on at the same time in part of the world that was also influenced by Egypt without having been slaves there, etc., I actually became more interested in philosophy than in the political structures of those times. Those who think they already know how to spell might struggle to get used to Sokrates and maps that have cities with different spellings than in the text: Corinth in the index shows up as Korinth on maps 1, 2 and 3, etc. Athens and Sparta played large roles in Greece, but Syracuse, the Carthaginians, and local groups struggled to control cities in Sicily and Southern Italy that are shown on map 4. The second edition, with a chapter that includes many speeches from the court proceedings in Athens, helps to show how court speeches depend on points of view that would be more likely among millionaires and billionaires now, particularly those who tend to be the purest of bastards, than among the lowly slaves that were captured when some cities were wiped out. Democracy sprang up in Greece occasionally, but that is only a small part of what this book is about, and modern life seems to be similarly demented for those whose intellectual viewpoints know a number of wide stances, etc.

entirely satisfied with the service: the book arrived on time and in perfect condition