Greece Books

As ever when approaching one of Adrian Fortescue's works, prepare yourself for a treat. For in these pages we will travel extensively throughout the ancient Christian East, from Alexandria to Caesarea, from Constantinople to Jerusalem, to Alexandria again and thence to Damascus, "the real eternal city" in Fortescue's estimation.

We will be introduced as if in person to the great Greek Fathers of the fourth, fifth and eighth centuries of the Church's history: to the great Father of the Christological debates, St Athanasius; to St Basil, "one of the greatest of that younger generation of Catholic bishops who carried on the fight that Athanasius had fought and finally stamped out the Arian heresy." We will meet St Basil's dear friend, St Gregory Nazianzen, "the patron saint of people who do not want to be bishops," and St John Chrysostom, the "great model and patron of preachers." There are also two Saints Cyril to encounter: the first, of Jerusalem, who spent sixteen of the thirty five years of his episcopate in banishment, and the second, of Alexandria, the champion of the Mother of God against the Nestorian Heresy. Finally we will meet the eighth century St John of Damascus, the first of the Christian Aristotelians who lived his entire life under Muslim rule.

Through Fortescue's introductions we will learn Catholic theology by reliving the gritty events in which it was originally hammered out. We will see its champions suffer and at times take questionable paths. Yet we will also witness their fortitude and perseverance and glimpse in their struggles a tangible sanctity from which any age - not least our own - can learn very much indeed.

When at length we have travelled the East with Fortescue these Fathers will no longer be mere figures of early church history. Yes, we shall have enjoyed Fortescue's style and yes, we shall have grown in wisdom and knowledge from his erudition. But we shall also have gained some new friends, the great Fathers of the early Eastern Church, to whom in this life, as we strive faithfully to live and hand on the faith that was theirs, we can turn in the communion of saints for the benefit of their example and the assistance of their intercession, especially on their liturgical feasts, and with whom we hope to enjoy the next.

You will swear that some of these images are pencil drawings and others a part of a dream. William Abranowicz is a gifted photographer whose passion for pristine landscapes and still life reinvents this artform. As a collector of his work, I was thrilled to see his first book published. The world has enjoyed his images without knowing they were enjoying the world through his eyes. Through his lens, we see a world that invites all the senses to be aroused. I will cherish this book as a personal treasure from my friend.

The definitive book for information on Greek films. This lavish book lists info on two thousand three hundred and two films! Each entry features the year of release, if it's in black and white or color, the time length, the director and stars of the movie, and a brief plot synopsis. Throughout there are black and white still photographs from various films. The appendixes list the "Thessaloniki Film Festival Awards" from 1960-1996, and the "National Film Awards" from 1984-1997. There is also elaborate indexes of names in English and Greek. If you have any interest in Greek films and culture, this book will immerse you in a cinematic journey of history that will not disappoint.

Boardman's book is great for looking at Bronze Age, early and classical Greek Gems, but only spends a few pages on Hellenistic Gems and lumps them together with Roman, which was a bit disappointing. Other than that, a beautiful book, almost a complete corpus of gems from the noted period. Very useful.

This book is great. It shows detailed photographs of many pieces, and the text describes the methods of construction. There is a section showing the tools they used to manufacture the jewelry, and the way the tools were used.

This book does exactly what it's supposed to, which is introduce to non-specialists the nature of Greek epigraphy. More than that though, it also serves as a nice introduction to the field for beginning students with ample, clear examples of Greek inscriptions given in photographs, then typed in Greek, and translated. The section on the Alphabet, with a table of regional variants, is a nice touch.

The references are great starting points for beginning students, and the Further Reading section at the end is concise but well selected. This is a simple, straightforward text that will help promising scholars begin to make sense of the field while allowing lay-people to understand the significance epigraphy has had on our understanding of Greek history.

Upon finishing this text, be sure to look into Woodhead's "The Study of Greek Inscriptions," which the authors, and I, recommend as "the indispensible textbook." Yet Woodhead, as good as it is, has not the examples or ease of this little paperback.

For travelers planning their own itineraries through the Greek islands (and Aegean Turkey), this guide can't be beat. It is far more useful than the whole rack of budget travel books. Not only does it provide useful ferry schedule information that is difficult to get elsewhere, it provides enough destination information to supplant traditional guides. Island and port maps are a particular help

I've actually been to Greece 3 times, and have never found a book - even over there! - that shows the beauty of these islands. This book is perfect, text is fine, but the pictures are exceptional - well worth the price!

Greek Jewry In The Twentieth Century 1913-1983: Patterns Of Survival In The Greek Provinces Before And After The Holocaust by Rabbi Joshua Plaut examines the events and living situation of Greek Jewry before, during, and after the Second World War. Drawing upon archival documents, oral histories, photographs and more, Rabbi Plaut suggests seven principles that contribute to the survival of small-town Jewish communities in Greece. Closely researched, with appendices that include deportation testimonies and the Greek national constitution, Greek Jewry In The Twentieth Century is an involving, informative look the history of a community struggling between national, ethnic, and religious identities. Highly recommended for Judaic Studies and Holocaust Studies reference collections and reading lists.

In The Greek Kingdom Of Bactria: From Alexander To Eucratides The Great, H. Sidky (Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio) reconstructs the history of an Hellenic kingdom that existed more than two thousand years ago in what is now norther Afghanistan. Painstakingly derived from various fragmentary sources, this superbly presented volume is an impressive and memorable narrative of a now forgotten people, their lives and the events that led them to prosper and then to disappear from the pages of history. An impressive work of archaeological and antiquarian history, The Greek Kingdom Of Bactria is an enthusiastically recommended contribution to academic library reference collections, and Hellenic Studies reading lists.