Justin's Epitome is one of our five major classical sources on Alexander the Great, but he never made it into an English translation until the publication of this book by Yardley and Heckel. That alone makes it unique.

Justin's account itself is brief (about 30 pages in print) but Heckel's excellent commentary makes up the remaining 200 pages of this publication. For everyone seriously interested in Alexander Heckel's superb commentary is a 'must have'.

This shouldn't be the first book you should buy about Alexander. But once you have read Bosworth, Green or Hammond, once you have tasted the original accounts of Arrian or Curtius - this is your next step on the ladder of true in dept analysis.

This is absolutely a wonderful book. It does an excellent job in depicting the life, culture, and history of rural Corfu. The food recipes are wonderful. However, I have to emphasize that this is not just another recipe book. It is more of an inside look into the life of rural Corfu.

Gervaise's father wishes that his son will grow up to be a Knight of the White Cross, and so Gervaise leaves his dying mother and travels to Rhodes. When he arrives at Rhodes he never dreams of all the adventures he will be undertaking, and the excitement he will be involved in. First comes the rescuing of Ricord and Santoval, after which the Grand Prior knights Gervaise and his comrade, Ralph, which is a great privilege for the boys. Some time later, after visiting the house of Signor Vsados, Gervaise mentions to Ralph that he did not like the looks of the Greek who had also been at the Vsados household. Ralph laughs at him, but Gervaise's suspicions are aroused even more when he sees the man talking to a slave of the Order. After reporting to Sir John Kendall Gervaise suggests he disguise himself and go among the slaves, to try to find out if a plot is being arranged. What will he find? Gervaise has many more adventures, and also a little romance, for Claudia De Forli bestows her colours on him. Gervaise also sets an example by the boy-galley that he was put in command of. It is the only galley ever to have only young knights appointed to it. In the end Gervaise takes part in the Siege of Rhodes, which was a bloody affair. Don't miss reading this story of a gallant Knight of the White Cross!

Farnoux's 'archaeology of a dream' - the French title of this splendid little book - is the primary source for the general reader interested in the historiography of excavations at Knossos and in Crete. But the real value lies, I believe, in the reconstructions he has comissioned of the palace, and in his choice of current discoveries in Crete. Strongly recommended for students and travellers alike.

The topic of the book is the murder of the Ellenistic Science and Technology by the Romans and partly by the ancient Christians. One of thread was the advanced level of the Ellenistic science and the greatness of the ancient scientists and engineers: Euclid, Archimedes, Apollonius of Perge, Eratostenes, Erophilus, Ptotolomy, these men achieved important results which were more advanced of what is trued, in fact many ancient books were lost owing to the sophistication of the tools used and the subtle argumentations not understandable by the conquerors and by the successors, some of the results are conjectured by the author with a careful reading of ancient literary works.

One chapter is devoted to the "rediscover" of Ellenistic Science by modern scientists, Leonardo da Vinci, Keplero, Descartes, Galileo, Hoole, Halley, Newton, Weierstrass and the second murder by the Enlightment thinkers. There are also the descriptions af many applications, whose rediscover contributed to the industrial revolution.

But it is not only a history book, chapter 6 "Il metodo scientifico ellenistico" (The Ellenistic scientific method) describes brilliantly some issues about the foundations of mathematics, like the choices of axioms, definitions and so on, moreover it treats the process of building a physical theory "fainomena sozein" (to keep up apparences, in a positive meaning), without the presumption to seize the essence of the reality.

By the way there is also an explanation of Cristoforo Colombo faith in finding China in a relatively brief voyage.

This is a superb reference for one of the most famous Hellenistic works of art.

It is nearly exhaustive in it's laser precise attention to the statue in the text, and equally well illustrated with photos of parts of the statue that the average tourist will likely never be able to easily see in person at the Louvre.

The photos throughout are mostly in a large format, making details that otherwise dissapear in small illustrations visible, such as the cracks and wear and tear of time. There are also numerous unusual and rare pictures from the history of the statue included (such as the faux replacement left foot created in plaster, but ultimately removed).

It also includes a brief mention of other noteworthy statues of the goddess Aphrodite in the collections of the Louvre.

The only possible downside for most interested readers is that the book is written entirely in French; there does not appear to have ever been an English translation published.

Never the less, if you are even remotely interested in the Venus de Milo (and you know who I'm talking to) then the French language is very likely not much, if any, of a hurdle at all.

The reader can gain a further appreciation for the beauty and history of this particular statue, and it will likely further interest the reader in finding out more about other great works of art.

"Lady with a Laptop" is a howlingly funny sendup of the Greek island setting in which Don Thomas leads workshops and, when this manuscript was in progress, treated attendees to excerpts. There we found ourselves practicing the literary craft in sometimes tense proximity to drum-beating, vegetarian wannabe-shamans. The New Wave personalities and spirit of the place are vividly captured and, for extra spice, the author's alter-ego is faced with an entirely fictive problem: the mysterious death of the title character.

Donald Nicol's account of the last 250 years of Byzantine history is accurate, well written and neatly organized. Unlike studies of earlier ages for the Empire where the Empire and the Arabs ruled the East, Eastern Mediterranean history after the Fourth Crusade can get rather complex and confusing, as not only the Empire, but the "crusading" Latins, the Islamic nomads, and the Slavic Christian Kingdoms must all be considered. A tale that could easily become entangled and confusing for the reader, Nicol superbly narrates the events and provides detailed accounts of the players. He cleverly demonstrates how entrenched the beleagured Byzantines were, with the greedy Italians to the west, the encroaching Turks to the east, the growing Serbian Empire to the north, and the festering internal decay of Imperial decentralization from within. Yet, the Empire still produced great leaders like Theodore Laskaris I, John Vatazes, Michael VIII, John Cantacuzene, and perhaps the most tragic of all medieval heroes, Constantine XI Palaeologos, who all, in better times and without so many encoaching powers from the outside, may have saved the Empire from such tragedies. But in addition to this sad tale of Byzantium's fall, Nicol also narrates the flourishing of Orthodoxy in the Imperial and Slavic world, as well as the flowering of learning and thought at Mistra, in the lower Peoloponese. This alone, was the spark that triggered the resurgance of knowledge and arts in the Italian Peninsula, less than 100 years after the Fall of Constantinople. What many, scholars and readers alike, tend to forget is that Byzantium's lasting legacy lay in its cultural achievements in the Orthodox Church, as well as providing the materials and teachers that would reawaken Western Europe into that period of rebirth so commonly referred to as the Renaissance.

My wife and I have been to Paleochora,the location for this book,many times.But only during the last ten years or so.Mr Webb was there in the late 60's or early 70's.( The book was published in '77). The change from the quiet little village in South West Crete which he discovered to the thriving tourist centre which it is now was inevitable tho' in the off season,bearable..... mainly because of the great charm and generosity of the people who live there. Mr Webb gives away few secrets about his past,or his age. We reckon he was in his late forties,an American,and a melancholy fellow. He rented a tiny peasant cottage,and shared it with a goat or two and a cat
or two and a few vegetables which he grew,and his neighbours
who laughed at him and scolded him and enjoyed him as he enjoyed them.
When his year or so is up he moves on...we don't know where. He doesn't tell us. Has he written more books? Is he in fact alive?
We've been searching another copy of THE LAST LEMON GROVE,(we always have to take it out of the library),but alas the only one available seems to be with an American Co. who does not as yet send material to GB......we hope that says something about his book's attraction.A gentle story for a violent time.It badly needs to be reprinted.

An important book for those attempting to understand ancient culture. Cohen uses insights from classical law and anthropological data that helps one to better understand the nature of legal proceedings in ancient Greece. A must for any Classics or Biblical studies student.