This review compares the Lonely Plantet Greece (4th Edition) with the Rough Guide Greece (8th edition). We spent 2.5 weeks in July, 2001 in Greece, our first visit, and these were our guide books.
A relucant 4 stars to each, and a slight preference for RG. We certainly found the books serviceable, and they gave us good ideas of where in Greece we wanted to go. But they were much less valuable in their listings for individual destinations. They were the least valuable compared to the other LP and RG travel books we've used (Portugal, Italy, Thailand, Tokyo).

As usual, they both overstate their hotel rankings which to me make sense only if you've been sleeping out on the beach from necessity, and now have finally scraped some money together for a room. An exagerration, but I've lost patience with gushing praise for facilities which are usually no better than serviceable and sometimes less than that. And, we're not into spending money on fancy accommodations. Occassionaly the books are on the money, but often not.

On the smaller islands RG usually had more accommodation listings, but occassionally LP did. There were at least two instances when LP had none, just saying that rooms were available.

The ferry schedules in the books, pretty much consistent between them, bore little relation to reality, even though we were there in the high season.

I want to complete with my usual gripe about these and other guide books: we don't know which restaurants and hotels were actually visited by the writers (and by which one) and when. To paraphrase from my review of RG Portugal:

LP is out front in saying that its reviewers do not stay at all the hotels or eat at all the restaurants they list. I would like it if the reviews would be initialized by the reviewers with the date. This would allow us to learn each reviewer's tastes and standards, not to mention seeing which places they actually visited.

One LP writer (not I think an author of this book) in discussing restaurants wrote: "As one of those LP writers I can tell you that it is not physically possible to eat even a 'little bit of a meal' in each of those restaurants :-) What we all tend to do is eat at a broad cross-section within the norms of natural eating times and visit the other restaurants and talk to the owner or even the diners if it can be done discretely. In the same vein we don't sleep at every hotel!"

Talk to the owners for your evaluation! Says it all.

Most of my friends often recommend the Lonely Planet books, especially for those of us who can't mortgage our homes for one-night stays in hotels listed by Frommer's and Fodor's guides. But I went with Rough Guide for my trip last summer to Greece, and while some of the maps weren't as detailed as they could might have been, most of the recommendations were spot on.

Many nightspots get renovated; names get changed, etc. That's something the editors can't really help with. But any restaurant or bar I went to (listed in the guide) was above-average, if not better than they claimed.

The historical data was also well-balanced; so you're not bored to tears with it, and yet it's detailed enough to keep you reading through it. Bonus marks for the great inclusion of the Greek music coverage (flawed, but excellent), and the price of the book is decent.

We just came back from a 3 weeks, modest-budget, partly backpacking, partly car-rental trip around Rhodes, Crete, and Peloponnese. We deliberately stayed off the beaten tracks as much as possible. We used this guide along with French "Guide du Routard" and Michelin guides. I picked this guide against the Lonely Planet one based on an excellent experience with the Corsica rough guide last year.

This Rough Guide was above all very practical -- it simply is amazingly detailed, and what's more, it's mostly right. The rooms , hotels, and restaurants suggested were spot on. Very few outdated entries.

This guide also includes much relevant background info on Greek history, politics, food, an so on. This made for a much more interesting trip.

The paper was very thin yet high quality, making this guide even more worth its space in my pack.

This is definitely not the guide for organized tours -- the authors make no secret of their disdain for package tourism and the spoiling it often brings. But, for the independent traveller, this is the best guide I have found in English or French.

Excellent book providing great detail. We used the book when we sailed around the islands and it provided a great guide to most, if not all islands. Very up to date.

Probably most value to those using the ferry service, but excellent none the less for others getting around more than one island.

You don't need it if you're going on a cruise (it's rather snooty about cruises, with that backpacker reverse snobbery)or if you're going to fly to one island and stay there. In fact the details about the boats and timetables may be too much. If you're moving from island to island independently you have to have it. It's the only one that tells you about the boats themselves. Reading this book could even save your life My favorite comment in the 1999 edition was about the boat then called the Golden Vergina. "a large grime bucket-she has inthe past shuddered along, not thanks to an excess of engine vibration but rather with the collective disgust of her passengers. thanks to the conditions on board ... better than no boat all but only just." She was renamed the Express Santina and if you read about the Paros shipwreck you know the rest. 80 were drowned.

Indispensable if you are moving from island to island on your own. Package tourist or cruisers can manage without it. I have always enjoyed the accurate details on the boats themselves. This addition has great WEB sites to explore. Maybe it needs more about Athens airport and the mystifying Olympic Airlines terminal. Flights from New York or London to the islands are not listed on Flifo. You have to go to the Olympic Airlines WEB site and get the domestic timetable of flights from Athens. Even flying Olympic from London you have to check in again as a domestic passenger and then go through security and then you find a row of gates with numbers and names of islands. It's simple if you're not half asleep. The first class lounge (ok - not real island hopping but I'm 65) is hidden at the end of the row AFTER security. On the flights that stop at Thessalonika you have to go through passport control twice.

Filled with great photographs of ancient art and artifacts, "Alexander the Great: Man of Action, Man of Spirit" is a colorful biography of one of the most important figures of the classical world. Briant (translator: Leggatt), an historian specializing in this era, provides extensive background not only to Alexander's life, but to the social and political climate as well. In fact, some of the background is almost TOO extensive, and in my opinion dilutes parts of the biography. We are taken through Alexander's assumption of the Macedonian throne, his early conquests in Near Asia, his victories over Darius, and his extension of the Macedonian/Greek empire into India. Much emphasis is given to Alexander's adoption of Persian custom; since this is Briant's specialty, sometimes this supersedes all else and becomes a little redundant. Although the artwork and maps are wonderful, the layout of the book leaves something to be desired; near the end of the first part of the book, it took me forever to find the map illustrating the conquest of India -- it was so far back in the chapter, it wasn't useful. One of the elements I did enjoy was the collection of ancient commentaries/history on Alexander, occuring at the end of the main part of the book. Although the details and maps on one particular battle did nothing for me, the historical accounts of later generations, and the idolization of Alexander by not only the Greeks and Romans, but Muslims and Indians as well was fascinating. I also thought the demonization of Alexander by some segments of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages (naming him the Antichrist) was very interesting. I think that this is a good introduction to the subject, as long as you tolerate some of the repetitiveness and digressions. Unfortunately, since there is so much fantasy about Alexander, we still don't know who he really was, a problem since his death centuries ago.

For a brief overview of Alexander's life, this is one of the most enjoyable books one could buy. Briant quotes various authors; the reader is encouraged to draw his/her own conclusions. And the huge bonus is the pictures. It is probably the most colourful, best illustrated little book on Alexander that's around. Even if you are thoroughly familiar with Alexander's history, it is a delight to marvel at paintings by LeBrun, Bazzi et al.

This book is a good read and has very beautiful illustrations and pictures of actual artifacts. It's not a very long book or too detailed but it's well worth the money. I highly recommend it to anyone.

First I must warn you that this book is lacking on themedieval side. The book has many fold out maps andillustrations that reall make thing clear. All the big names or generals are covered Alexander the Great, Hannibal and Julius Caesar.

This is an exceptional book in virtually every respect, especially in its cartographic representations. The text is a bit thin in places, but better and more cogently presented than most works of similar intent and coverage.

However, one might be excused for asking whether those who have posted "reviews" for this title have actually read this atlas; they riddled their musings with enough mistakes (both of the factual and grammatical variety) to render them more than suspect. For example, "The medieval part is short and weak, but in my opinion is [sic] not the author [sic] fault but the state of development of the military art during the middle ages." Surely he jests.

Great book, if you like military history. It focus in perhaps the best generals in the history of mankind, and the author has made an exceptional selection (Caesar, Anibal, Alexander,...). The medieval part is short and weak, but in my opinion is not the author fault but the state of development of the military art during the middle ages.

"A history which does not constantly cause one to reflect on
what he is reading and to be cognizant of the nature and
ambiguities of the evidence is hardly performing the function
that a historical work should," reads the Preface to Fine's 720
page survey of Ancient Greek history. The work does just that,
constantly drawing on the sources, both archaeological and
literary, and emphasizing the difficulty of obtaining "absolute
certainty." This makes for an excellent introduction into the
scholarship of Ancient Greek history from the early Aegean world
through the death of Alexander the Great.

Readers looking for a lighter treatment of the subject, however,
should look elsewhere. Though Fine assumes little knowledge of
the subject, his aim is "not to produce a smoothly flowing
narrative," and he certainly does not. Readers should bring a
serious interest in Greek history with them, because Fine does
not motivate it.

The serious student, though, will find the work rewarding. Those
with a basic knowledge of the ancient world and a hunger to
deepen that knowledge will find all of the major topics of
Ancient Greek history dealt with broadly and competently, and
will be able to move on from Fine's work into works of a less
general orientation. Though the work lacks a bibliography, the
Notes include enough sources to keep a student busy for years.
Anyone seriously interested in Ancient Greek history will find

this book to be an excellent introduction to the subject and its scholarly methods.

"A history which does not constantly cause one to reflect on what he is reading and to be cognizant of the nature and ambiguities of the evidence is hardly performing the function that a historical work should," reads the Preface to Fine's 720 page survey of Ancient Greek history. The work does just that, constantly drawing on the historical sources, both archaeological and literary, and emphasizing the difficulty of obtaining "absolute certainty." This makes for an excellent introduction into serious study Ancient Greek history from the early Aegean world through the death of Alexander the Great.

Readers looking for a lighter treatment of the subject, however, should look elsewhere. Though Fine assumes little knowledge of the subject, his aim is "not to produce a smoothly flowing narrative," and he certainly does not. Readers should bring a serious interest in Greek history with them, because Fine does not motivate it.

The serious student, though, will find the work rewarding. Those with a basic knowledge of the ancient world and a hunger to deepen that knowledge will find all of the major topics of Ancient Greek history dealt with broadly and competently, and will be able to move on from Fine's work into works of a more specific orientation. Though the work lacks a bibliography, the Notes include enough sources to keep a student busy for years. Anyone seriously interested in Ancient Greek history will find this book to be an excellent introduction to the subject and its scholarly methods.

I agree with David Reisbeck's review, but I want to add a few things. Among historians, Fine is one of the best for several reasons. First, his skepticism and fairness to all the sources stand out: he is not seduced by certain authors or philosophies of history as many are. He acutely perceives the difficulties of historical research. For anyone already interested in the history of Greece, I doubt there could be a better book; if you know a little and want to fill in what you're missing it's a great one too. Plus, it encourages further reading, making you aware of the sources available.

I would give two warnings. First, it's dense. It's serious history, directed towards students rather than casual readers. Second, it's not primarily a history of Greek thought and culture except in their broadest outlines. If you want to study the devleopment of ancient philosophy or of Greek art or religion, you'll have to look elsewhere. But if that's all that you're familiar with (this was my situation), it's an excellent coverage of their background.

The most surprising aspect of the book, for me, was Fine's wisdom about human nature--without being cynical. I usually think in terms of naive vs. cynical, and Fine is neither. Very refreshing.

Finally, I want to mention that the paperback binding of this book is wonderful. Few books have survived the beating my copy took, and still it looks good.

This book is useful in that it gives a history of site identification from the Hellenistic period onwards, and a good review of archaeological surveys at Troy up to the 1990s.

Much of the book is devoted to proving that the Greek camp was not on the shores of the Hellespont but to the south-west of Troy.

Many photos are just too small for their purpose. For instance, the critical view of Samothrace beyond Imbros ought to have been photographed with a telescopic lens to make the point.

Although the book is a "hardcover" the pages are not sewn in but glued like a paperback. The spine was broken - and the pages loose - on the public library copy that I read. I wouldn't buy the book for this reason alone.

J.V. Luce's "Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited" is a vibrant presentation of his contention that Homer was personally familiar with the geographical realities of the primary settings of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Luce supports his theory by a detailed examination of the landscape (and sea) of Troy and Ithaca in ancient times (both in the Thirteenth Century BCE when the Trojan War probably occurred and also in the Eighth Century BCE when Homer most likely composed his great poems) and at the present day. In so doing, Luce takes cognizance of archaeological studies of recent years, notably the work done at Troy by Manfred Korfmann who has demonstrated to the satisfaction of most that extent of Bronze Age Troy was much greater than walled citadel located on the mound of Hisarlik identified over a century ago. Strong arguments are presented that the words of Homer accurately present a picture of physical reality, right down to small geographical features such as the "swelling of the plain" in front of Troy and the "crag of the ravens" on Ithaca. And in arguing for his case that Homer walked the ground he would later describe, Luce also presents a persuasive case that, in the case of the Trojan War at any rate, Homer was also describing events firmly rooted in history. Luce's analysis of the location of the Greek camp is especially noteworthy in this regard. The volume is well illustrated by numerous excellent photographs taken by the author.

For anyone intrigued by Homer's poems and the historical events behind them, Luce's book should be on their "must have" list.

This book is a treasure. And no reader of the Iliad or the Odyssey (or indeed lover of classical Greek culture) should be without it. It is an easy read. It is amply illustrated. There are good maps and wonderful photographs.

Luce's thesis is that Homer had actually visited the places he wrote about in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Luce writes to counteract what he refers to as the trend ro regard Homeric accounts of landscape and locality as "poetic constructions". Luce's states that firmly believes Homer's paramount concern with respect to local description was "truth to life".

His point is that Homer's various descriptions accord with the ACTUAL landscape one would have seen had one been standing where the narrator of the view stood. And because there is such concordance, it means that either Homer himself or people he had spoken to must have stood, for example, where Helen stood when she gazed out over the marshalling of the Greek troops. Or have seen the "twin sources...of the Scamander." Luce believes he has actually found these two pools.

A truly astonishing example of this is the concordance between the "Homeric topography" of Hera's journey from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida and "real world topography". The point that needs to be made here is that the ancient Greeks has extraordinarily crude maps -- it wasn't as though Homer could rely on a map for his geography - he needed to have BEEN there.

Luce documents his thesis in extraordinary detail with reference to Homer, ancient writers, more recent commentators and archeological finds. He includes many many excerpts from Homer -- translated with startling beauty by himself. Luce himself visited virtually every single site he writes about and some of the most compelling evidence lies often in his own photographs. Most of these photographs are in gorgeous colour and my one regret is that this book was not coffee-table sized. It should have been.

Luce's major task is to make the case for modern day Hisarlik as the site of ancient Troy. And this occupies a central portion of the work. But considerable attention is spent on Ithica and Odysseus journey's as well.

What shines out through all of this is Luce's love of his subject. I must confess that at times I felt the thesis became strained as he sought to fit even the most unlikely Homeric descriptions into the geography of Greece and Turkey. But any reservations became quickly banished with the turn of a page.

After reading this book, you will start planning your trip. Indeed this book could become a vertiable vacation planner. Buy it.

Good source to compare and contrast Plato's accounts. Major significant part in this book is 'the dinner party'.

More on Socrates, especially for those who wish to know more after having exhausted Plato (which is no simple task). Only gets four stars because it comes across as being slightly less powerful than Plato, although, contrary to the translators opinion, appears to portray the historical Socrates more accurately (except for the final dialogue). Socrates' Defense presents the only other complete account of his trial, Memoirs of Socrates is a collection, The Dinner Party is about the notion of love, and Estate Manager is a dialogue about managing an estate. I have always find the presentation of dialogue preferable to essay (as in Plutarch).

Xenophon relates an easy-to-understand text of who Socrates was and what he taught. It includes his defence, memoirs, dinner party, and estate-manager. Truly fine reading.

Great drama. I'm not a huge "classics" fan and yet I enjoyed this. If you're into Greek mythology and like flowery language and prose (and lots of melodrama) you will enjoy this. HINT: don't read these plays line-by-line like a poem - I find that it's more difficult to follow them that way. Read this like you would a novel.

The murder of Clytemnestra by her son Orestes is unique in Greek mythology in that it is the one story for which we have extant versions by all three of the great tragic poets. Consequently, it is insightful to notice how each tragedy privileges different parts of the story. In "Choephoroe" ("The Libation Bearers") by Aeschylus, the middle part of his "Orestia" trilogy, Orestes is obedient to the gods in avenging the death of his father and the pivotal scene is the confrontation between mother and son when Clytemnestra begs for her life. In "Electra" by Euripides the title character has to persuade Orestes to go through with the deed and the dramatic confrontation is now between mother and daughter. In the Sophocles version of "Electra" the emphasis is on the psychological dimensions of the situation; after all, it is from this play that Freud developed his concept of the Electra complex.

Towards that end Sophocles creates a character, Chrysothemis, another sister to both Orestes and Electra. The situation is that Orestes is assumed to be dead and the issues is whether the obligation to avenge the death of Agamemnon now falls to his daughters. There is an attendant irony here in that Clytemnestra justified the murder of her husband in part because of his sacrifice of their oldest daughter Iphigenia before sailing off to the Trojan War (the curse on the House of Atreus, which involves Aegisthus on his own accord and not simply as Clytemnestra's lover, is important but clearly secondary). The creation of Chrysothemis allows for Sophocles to write a dialogue that covers both sides of the dispute. Electra argues that the daughters must assume the burden and avenge their father while Chrysothemis takes the counter position.

Sophocles does come up with several significant twists on the Aeschylus version. For one thing, Sophocles reverses the order of the two murders and has Clytemnestra slain first, which sets up an interesting scene when Aegisthus gets to revel over what he believes to be the corpse of Orestes and makes the death of the usurper the final scene of the play. This becomes part of the most significant difference between the Sophocles version and the others. Whereas Orestes emerges from the skene distraught after the murder of his mother in "Cheophoroe" and is repentant in the Euripides version of "Electra," Sophocles has Orestes calmly declaring that all in the house is well.

Electra is not as central a character to the drama as she is in the Euripides version, mainly because she does not have a functional purpose in this tragedy. Her main purpose is to lament over the death of the father and the supposed death of her brother. She does not provide Orestes with a sense of resolve because in this version he does not consult the oracles to learn whether or not he should kill his mother but rather how he can do the deed. Still, the part of Electra has enormous potential for performance. Ironically, this "Electra" is the least interesting of the three, despite the fact Freud made it infamous: by his standards the Euripides play speaks more to the desire of a daughter to see her mother dead, but since Sophocles wrote "Oedipus the King" it probably seemed fair to point to his version of this tale as well.

this play,i.e., Electra is literally an electtifying tradgedy about revenge. One can almsot say that it is in a way a precursor to Shakespeare's Hamlet.

It was truly an exciting experience which found me capering about loose scoria ridges looming over the still fuming caldera several feet about the beach; I felt quite daring, especially as I am extremely afraid of heights! I learned a lot that I had missed by dropping out of my degree program prior to going on my summer field camp. There were examples of debris flows, unconformities, erosional channels, wind formations, faulting, uplift of sea bed strata with fossiliferous deposits, all an education in themselves. I also learned that hours on end in the hot sun plotting individual grains of rock for size, shape, color, angularity, and inclination is not my cup of tea. It makes a great summer vacation for the enthusiastic amateur, but I couldn't imagine it as a permanent, full time job. I decided I had missed nothing by remaining a nurse, and looked forward to a publication of results that I could enjoy in the quiet of my own home!

Just such a report has since be published (2000). I had the great good fortune to discover Walter L. Friedrich's volume Fire in the Sea while browsing the various Amazon links from another book on geology. Although it's not an in depth geological or archaeological survey of the research on the island, it is an excellent compendium for the page length of what is known about it with respect to these two topics. Above all it is an approachable discourse on the tectonic history of Santorini, both ancient and modern. There are wonderful photos of the various vistas around the island-many of which I recognized from my own visit there--and several maps that show the development of the site through time. Reports of volcanism and earthquake activity through the ages are included from earlier authors that give an almost biographical character to the story of Santorini or ancient Thera, and there are several illustrations of Minoan art work that help recreate the character of the island prior to the eruption for which the volcano is most noted and often cited, that during Minoan times ca. 1700 BC. At the end of the book in Appendix 1, the author has included one of Plato's Dialogs discussing the ancient tale of Atlantis with which the island has been linked by a number of researchers.

I found the book to be an excellent discourse on the geology of the island but was a little disappointed in that there was so little about the archaeological site of Akrotiri, especially as geologists-including Dr. Floyd McCoy, with whom I worked and who is mentioned in the volume-have been very helpful in illuminating some of the events of the city's last moments. The excavation site is fascinating, as the structures are preserved in places up to second stories. The faulted stair case (p. 70) is included and is one of the most emotive sights in the devestated city, but a more thorough discussion of the site and what is believed to have occurred there during the eruption that ended its life is a very stirring tale, one that could have lent a greater sense of the moment to the reader. It would also illustrate how the activities of archaeology and geology are integrated to generate productive results. Although the author discusses in brief some of the concerns of the modern inhabitants of the island, I would also have enjoyed more photos of the modern towns in the area, since I suspect they are very like those that have existed on the island since antiquity. A discussion of their own history and likely future would have added a sense of continuity to the tale of Santorini

The first customer review's comment on Mount St. Helens requires a correction. Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980, well before this book was written.

Ash particles from this 1980 eruption in Washington State's Cascade Mountains were thrown high enough to be caught up in the jet stream and deposited in a fine-grained plume that extended all the way around the world. This prompted publication of tongue-in-cheek picture postcards that proclaimed, "Don't come to Washington: Washington will come to you!"

But since the book was originally published in Germany, the authors may be forgiven for expecting comparisons with Stromboli and Vesuvius to have more interest for their target audience. An Indonesian author of a similar book might well have focused on comparisons with Krakatoa.

This in-depth survey of the Santorini volcano's natural history and its connections to the Atlantis legend will hold special appeal for students of volcanism and geology: Fire in the Sea is packed with color photos of the volcano, relics, excavations, and maps; and it includes in-depth discussions of volcanism in general. An outstanding, involving account for the dedicated student of geology.

I wonder if "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is Wild Bill's answer to "Romeo and Juliet" and works like it: instead of being passionate, life and death, as-important-as-the universe, here love and romance is light, frivolous, fickle and funny.

Love is in the air; love is everywhere. But at the middle of it all are two women with frustratingly similar names: Helena and Hermia. Hermia loves Lysander but is engaged (by a controlling father) to Demetrius. Helena loves Demetrius, who can think of no one but Hermia. Until a fairy god and an impish spirit step in and sprinkle some love-juice around: suddenly it's all a mess, everyone switches partners like at a square dance. But, naturally, it all works out in the end, and two pairs of lovers emerge to live happily ever after.

Two subplots add to the silliness of love: Titania, the fairy queen, under a spell sent by her husband, falls in love with a man with an donkey's head. (read: there is no objectivity in love, no "ideal lover".) Then, a bunch of fools perform a hilaroiusly awful play for the king, a play about tragically separated and suicidal lovers...something like Romeo and Juliet. (read: tragedy and love together are hilariously overdramatic.)

A enjoyable, funny, light, fairly fast play to read and perform. You gotta love Puck. The only real difficulty I had was keeping Helena and Hermia straight -- now, who loves who?

And really, in the end, it doesn't matter who loves who, just that all are loved.

Make sure you don't read one of those nasty prose or abridged versions here. Half the fun is the meter, and it's definitely short and sweet enough not to need abridgement.

a passage from the play:

PUCK: If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, (and all is mended)

That you have but slumbered here,

While these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme,

No more yielding but a dream,

Gentles, do not reprehend;

If you pardon, we will mend.

And, as I am an honest Puck,

If we have unearned luck,

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,

We will make amends, ere long:

Else the Puck a liar call.

So, good night unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

And Robin will restore amends."

Be warned, if you're looking for the original text of Shakespeare's play, this is not it - this is a retelling of the play by Bruce Coville in the attempt to introduce younger readers to the realm of Shakespeare.

In attempting that, he succeeds very well in bringing the text to a new format - all the components of the tale are here (though obviously abridged), and are clearly and smoothly told, keeping most of the spirit of the play, as well as the most important of quotes, for instance - "The course of true love never did run smooth," and "What fools these mortals be".

Three plot threads run throughout the story set in ancient Athens under the rule of the Duke Theseus about to be wed to his own Amazon-bride. Foremost is the love-tangle between the virtually indistinguishable Helena, Lysander, Hermia and Demetrius. When Hermia and Demetrius decide to elope, racing away into the woods, Lynsander follows (who has been promised Hermia by her father), and chasing after him is the spurned Helena, desparately (and pathetically) in love with him.
Meanwhile, the King and Queen of Fairies, Oberon and Titania are having what can only be called a domestic over a young changeling boy that Oberon wants to join his service, but who Titania is determined to keep in remembrance of his mother, her devoted friend. To punish his Queen, Oberon sends his servent, the hobgoblin Puck, to fetch a flower capable of making anyone under its spell fall in love with whatever creature they behold.
Finally, the group of players led by Peter Quince and joined by Francis Flute and the famous Nick Bottom journey into the forest to practice their play to perform on the Duke's wedding day, and fall the victims of Puck's prankish nature, when he transforms the head of Bottom into that of an ass. Of course, it is he that Titania first spies when she awakens from her slumber...

It is a complicated and intricate play, full of mayhem and havoc in which everybody falls in love with everybody else, but Coville handles it well and keeps it simple to the point of abridging much of the final act in which Bottom and the players finally get to perform. However, such a scene is somewhat un-neccessary in the "storybook" context of this retelling, and its removal was probably a good idea. The themes of wayward love and its fickleness is still in place, whether it be the mis-matching of the young lovers, the quarrels between husband and wife, or the ridiculousness of the romantic, suicidal couple that the actors play "Pyramus and Thisby" (on which Shakespeare based "Romeo and Juliet").

The illustrations fit the story well. Though some might hope for intricate, highly detailed work that we usually see in fairy-books these days (such as the work of Brian Froud or K. Y. Craft), here the watercolours are in soft pastels, very clearly and simply planned and rendered. To help the reader along, there is an introductory page of the main character's busts, and the four lovers can be easily identified by their colour-coding (just remember - the blonde girl goes with the blonde boy and the dark-haired girl goes with the dark-haired boy). Bottom is hilarious with or without his ass-head, and you can tell just from his expression that he's a complete buffon.

Most of the fairies are as they are usually portrayed - small, winged, barefooted and delicate, but their impish faces and spindly bodies save them from appearing as those silly, cute, adorable little fairies that you might expect in Enid Blyton. To my mind, fairies must have a little of the mysterious and potential for malevolence about them. The potrayal of Oberon and Titania is somewhat odd - Titania appears as a full grown woman (though in a couple of pictures horribly stick-like, almost anorexic) but Oberon seems almost child-like, as if he's a boy in an over-sized sheet. Like the four lovers, many of the characters are portrayed as incredibly young, a theme that runs through into Puck.

It is Puck who is the centrepiece of this retelling, both in the narrative and in the pictures. With tangled hair and a fuzzy loincloth, the cheeky toddler whizzes about the air, sometimes the very picture of innocence, other times with a devilish grin. He can't help but make you smile when you see him.

Altogether, a good start to introduce young readers to the play, with nice clear pictures just this side of an art and/or fairy-lovers collection.

I'm surprised that none of the reviews I've read (I didn't read them all, but about 25) even mention the pictures in this wonderful edition by Bruce Coville. I've read the play and adore it, seen it several times, etc. But the reason one would buy this book rather than Shakespeare's words is for the clear, modern English storytelling and the gorgeous images. This is a wonderful book to introduce Shakespeare to anyone. I personally love the poetry of Shakespeare's lines but know that they are difficult for children and Shakspeare newbies. This book tells the story in clear words and great pictures, full of classical fairies and beautiful maidens and valorous youths (plus some great facial expressions on Bottom). Worth every penny.