The Classical Greek Reader (Henry Holt Reference Book)

An anthology of well-known and less familiar ancient Greek texts, poems, art, plays, and historical and political documents, offering perspectives from women, doctors, storytellers, and herbalists of the period as well as philosophers. Selections include introductions on authors' lives and the social and political contexts of the works. Includes a glossary and b&w photos. For students and others. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Former Occidental College professor Atchity attempts to make ancient Greek literature attractive to a Nineties' audience. He succeeds in being more inclusive than traditional in terms of women, scientists, and philosophers, but the relatively equal (short) length given each entry diminishes the major historical figures and creates the effect of a sampler rather than an anthology. Introductions provide factoid information about each writer and his or her significance, but too often there is no explanation for the choice of a selection fragment or an analysis of its relationship to the whole work. Also references to current pop culture icons (e.g., Galen as an ancient version of Deepak Chopra) may make this book seem dated in a few years. Although this reader is suitable for all libraries, it should not be viewed as a replacement for more traditional texts such as The Norton Book of Classical Literature (Norton, 1993) or MacKendrick and Howe's venerable Classics in Translation (1959).?Rose Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.