Greek as a Treat: An Introduction to the Classics (BBC)

By Peter France

Book Overview

This is a rediscovery of a people who for centuries were thought to have known best how to live. In art, science, medicine, politics, philosophy, sport, drama and history the Greeks invented new ideas and set standards of beauty and excellence which have influenced and inspired the world and which in many cases have never been surpassed. Peter France opens up our eyes and our minds to the best of classical Greece and makes the great writers and thinkers - men like Homer, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato and Heraclitus - human and relevant for us today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140238220
• ISBN13: 9780140238228
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

a great overview of Classical Greece

I totally agree with all the reviews below. What a pity this book is dropping out of print. It is an excellent general introduction to the Greeks that is funny, lively, and never takes itself too seriously. My one issue with Mr. France is that the translations of Homer, Sophocles, and Aeschylus he recommends are good (Hammond, Rieu, Vellacott, Watling), but what about Fagles? Maybe it is a British thing; but after Fagles' translations, those others simply won't do.

Humour and Greek History combined

I started to read this book expecting a dry and labourious list of past events in ancient Greece and such like. From the first line of the introduction it was clearly not going to be like any other book on the classics I had ever read.It is funny, factual - I loved the bit about Parson's Pleasure -,engaging, thoroughly entertaining and very informative. You've just got to buy this book.....

An excellent balanced overview of classical Greek ethos.

As a retired computer industry executive, I have spent seventeen serious years both formally a la carte at Oxford and elsewhere as well as informally studying classical Greek culture, have amassed a library of over four thousand books on this subject, and I only regret that I didn't have Peter France's book as my course outline before I started. The respect that Sir Kenneth Dover and other eminent scholars (and in Dover's case, formerly Oxford) lent Mr. France certainly attests with more authority than I to its value. Its thoroughness, breadth and accuracy of representation of a very complex culture is truly admirable and would have saved me from many lower priority lower yield "roads less traveled".

excellent over view of ancient greek culture

I read this book to get a general feel for ancient greece after reading the Odyssey in the summer. The book was an excellent walk though of ancient greek culture and philosophy, though in places it can be difficult without an academic background of sorts. I particularly liked how straight forward the authors analogies were, and how the information was portrayed in section, in particular the snippits from actual greek plays give a taste of some of the greats that is certain to leave one wanting for more. An Excellent book.