Non-fiction book reviews - reference

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Alexias
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Non-fiction book reviews - reference

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NON-FICTION BOOK REVIEWS - REFERENCE

The Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd edition, 2003) 1640pp, Edited by Simon Hornblower & Antony Spawforth.
Reviewer: Christopher Bates

The Oxford Classical Dictionary could just have easily been called an encyclopaedia, so comprehensive is its coverage of the Graeco-Roman world. The book itself includes over 6200 entries, A-Z; advisors to this work include such established Alexander scholars as Ernst Badian, with contributions on relevant entries from scholars such as Bosworth, Borza, Hammond, to name but a few. This is where a potential problem lies; so many different perspectives and viewpoints are accommodated, fortunately each entry has the relevant contributor's initials attached to it- so potential bias can be taken into account. The extensive entry on Alexander the Great is the work of A.B Bosworth, one suspects that Hammond may have had a different interpretation of events!? As you may expect given the extensive nature of this work it is not cheap, the new revised third edition (2003) will probably set you back in excess of $100/£60, however it is simply a must have for anyone serious about studying the Graeco-Roman world. P.S- the entry on Homosexuality in the ancient world is both extensive, and excellent!

Who’s Who in the Classical World, Edited by Simon Hornblower and Tony Spawforth, Oxford University Press, 2000
Reviewer: Forum Contributor

An easy reference guide for anyone interested in the classical world and the age of Alexander. With 100 contributors, the book concentrates on the period from 800 B.C. to 300 A.D. (running further out on both ends of the spectrum) and is meant to be a companion volume to the Oxford Classical Dictionary. The only thing to be aware of is that, in selecting specific writers for specific persons ( ie Bosworth for Alexander and Hephaistion), the reader sometimes receives a very limited- and sometimes questionable- perception. This book is a start, not an ending.

Oxford History of the Classical World, Edited by J. Boardman, J. Griffin and O. Murray, Oxford University Press, 1986
Reviewer: Forum Contributor

This is a classical book for the library, though you should buy an updated and revised version periodically. And while it is often viewed as a book only for “scholars”, it is in fact a perfect book for anyone who wants a well-done overview of the classical world of Greece and Rome.

Alexander the Great In Greek and Roman Art, Margarete Bieber, Argonaut Inc., Chicago, 1964
Reviewer: Forum Contributor

This book features 88 pages of explanatory text with 122 black and white images of Alexander or Alexander-possibles. Photos of statues and coins dominate, with some interesting angles for those who have not had the opportunity to view the items. Though some of the text is dated, the photos alone make the book worth having.
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