Ancient Athens

Children's Literature

What a great idea! This book is organized in a manner very similar to a "real" tourbook, containing chapters titled like "Transportation, Lodging and Food," "Athletics and Recreation," and "Daytrips to Nearby Sites." What differs substantially from modern tourbooks is that this tour guide is set in the year 340 B.C. (said year being chosen as it portrays the city when it was still an enormous political power as well as a cultural model.) Modern day units of measurement are used for ease of understanding for young readers. Black-and-white photographs add to its authenticity. The first chapter discusses the history of ancient Athens and the end of the book contains a top-notch bibliography and suggestions for further research. This book would be an excellent resource for reports or to pull in reluctant history students who may bite at the clever presentation and not even realize how much factual information they are absorbing by reading this volume. The author, who is a historian, has written many books relative to the ancient Greek world, as well as literary companions to works of Homer and Sophocles. He and his wife live in Massachusetts. Part of "The Travel Guide" series that also includes, but is not limited to, titles pertaining to Renaissance Florence, Ancient Alexandria and the California Gold Country. Highly recommended for classroom or library use. 2003, Lucent Books/The Gale Group,
— Cindy Carolan

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Ancient Athens has passed a great legacy down to the modern world in its political structures, art, literature, and architecture. This book is an admirable attempt to portray the history of the city, and, to a greater extent, the ebb and flow of daily life in the year 340 B.C.E. This date is beyond the time of Athens's greatest glory, but still within the period when its major attractions brought visitors from all over Greece. The conceit of the series is that the information is presented as a travel guide. This gives Nardo an opportunity to describe the customs, people, buildings, religious festivals, athletics, art, and politics as if speaking to someone from another culture, which, of course, all modern readers are. Young "tourists" from the 21st century will find much useful material for reports, including a large number of black-and-white illustrations, a few maps, and an extensive bibliography (unfortunately, not including Web resources). The detailed descriptions of this illustrious city-state should be a welcome addition to any collection. Peter Connolly and Hazel Dodge's The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome (Oxford, 1998) is a good complementary book.-David Pauli, Hillsboro Public Library, OR Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.