“Fourth-century Athens has a special claim on our attention apart from the great men it produced,” writes Hamilton, “for it is the prelude to the end of Greece...The kind of events that took place in the great free government of the ancient world may, by reason of unchanging human nature, be repeated in the modern world. The course that Athens followed can be to us not only a record of old unhappy far-off things, but a blueprint of what may happen again.”
With the clarity and grace for which she is admired, Edith Hamilton writes of Plato and Aristotle, of Demosthenes and Alexander the Great, of the much-loved playwright Menander, of the Stoics, and finally, of Plutarch. She brings these figures vividly to life, not only placing them in the context of their own times, but also conveying very poignantly their meaning for our world today.
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"Still relevant and evocative. the section on Plato and Aristotle is worth the whole read. Finally humanizes them. Aristotle shortly before his death: "The more lonely and alone I am the more I have come to love myths." Terrific sections on Isocrates and Demosthenes. "
— Greg (5 out of 5 stars)
“The narrator’s sincerity and expressiveness greatly enhance the author’s characterizations and conclusions, and draw the listener in.”
— AudioFile“The text is well read by Nadia May.”
— Library Journal" Like resting my face upon a cool smooth stone "
— Martha, 4/26/2012" Still relevant and evocative. the section on Plato and Aristotle is worth the whole read. Finally humanizes them. Aristotle shortly before his death: "The more lonely and alone I am the more I have come to love myths." Terrific sections on Isocrates and Demosthenes. "
— Greg, 3/7/2012" A skimming, high-level view of the Greece to Rome transferrance and the effect on th earliest expressions of Christianity. While somewhat breezy, this is enlightening and entertaining. "
— Tom, 12/2/2011" This is making me want to read Plutarch's Lives. Edith Hamilton is unabashedly in love with the Greeks -- and she includes the Roman Stoic Marcus Aurelius in this category -- and she makes you love them too. "
— Jen, 6/17/2011" This is making me want to read Plutarch's Lives. Edith Hamilton is unabashedly in love with the Greeks -- and she includes the Roman Stoic Marcus Aurelius in this category -- and she makes you love them too. "
— Jen, 11/5/2010" Like resting my face upon a cool smooth stone "
— Martha, 1/9/2009Edith Hamilton (1867–1963) graduated with a master’s degree from Bryn Mawr College, won the National Achievement Award in 1950, received honorary doctorates, and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1957 she was made an honorary citizen of Athens and decorated with the Golden Cross of the Order of Benefaction by King Paul of Greece.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.