Book Description
Armies and empires, statesmen and tyrants--the acclaimed historian Robin Lane Fox vividly recounts the history of two great civilizations and one thousand years that forged the Western world
The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome once dominated the world, and they continue to fascinate and inspire us. Classical art and architecture, drama and epic, philosophy and politics--these are the foundations of Western civilization. In The Classical World, eminent classicist Robin Lane Fox brilliantly chronicles this vast sweep of history from Homer to the reign of Augustus. From the Peloponnesian War through the creation of Athenian democracy, from the turbulent empire of Alexander the Great to the creation of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Christianity, Robin Lane Fox serves as our witty and trenchant guide. He introduces us to extraordinary heroes and horrific villains, great thinkers and blood-thirsty tyrants. Throughout this vivid tour of two of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known, we remain in the hands of a great master.
Customer Reviews:
A great overview.......2007-08-22
I knew a lot about bits and pieces of classical culture and history, but this book put it all together nicely. It would defenitely be best for people who have an interest in the topic going in. It gets a bit encyclopedic in places, but overall a good and informative read.
Fill-in the gaps in your knowledge of history and have fun doing it.......2007-05-31
I enjoy reading history and decided on this book to give me information about an era I know little about, ancient Greece and Rome. This work is an excellent introduction to this topic and is quite enjoyable to read. The chapters are generally twelve pages or less, so it is convenient to sample the material in small doses. And those doses prove to be fascinating enough to tempt the reader to push on through succeeding chapters even as the eyelids grow heavy at night.
This is a narrative history which chronologically traces the developments of both societies. It is heavy on political events, but provides enough social history to make the period come alive. Fox's work can serve as a fine springboard for later reading in more concentrated areas that the reader may wish to explore. For the person with an interest in history, Professor Fox lays a basic foundation and provides a strong sense of understanding what made Grecian and Roman societies work. In an engaging style, he helps us understand how many traditions, practices, and values evolved in western civilization.
The Classical World is an excellent introduction to the ancient world for the general reader.......2007-05-21
Rome was not built in a day. Neither was Athens or Alexandria or your knowledge of the ancient world! "The Classcial World" is a long book with
small print which will give you a good working understanding of the classical world from Homer (8th century BC) to Hadrian the Roman ruler of the second century AD.
Fox is an Oxford Scholar best known for his book on Alexander the Great used by Oliver Stone in his making of the movie "Alexander." In being forced to cover over 900 years of history it is impossible for Fox to cover, in detail, all the political, social, literary and scientific advances made in that near millenium. Rather, Fox gives us a political survey of the times with some social history included. The chapters are short and digestable. We learn of what is what like to live in the Athens of Pericles or the Rome of Julius Caesar. Fox teaches us about blood sports, sexual morality, literature and the complicated politics of the distant past over 40 generations ago. We meet such seminal figures in Western culture as Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Antony and Latin authors such as Tacitus, Virgil, Suetonius as well as Greek historians Herodotus & Thucydides. The philosophy of Plato and Aristotle is explored. We see empires rise and fall. We meet early Christians such as Paul and see the impact of Christianity on the Roman Empire.
This book is written in a plain easy to comprehend style. The book is well illustrated containing good maps. The most interesting section, to this reviewer, was the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of emperors in the first century BC. Emperors from the Julian-Claudian dynasty are fascinating. Caesar, Augusutus; Tiberius; Caligula; Claudius; Nero are well drawn.
Fox says three major themes are apparent in the way ancients looked at the world" Freedom-from Athenian republicanism to the tyranny of Roman emperors; justice issues were important to the ancients as were the role of luxury in life. The Spartan Greeks would have been appalled at the wanton luxury and sybratic lifestyle of the Roman aristocracy.
This book would do well as a basic textbook for Ancient History 101.
Sweeping history of the Classical World.......2007-02-24
Robin Lane Fox has authored a sweeping history of what he calls "The Classical World," from Homer's Greece to Hadrian's Roman Empire. While a work of such scope means that there cannot be great depth in discussing any point in that era; on the other hand, it provides a bird's eye view of issues, themes, and change over time. The author himself notes that (page xv): "It is a challenge to be asked to write a history of some none hundred years, especially when the evidence is so scattered and diverse, but it is a challenge which I have enjoyed."
Some definitional issues. Lane defines "The Classical World" as (page 1) ". . .the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans, some forty lifetimes before our own but still able to challenge us by a humanity shared with ours." Fox ceases his narrative with the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Why? Lane says (page 2): ". . .'classical literature' ends in his reign. . . ." Even more important Page 2), ". . .is that Hadrian himself was the emperor with the most evident classicizing tastes."
First, Fox focuses on three themes across this span of history--freedom, justice, and luxury. He believes that each of these--and the changes that occurred with time--can help explain the sweep of events.
Second, he divides the time span into several eras, and treats each separately, although noting how the themes of freedom, justice, and luxury play out in each. "The Archaic Greek World" begins with Homer's Greece and concludes with the great Persian Wars. The next time period is what Fox refers to As "The Classical Greek World." This period runs from the rise of democratic Athens, the Peloponnesian War, Socrates, the rise of Philip of Macedon. The next phase is what he terms "Hellenistic Worlds," beginning with Alexander the Great's incredible success and the development of one of the world's largest empires. This frame runs until the final struggles between Carthage and Rome. Fox then moves on to a discussion of "The Roman Republic." Here, he considers the increase in luxury in Rome, the intrigues among Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Caesar's death. He follows this with a discussion "From Republic to Empire." The chapters in this segment include the rise of Octavian (to Augustus), his conflicts with Mark Antony, the Civil War against the assassins of Caesar, and so on. The last portion of the book, "An Imperial World," traces the post-Augustan period, concluding with Hadrian's rule.
Under Hadrian, according to Fox (page 571): ". . .the two worlds of this book, the classical Greek and the Roman, came closely together. Hadrian's love of Greek culture is evident in his patronage, his favours for Greek cities (especially Athens) and his personal romantic life."
In a history as large as this, one sacrifices depth for breadth. It is interesting to note Fox's rather dismissive treatment of Julius Caesar and Octavian/Augustus, as compared with more sympathetic treatments of each in the recent biographies by Goldsworthy and Everitt. Also, Everitt's biography of Cicero provides greater depth on that key figure in the period of time when the Republic was moving toward Empire. All in all, this is a well written book and worth looking at by those interested in this slice of history.
Readable but not compelling.......2007-02-21
Overall, TCW is an adequate survey of over-arching trends in Greco-Roman history. I found the writing style strange, however. Perhaps I'm just more accustomed to linear narratives but TCW seems to lack focus (not to mention depth, but that's to be expected in a general survey).
What is interesting is the theme that runs through the entire work: the correlation between "luxury" (i.e. concentration of wealth and conspicuous consumption) and tyranny/corruption (including sexual mores). I'm not sure if this theme is deliberate or if the author is simply reflecting the values of his sources. Either way, this theme colors the history presented.
What I did like, however, was that relatively little ink was spent on Alexander and Caesar. IMHO it's too easy to get wrapped up in these individuals at the expense of their greater historical context. (Sure, they're interesting but there are plenty of books dealing with them). I was also pleased with the chapters dealing with the Diadochi (the Successors to Alexander the Great).
Another interesting aspect of the book was the (to a significant degree) common culture shared between the Greeks and the Romans. More traditional histories seem to treat the Romans as having emerged independent of and isolated from the larger Greek world that was really the dominate culture in much of the Mediterranean (and the Black Sea, for that matter). That was, perhaps, the most enlightening contribution of the book (for me, at least).
Overall, TCW is an adequate general survey of the subject but not exactly a compelling read.
Book Description
A full, authoritative, and wholly engaging account of these endlessly fascinating tales and of the ancient society in which they were created.
Greek myths are among the most complex and influential stories ever told. From the first millennium BC until today, the myths have been repeated in an inexhaustible series of variations and reinterpretations. They can be found in the latest movies and television shows and in software for interactive computer games.
This book combines a retelling of Greek myths with a comprehensive account of the world in which they developed—their themes, their relevance to Greek religion and society, and their relationship to the landscape.
- "Contexts, Sources, Meanings" describes the main literary and artistic sources for Greek myths, and their contexts, such as ritual and theater.
- "Myths of Origin" includes stories about the beginning of the cosmos, the origins of the gods, the first humans, and the founding of communities.
- "The Olympians: Power, Honor, Sexuality" examines the activities of all the main divinities.
- "Heroic exploits" concentrates on the adventures of Perseus, Jason, Herakles, and other heroes.
- "Family sagas" explores the dramas and catastrophes that befall heroes and heroines.
- "A Landscape of Myths" sets the stories within the context of the mountains, caves, seas, and rivers of Greece, Crete, Troy, and the Underworld.
- "Greek Myths after the Greeks" describes the rich tradition of retelling, from the Romans, through the Renaissance, to the twenty-first century.
Complemented by lavish illustrations, genealogical tables, box features, and specially commissioned drawings, this will be an essential book for anyone interested in these classic tales and in the world of the ancient Greeks. 250 illustrations, 120 in color.
Customer Reviews:
text book.......2007-09-09
Reminds me of a college text book. It's very informative, so be prepared. It's not just a collection of the myths.
Well Constructed and Visually Engaging.......2007-01-22
I've been picking through the gamut of Greek myth texts for an introductory course, and I was fortunate to come across this beauty. It's not just a mythology text that the art historian can use, it's the ONLY classical myth "textbook" I have encountered that could legitimately appeal to art history classes. There are illustrations (usually color photos) on every page. The quality of the pages and binding itself is also really quality stuff. The narration is pretty standard. It's more of a summary text kind of thing than the various excerpts you find in other classical myth texts. I wouldn't use any of the other mythology texts, but this one makes a wonderful supplement to primary source material such as Homer, Hesiod and/or the tragedians. This thing raises the bar for the presentation of classical myth books.
The most beautiful book I have ever owned!.......2007-01-09
Not only does The Complete World of Greek Mythology give the reader a panoramic view of the major motifs of ancient Greek mythology, but there are breath-taking illustrations on every page. It is a magnificent book! And what a bargain. The publishers could easily charge twice as much. Tom Browder
Excellent........2005-06-18
An enormously engaging and highly explanatory work which details ancient greek religious beliefs and the works of the major playwrights and poets alike. What is of particular interest is how Gods and the stories of Myths of Gods and Godess's helped to explain the surrounding world to the people of the time. What is remarkable is these stories really were the first kind of documented evidence of humanity making sense of it's exsistance, purpose and meaning. A phenomena which has been occuring in revised and multi-cultural forms ever since.
The Myths are surprising, intelligent and familair at once, they are remarkable informative and have much contemporary resonance. A classic work on a classic subject.
Are the gods still with us?.......2004-07-16
Seeing the recent movie "Troy" (twice) sparked my reading Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" (Lombardo's translation). But Homer left gaps, assuming his audience was familiar with the mythology. Buxton's book very nicely, comprehensively and entertainingly fills in those gaps. It's fun to read or just peruse by itself, or as a reference.
Even so I'm struck by the early Greeks' absolute belief in the gods, in the gods' presence, and in their power over men and events. Given those Greeks' knowledge of their world back then, I suppose such beliefs were to be expected. But we've come a long way in the intervening three millennia - still many today profess belief in God, the angels and saints. Based on what's known today about our world, in my book, "Concepts: A ProtoTheist Quest for Science-Minded Skeptics", I propose an alternative to such beliefs.
Book Description
This lively, beautifully illustrated history of the civilizations that rose and fell on the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea represents the culmination of a great historian’s unparalleled art, eye, and scholarship.
John Julius Norwich is renowned for his magisterial histories, including the two-volume A History of Venice and the three-volume Byzantium.
The Middle Sea showcases the qualities that have made him one of the most respected and popular historians of our day: witty prose, scrupulous research, and an unerring ability to bring to life the dramatic event, the colorful character, and the telling detail.
Norwich traverses five thousand years of history, tracing the growth of culture, trade, political alliances and enmities, and religious movements from the Phoenician civilization to present-day Mediterranean nations.
In a vivid, fully accessible narrative, he recounts the achievements of the Phoenicians, those great sea traders who carried not just goods but also knowledge to Europe and parts of Asia, the glories of ancient Egypt, the extraordinary contributions of the Greeks, and the rise of the mighty Romans. The twin stories of Byzantium and Islam, the dominant forces after the fall of Rome, crescendo in the incredible saga of the Fourth Crusade and carry readers to the reemergence of a vibrant Europe.
From the far-reaching developments in medieval France to the Renaissance wars in Italy to the triumph of Isabella’s Spain, Norwich provides a brilliant portrait of the intermingling of ancient conflicts and modern sensibilities that shape life today on the shores of the Middle Sea.
Customer Reviews:
Ambitious.......2007-08-28
It is an ambitious undertaking to attempt to cover such a long and varied history as that surrounding the Mediterranean. But professor Norwich turns to the task with the same skill and passion as his earlier works. As should be expected with such a broad subject, there is a great deal rushed over and many details left unattended. The early history seems, in particular, to suffer this fate of limited detail. Yet, where professor Norwich lacks in detail he compensates in broad sweeping coverage of one of the most historically diverse and active areas of the world. It is a good introduction that will give you an appetite for more. Ideal for the new student of any history in the Mediterranean area.
The Middle Sea.......2007-08-27
This book provides a sweeping, very engaging narrative of the history of the Mediterranean Sea, from the ancient civilizations of the Near East to the events and impact of the First World War. It is history told in broad strokes - the key events, historical figures and political, social, and religious trends of the entire geographical area from southern Europe to northern Africa and the Near East over thousands of years. It is true, as some other reviewers have noted, that there may lack a balance in coverage of specific epochs or civilizations. Nevertheless, Norwich is very skilled at recounting history with a sense of drama, excitement, and grace. The book includes a number of black and white and color plates and several useful maps. Strongly recommended.
Entertaining but limited.......2007-08-03
I love Norwich's writing style and have been a great fan of his Byzantine, Venetian, and Sicilian histories. The reader will quickly be seduced by the stories and the pages will turn. While it is evident that the writer is very knowledgeable about Medieval and even Renaissance and early modern topics in Europe, he is very limited, perhaps negatively biased in some non-European areas. Modern Egypt, for instance, received about a paragraph and most of that was inaccurate, making mistakes on who was khedive/sultan/king and when, which then caused me to wonder what other mistakes were present. The 1956 Suez Crisis where Israel invaded the Sinai implied that the Israelis were doing so as a result of Nasr violating a treaty, which is simply incorrect or in the least not remotely accurate. Nasr is dismissed as the man who ripped down the statue of the builder of the Suez Canal and nothing else.... and all that in three or four sentences. Once again, the cursory discussion of the Suez Crisis, the dismissal of much modern history, and some mistakes caused me to wonder what other areas were not treated correctly. As entertaining as the nymphomania of Isabel II of Spain is, it doesn't deserve page after page in comparison with much more important, if less fascinating, aspects of Mediterranean history.
It is my hope that this book will be updated, edited, and researched more thoroughly in any future printing.
Eye-catching cover art and lively writing style.......2007-03-12
THE MIDDLE SEA: A HISTORY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN sums up the author's life's work studying the lands of the Mediterranean from early times to the present. His is a story of ongoing conflicts, the rise and fall of civilizations, and how and why Mediterranean nations changed. While it's a recommended pick for college-level holdings strong in Mediterranean history, its easy access, eye-catching cover art and lively writing style lend to leisure browsing at the public library level, as well.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
4 Stars and Climbing.......2007-03-09
I have not finished the book yet, but the author's style is charming, insightful and enjoyable to read. This is a huge survey of some 4000 years of history of civilizations on the Mediterranean coasts. It goes from Egypt to WWI. Did you know the Romans likely originated in Troy (Aeneas)? Fascinating. For me it pulls together less than satisfactory past knowledge and adds knowledge in a useful way.
Book Description
The Hellenistic era witnessed the overlap of antiquity’s two great Western civilizations, the Greek and the Roman. This was the epoch of Alexander’s vast expansion of the Greco-Macedonian world, the rise and fall of his successors’ major dynasties in Egypt and Asia, and, ultimately, the establishment of Rome as the first Mediterranean superpower.
The Hellenistic Age chronicles the years 336 to 30 BCE, from the days of Philip and Alexander of Macedon to the death of Cleopatra and the final triumph of Caesar’s heir, the young Augustus. Peter Green’s remarkably far-ranging study covers the prevalent themes and events of those centuries: the Hellenization of an immense swath of the known world–from Egypt to India–by Alexander’s conquests; the lengthy and chaotic partition of this empire by rival Macedonian marshals after Alexander’s death; the decline of the polis (city state) as the predominant political institution; and, finally, Rome’s moment of transition from republican to imperial rule.
Predictably, this is a story of war and power-politics, and of the developing fortunes of art, science, and statecraft in the areas where Alexander’s coming disseminated Hellenic culture. It is a rich narrative tapestry of warlords, libertines, philosophers, courtesans and courtiers, dramatists, historians, scientists, merchants, mercenaries, and provocateurs of every stripe, spun by an accomplished classicist with an uncanny knack for infusing life into the distant past, and applying fresh insights that make ancient history seem alarmingly relevant to our own times.
To consider the three centuries prior to the dawn of the common era in a single short volume demands a scholar with a great command of both subject and narrative line. The Hellenistic Age is that rare book that manages to coalesce a broad spectrum of events, persons, and themes into one brief, indispensable, and amazingly accessible survey.
Customer Reviews:
Concise Rendition of a Transitional Age.......2007-08-06
As the title suggests ("A Short History") this treatment of the period sacrifices depth for brevity. Not being familiar with the subject I enjoyed this well-written introduction. Not only is the book a good first overview, it has plenty of notes geared towards further study and a short guide to further reading indicating what the author considers current best texts--as well as the usual bibliography.
A solid effort by a great scholar.......2007-07-31
Hmmm... a former professor who cannot spell the word "engrossed." What did you profess, exactly? (see review above).
Peter Green is one of the world's most eminent scholars of ancient Hellas. His *Xerxes at Salamis* is a classic of historical writing and an engrossing read. While this book is not his best effort, he was hamstrung by the Modern Library's page requirements (not to mention assumptions about the readership of such a book).
A Sad Example of an Over-the-Hill Academician.......2007-06-28
Don't waste your time or money on this one, unless you really want to memorize 2000 Helenistic names or be put to sleep by an obviously self-engrosed former professor (just to set the record straight, I am a former professor myself). Note: before I wrote this, I loaned the book to an educated and urbane Middle East native, and asked him to give me his opinion. His most telling comment was, "I wonder if the author has ever been there, really talked to people, and tried to understand their perspective." My evaluation: the author is "talking at us" rather than trying to tell us a story so that we come away with an understanding. Too bad that Modern Library Chronicles had to publish this one.
Average customer rating:
- Thorough
- An Illuminating Book
- awesome overview
- A good summary of the history of Paganism in Europe
- A skippy survey
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A History of Pagan Europe
Prudence Jones
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415158044 |
Amazon.com
This is a book that was recommended to me, and I have to admit that it is one of the best scholarly texts on the history of European Pagan religions. Jones and Pennick trace the evolution of Pagan religions in Greece and Rome, the religions of the Celts, Paganism in Germany and the Balkans, and the current Pagan revival. Filled with concise information and illustrations which add to the content rather than distracting from it, I'm sure I'll be referring to this book again in the future.
Book Description
A History of Pagan Europe is the definitive study of the indigenous religions of Europe and their practices, beliefs and customs. Establishing Paganism as a persistent force in European history with a profound influence on modern thinking, Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick divide Europe into five broad cultural areas and traces the expression and development of Pagan religion in each of them from earliest times to present day. From the serpent goddesses of ancient Crete to modern nature worship and the restoration of the indigenous religions of Eastern Europe, this wide-ranging book offers an often provocative new perspective of European history.
Customer Reviews:
Thorough.......2007-03-02
This is a very comprehnsive review of what is known historically of Paganism in pre-Christian and Christian Europe. Although a great deal is known about Classical Paganism, the book is more evenly balanced with just as much, perhaps more, focus (given the relative paucity of facts) on old Northern European Paganism. Although the authors are, as it happens, pagans, it is a very thoroughly researched and scholarly book, without modern myth and vastly extrapolated speculation that one finds in some spiritually-based books posing as factual scholarly works. And yet the authors are not afraid to do a little reasonable (in my view) speculation about transformed relics of pagan ritual and beliefs surviving in folk culture. This is a good book for scholars who are looking for a broad survey of (mostly) historical European Paganism with some speculation about survivals in folk customs, and an excellent book for Neopagans who are looking for factual and scholarly works about old and ancient European Paganism and survivals in folk customs, which would be of interest to the Pagan and/or Wiccan. The book does not focus on the Neolithic.
An Illuminating Book.......2006-02-11
Jones & Pennick (J&P) present a well-documented text that provides substantial history for pagan culture, society, and religion. Their work does not challenge or argue with faith traditions. Their task is simply to offer available information about Europe's original socio-religious culture. (J&P speak only briefly to Asian and Middle Eastern influences.) Their point is to inform, not convert.
J&P begin by defining "paganism" as the original rural society and religious culture from the islands of the eastern Mediterranean (about 3000 BC). (The authors correctly point out that only after Christianity's 4th century legalization did "pagan" become synonymous with- and negatively connoted to- "non Christian".) Their narrative incorporates Greek, Roman, and Nordic influences in paganism's long history. Much of this story speaks to Christianity's medieval suppression (especially through the 5th and 11th centuries) of pagan rites and worship. By the end of the book J&P document paganism's modern emergence across the globe.
The book also proffers interesting arguments for pagan origins of various Christian characteristics and practices (i.e. Church's royal purple dating from the Etruscan -1500 BC- priestly color (p. 32), Christianity's 5th century assigning Christmas to Dec. 25th- the Mithric Day of the Unconquered Sun (p. 76), and the canonization of St. Bridget from the popular Scots/Celtic goddess Brighde (p. 101). Additionally, J&P tell of newly Christianized medieval kings' destruction of pagan culture and religion across the continent and paganism's continual resurgence through history.
The 200 page (hardback) is a quick read, especially for those unfamiliar with paganism. The book (containing 11 chapters) also includes a plethora of photographs (several in each chapter), maps, drawings, and an extensive 10 page bibliography.
This book is recommended to those hoping to understand paganism, students of religion, European historians, curious Christians, and clergy of all faiths. You will find this book illuminating.
awesome overview.......2005-10-27
This ADF approved text proved to be very enjoyable. Not only was it more educational than it's slim 220 pages would lead you to believe, it was also well written and not at all dry. This book is perfect for anyone wanting a broad spectrum treatment of pagan europe as well as having descriptive chapters on the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Germanic, Baltic, Russian and Baltic.
There was a certain sort of comfort reading this book as well. For one, we are shown how much paganism persisted even into modern times. As a modern day pagan, I often feel like a salmon swimming upstream against the current, but the book shows how paganism didn't just fall over like a leaf to the wind to the forces of Christianity. It fought back, persisted and even resurged over and over again. The current resurgance of paganism in modern times then seems like it is just part of the wave, rather than an isolated uprising.
Also, I found curious to note that much of ADF's focus on the Kindred would seem to be found here. The authors note again and again the pagan worship of ancestors, spirits and gods, just as we modern Druids in the order do. Additional mentions of the World Tree as well as a plethora of cauldrons and wells, further illustrates the firm grounding of our path in the past, not made up in its entirety.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable book, actually, proving that history does not have to be boring. It's presented in an interesting fashion and it's (deceptively) short length hides the wealth of knowledge to be gained here.
A good summary of the history of Paganism in Europe.......2005-03-25
This is a survey about the history of Paganism in Europe since Roman times.
There's some material about the traditional Goddesses, Gods, and worship in various parts of Europe. And there's material about what happened to Pagan customs when the Christians took over. Some, such as maypoles and caroling, appear to have survived.
I got the feeling from reading the book that Pagans were simply too tolerant to do well in the fight against the Christians. The Christians weren't tolerant at all, and so they tended to win battles against the Pagans. Of course, having a worse product to sell, the Christians had to fight to have any chance.
There were decisive defeats for the Pagans in the Roman Empire in the fifth century, including the brutal murder of Hypatia. And then, in 782 AD came a severe blow to Paganism in Western Europe: Charlemagne murdered 4500 Pagans who preferred death to conversion. Within three centuries, Scandinavia converted to Christianity, and that basically left Lithuania as the lone Pagan holdout in Europe. Pagans fled to Lithuania, but eventually the Christians took over there as well.
What did the triumph of Christianity mean? Well, I think it meant that people gave up the worship of the Goddesses and Gods in favor of a foreign atheistic religion, namely Christianity. It meant abandoning local and private worship in favor of an autocratic religious tyranny. I think the book glosses over the loss of freedom involved in giving up Paganism.
The book then recounts Pagan reaffirmation in Europe. There isn't much to that. A few Lithuanians stayed loyal to their old traditions into the eighteenth century. And some Gypsies arrived in Europe, but in keeping with Christian tradition, they were dealt with severely.
What is happening in Europe today? Is Paganism making a comeback? Given that people are different and fickle, there are obvious reasons to choose among many Gods and Goddesses. In addition, Christianity has never been morally or theologically sound. In an age where Christianity is being replaced by modern humanism, are Pagans being tolerated? Is it safe for them to come out of the broom closet?
Well, yes, Pagans are finally being tolerated. As the book says, the two biggest reasons for Europeans wanting to become Pagans today are to adopt a less chauvinistic religion than Christianity and to adopt a religion that takes a pro-ecology stand. I think these are fine reasons as well.
Jones and Pennick mention that Iceland, which shamefully converted to Christianity in 1000 AD, officially recognized Asatru (worship of the Aesir) as a religion in 1973. But the book does not say why this happened. The reason is that Iceland, as has been traditional in Scandinavia, has a Church tax. There is a State Church. But such a tax is inherently unfair to anyone who might not want to be a Lutheran. And so Norse Paganism was given some rights as an official minority religion. The issue was really about taxes, not about religion.
Overall, this is a readable and reasonable work. I recommend it.
A skippy survey.......2004-03-14
This is an interesting survey describing the various pagan religions; the process of their merger/supplantation by Christianity, their perseverance as "folk religion" and even their modern re-emergence. Nothing really heavy, but nice scholarship buttressed by a nice bibliography. On the bad side, it seemed a bit too much of a sell job for "goddess" worship and the section of Hungarian aboriginal religion was weak and, I believe, mildly inaccurate. Since Hungarians believe they spring from the Sumerians, there may have been more interesting connections. Nevertheless, the authors do a lot in a compact space.
Average customer rating:
- Great overview of mediterranean climates
- Author's Credentials
- A thoughtful, beautifully produced book
- A "must" for horticulralists and gardeners.
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Plant Life In The World's Mediterranean Climates: California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean Basin
Peter R. Dallman
Manufacturer: CALIFORNIA-PRINCETON FULLFILLMENT SERVICES
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0520208099 |
Book Description
This book provides a wonderful overview of the landscapes, vegetation types, and plants of the five regions of the world that have a Mediterranean climate. This climate of mild, rainy winters and dry, warm summers is found in California, Central Chile, the Cape Region of South Africa, the southwestern part of Australia and the Mediterranean Basin. The regions are widely separated and the flora of each is distinctive, having for the most part developed independently. Nevertheless, the plants share remarkably similar characteristics which allow them to thrive in these unusual conditions.
Peter Dallman's non-technical prose is complemented by numerous maps, tables, and figures, and the book is richly illustrated with photographs of landscapes, plants, and flowers. With its detailed information on some of the world's most resilient plant life, this book will serve as an excellent reference for everyone interested in growing drought-resistant plants and as a naturalist's guide to these beautiful and unusual bioregions.
For the growing number of travelers whose vacations focus on learning about and appreciating natural history, Dallman also includes a chapter on planning trips to the five Mediterranean regions.
Customer Reviews:
Great overview of mediterranean climates.......2005-09-19
This book is great. It has plenty of pictures, diagrams and drawings. Most of the pictures are not in color, however, which is its biggest downfall. It is not a detailed evaluation of mediterranean climates nor is it a good plant ID book, but provides an excellent overview for both the layman and scientist. It provides informatin on the plants that make the mediterranean climate unique and the typical plant communities that are found in them. It is great for someone who doesn't want to get bogged down with individual species and wants to see how all the parts fit together. I first checked this book out of my local library and felt it would be such a good reference book for work, play and travel that I had to have it. The book uses the most scientific and inclusive use of the term Mediterranean which means you are going to get descriptions of plant communities from San Diego to Sacramento to San Francisco. For those of us that prefer the more exclusive definitions it may come as a shock that San Francisco and Sacramento could be considered mediterranean so I'm warning you now. I am currently using this book to help plan a trip to Australia as a supplement to Lonely Planet's travel guides. This book has inspired me to visit all the world's mediterranean climates at some point in my life and I'm not even a plant lover.
Author's Credentials.......2004-09-21
Peter Dallman, a retired pediatric doctor and docent at Strybing Aboretum in San Francisco, California, spent many years
studying plants and traveling the world to see them where they grow in the Mediterranean climate areas of the world. Prof. Robert Ornduff, the late director of the Univ. of California Botanical Garden, encouraged him to write about these
plants and his travels. The result is a book giving the reader the best armchair picture of the vegetation of a very special part of the world.
A thoughtful, beautifully produced book.......2001-01-02
This book falls into a category somewhere between botany, climatology, and geography; it looks at several different types of "mediterranean climate" around the world, and describes the different vegetational types within each region, explaining (in a scholarly but accessible way) why these plant communities look the way they do.
It's beautifully produced, with both climate maps and full-color illustrations of plants and plant communities. I know of no other book that explains the relationship between geography and botanical ecology this elegantly; it's a lot of fun to browse, and I would recommend it *very* highly to armchair travellers with botanical inclinations.
A "must" for horticulralists and gardeners........2000-02-03
Peter Dallman's Plant Life In The World's Mediterranean Climates covers plants of California, Australia, South Africa and the Mediterranean, and will prove more accessible to general audiences studying plants. Here are photos, charts, and a host of details on plant communities and plant life common to this climate, with chapters providing both individual regional details and links between plants of each area. This is a highly recommended pick not just for specialty libraries, but for general collections.
Book Description
"He comes as yet unknown into a hamlet of Lower Galilee. He is watched by the cold, hard eyes of peasants living long enough at a subsistence level to know exactly where the line is drawn between poverty and destitution. He looks like a beggar yet his eyes lack the proper cringe, his voice the proper whine, his walk the proper shuffle. He speaks about the rule of God and they listen as much from curiosity as anything else. They know all about rule and power, about kingdom and empire, but they know it in terms of tax and debt, malnutrition and sickness, agrarian oppression and demonic possession. What, they really want to know, can this kingdom of God do for a lame child, a blind parent, a demented soul screaming its tortured isolation among the graves that mark the edges of the village?"
–– from "The Gospel of Jesus," overture to The Historical Jesus
The Historical Jesus reveals the true Jesus––who he was, what he did, what he said. It opens with "The Gospel of Jesus," Crossan's studied determination of Jesus' actual words and actions stripped of any subsequent additions and placed in a capsule account of his life story. The Jesus who emerges is a savvy and courageous Jewish Mediterranean peasant, a radical social revolutionary, with a rhapsodic vision of economic, political, and religious egalitarianism and a social program for creating it.
The conventional wisdom of critical historical scholarship has long held that too little is known about the historical Jesus to say definitively much more than that he lived and had a tremendous impact on his followers. "There were always historians who said it could not be done because of historical problems," writes Crossan. "There were always theologians who said it should not be done because of theological objections. And there were always scholars who said the former when they meant the latter.'
With this ground–breaking work, John Dominic Crossan emphatically sweeps these notions aside. He demonstrates that Jesus is actually one of the best documented figures in ancient history; the challenge is the complexity of the sources. The vivid portrayal of Jesus that emerges from Crossan's unique methodology combines the complementary disciplines of social anthropology, Greco–Roman history, and the literary analysis of specific pronouncements, anecdotes, confessions and interpretations involving Jesus. All three levels cooperate equally and fully in an effective synthesis that provides the most definitive presentation of the historical Jesus yet attained.
Customer Reviews:
Massive, Important Scholarship.......2007-08-22
For all its flaws, John Dominic Crossan's "The Historical Jesus" is certainly essential reading for anyone interested in, well, the historical Jesus. Crossan is a scholar of the first order, and his massive erudition brings together otherwise disparate pieces of ancient history and literature, biblical and secular, to create an honest and methodologically consistent portrait.
Alas, it is his method in which I think the most flaws are to be found. The two most cited sources for his program of stratifying the "first layer" of the Jesus tradition which then moves on to multiple attestation are the "Sayings Gospel" Q and the extracanonical Gospel of Thomas. While Q is a pretty uncontroversial result of over a century of scholarship, it is uncertain, first, whether such a document exists, and second (and much more controversially) whether different layers of its construction can be identified. As for the Gospel of Thomas, his remarkably early dating in the 50s CE (compare with canonical Mark, which in his view does not come around until the early 70s, although here he is at least more or less backed up by the majority of critical scholars) is certainly open for debate. John Meier, in the first volume of his "A Marginal Jew" series, convincingly summarizes a case for the dependence of Thomas on the synoptic gospels. It is something of a shame that Crossan's portrait of Jesus depends so heavily on questionable dating; the preacher of a sapiental Kingdom of God, at least, would not have anything near the force it currently does were the Gospel of Thomas put in the second century, which is where many scholars place it.
Still, the merits of this work are many and much-needed. Among them are his critical reading of Josephus, the analysis of different protest movements in the Roman Empire (which follows on the work, primarily, of Richard Horsley), and his always insightful reading of Jesus' parables. While Crossan is often credited, and criticized, for classifying Jesus as a sort of Jewish cynic, I don't think the radicalism he sees is necessarily dependent on any philosophical "type." It's a natural enough result of his stratigraphy of the Jesus tradition.
No one can accuse Crossan of being unprovocative, and this work has inspired lively debate within the now puttering historical Jesus enterprise. Even if you disagree with him utterly, he is a force to be reckoned with. I find that my loyalties lie more with scholars like Meier and E.P. Sanders, since their portraits do not rely on terribly specific dating of the gospels, much less different layers within them, which I believe Crossan judges with too much confidence. Meier's volume 1 to "A Marginal Jew," mentioned above, contains the best criticism I have seen of Crossan and others' tendentious dating methods. Donald Harman Akenson, in his "Saint Saul," also has good critiques of such methods, although at times his criticisms amount to little more than personal attack.
As Crossan says in the closing paragraph, "if you cannot believe in something produced by reconstruction, you may have nothing left to believe in." In this I think he is quite correct, and even if his isn't the best, it is certainly one of the most formidable and enduringly interesting.
Crossan's Jesus.......2006-11-22
Crossan writes well, and his "historical Jesus" is a must-read and a fast-read for anyone interested in Jesus or Christianity.
There is a trend for academics teaching the Bible or religion to write popular works that would hopefully capture the imagination of the non-initiated or the curious (e.g. Bart Ehrman's or N.T. Wright's rapidly accumulating volumes). They come from both ends of the political/world-view/ philosophical and what-have-you spectrum and in between. This book was one of the pioneers of this approach.
In any case, works that touch on the figure of Jesus and beliefs about him are bound to elicit controversy and discussion. That is often part of the author's agenda. And they all must be taken with a grain of salt - whether it's Schweitzer's Jesus, Bultmann's Jesus, Ehrmann's Jesus, Fredericksen's Jesus, Sanders' Jesus, Wright's Jesus, Vermes' Jesus, Liberation Theology's Jesus, the Jesus Seminar's Jesus....
What matters is that the author should be responsible enough to take into account conflicting issues, proceed in a reasoned argument, and be intellectually honest.
Kross'n Crossan.......2006-11-04
I'm not a card shark, so I'm going to tip my hand. I am both a Christian and a scientist. I want you to know at the outset that as brilliant as this man is, and as logical as his method seems, he nevertheless fails to deliver the Goods.
Make no mistake, J.D. Crossan is a creative genius. His brilliance is seen in the scholarly and systematic manner in which he brings together various threads of anthropological and historical data. His work evinces a comprehensive familiarity with the literature. For those of us not versed in "stratigraphy" and the finer art of reading between the lines of a historical document, he weaves a compelling story.
Crossan describes his method as "scientific history." Using the word `scientific' implies that he is willing to adapt his paradigm if the evidence directs. In the final analysis, Crossan uses his method in the service of his own worldview. Crossan preserves his presuppositions through his analysis of the facts instead of allowing the latter to transform the former. This is not `scientific' in the true sense.
In this review, I will focus on his method, because it is easy to end up at his final destination unless you can see how and where he might have gone wrong.
Crossan's methodology -
Crossan says that his method analyzes the problem on three levels; anthropological, historical and literary. That is true. Further, he insists that these "cooperate fully and equally to achieve an effective synthesis, thus demanding equal sophistication on all three levels at the same time." He says, "the discipline of this book is to work primarily with plurally attested complexes from the primary stratus of the Jesus tradition." The scope of his program clearly has scholarly merit, and sets him apart from his peers in historical Jesus research. But I think there are some areas where his execution of the program falls short of the promise.
(1) He treats all prospective "gospels" on an equal basis, apparently disregarding traditional canonical lines of demarcation. His primary concern is establishing a probable genetic lineage of Jesus' sayings. Crossan appears to believe that God doesn't have an interest or a direct hand in the way we get scripture. This may make sense for naturalists or deists even, but not for theists.
(2) He uses an analytical concept called the "complex" for analyzing and organizing ancient texts into their basic units of meaning. The difficulty is that isolation of these complexes is an intensively hermeneutical process with huge potential for disagreement. Are these complexes based on events, or on themes? And, to what extent do these "complexes" conflate similar but distinct accounts?
(3) Crossan uses the familiar phenomenon of geologic stratification as a metaphor to explain his approach to establishing chronological layers within the literature. He presumes Scripture is naturally generated and so looks to establish pathways to explain how the text came to be transmitted. But if we expand on that metaphor, how does one interpret a petrified tree that passes through all of the strata? It forces one to reassess his assumptions. Specifically, what happens to our stratigraphic continuum when there is clear evidence that early documents depend on supposedly later documents? Such anomalies could leave Crossan standing in mid-air.
(4) Central to Crossan's method is his assessment of attestation. This is his metric for credibility. But Crossan admits that determination of the degree of attestation is in many cases a scholarly best guess. In this, Crossan appears not to allow himself to be guided or influenced by any theological notion that certain New Testament writers are inspired. He employs an editorial process he calls "bracketing singularities." In this, accounts of Jesus' sayings and actions lacking in plural attestation are called `singularities' and they are not considered admissible in reconstructing the historical Jesus. This leaves us without the virgin birth, the sermon on the mount, the Lord's prayer, the last supper or the empty tomb. This is Crossan's razor and it cuts deep, leaving roughly half of the New Testament on the editing room floor. This is a problem.
Assessment -
First, this book is very unbalanced, focusing almost exclusively on the historical and anthropological contexts, as if knowing the background of a subject tells the whole story. To echo the words of a friend, `Reading Crossan's Historical Jesus, I can't help feeling like I'm searching for something that isn't there. It is like looking at a master painter's portrait of Christ in which the image of the Master has been carefully extracted from its artistic context leaving a mere shadow of an outline, until all that remains is context without subject.'
Second, the methodology Crossan describes may be considered adequate as a component of a naturalist or deist epistemology. But it fails in a universe of sparse observers where "singularities" are important. What Crossan's method lacks is a criterion for assessing the credibility of singly attested scripture passages. I'm no historian, but I suspect that the bulk of ancient history would succumb to Crossan's razor.
Finally, the bigger question that these considerations raise for me is this, `Is this truly sophistication, or is it merely sophistry?'
My assessment is that it is truly unfortunate for all of us that Crossan has chosen to employ his considerably noteworthy talents in the service of a lesser god than the Jesus of history.
Do Not Take Up Your Crossan and Follow Him.......2006-08-30
In "The Historical Jesus" John Dominic Crossan attempts to de-mythologize the New Testament in order to recover the Jesus of history (as opposed to the Jesus of faith). Unfortunately, his methodology and presuppositions end up creating a layer of mythology, not dissolving the one he thinks is there. He relies heavily on the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, and the Epistle of Barnabas as containing the oldest traditions. However, the Gospels of Thomas and Peter are mid-late 2nd century documents, the second of which is an admitted forgery, and Barnabas, though probably from the 1st century, is also widely acknowledged as a forgery. A look at the early church fathers reveal as much. Crossan also relies on a completely fictional document he concocted called the "Cross Gospel," which he says is embedded in the Gospel of Peter. These documents were used by Mark to construct his Gospel, which was then used by the other three Gospel writers.
According to Crossan, Mark invented a number of literary devices to put forward his theological agenda. If we only look at the inventions Crossan finds in Mark pertaining to the Resurrection and the presuppositions he brings to the data we can see the fatal flaw in his entire project. Crossan's first presupposition regarding the Resurrection is that he rejects the supernatural; miracles are out of bounds and the events they describe must have some other explanation, usually a combination of natural/psychological factors and political/social allusions. Crossan claims not to deny the Resurrection, but he redefines it to mean something completely different. He believes the "Saturday" after Jesus' crucifixion lasted at least 5-10 years while the followers of Jesus tried to make sense of his death. Finally, it occurred to them that Jesus is still alive in their hearts and that his message of love and egalitarianism was still relevant and needed to be preached. This realization is symbolized in Easter, and this is what Crossan means by the Resurrection. Thus, he can use the word and sound orthodox but be speaking heresy. It's a shell game.
To support his take on Jesus' resurrection, Crossan claims that Mark has invented a number of fictions to symbolically tell in a narrative way the process of how the Gospel came to be in the form we have it in the New Testament. Crossan accepts the crucifixion of Jesus as indisputable fact, but rejects his burial as told in the New Testament. He believes if Jesus was buried at all it was in a common grave and was likely food for scavenging animals. Thus, Mark had to somehow get the body from Pilate and into the hands of Jesus' followers so that he could be buried and that the tomb could be found empty to symbolize his still being alive. Mark's stroke of genius was to invent Joseph of Arimathea as a go-between, someone who had a foot in both Pilate's and the disciple's worlds. Crossan sees Matthew, Luke, and John as adding their own takes on Joseph and thus exposing the accrual of the myth. Mark says Joseph is a member of the Sanhedrin, Matthew says he's rich, Luke says he is good and righteous, and John says he secretly follows Jesus because he fears the Jews. Crossan looks at these characterizations as each adding to the myth. But clearly the more responsible reading is that they are complementary descriptions. Similarly, Crossan finds myth accruing in the different descriptions in the burial cloth and the tomb itself. This leaves the discovery of the tomb by the women as obviously invented, though it does speak to the egalitarian message of the Gospel as Crossan sees it.
There are a number of problems with this recasting of the Resurrection that go beyond reading complementary accounts as contradictory. In the first century the testimony of women in a court of law was considered unreliable at best. So why have the first witnesses of the empty tomb be women if it was an invention? They could have been accompanied by men, therefore fulfilling the egalitarian agenda. But they alone were the first witnesses of the most important event in the ministry of Jesus. Why, if this was an invention, choose the very people whose testimony would be discarded out of hand? The far better explanation is that they actually were the first witnesses to something that actually occurred.
And what does Crossan do with 1 Corinthians 15:1-19? Here Paul claims that if the Resurrection of Jesus did not happen then our faith is in vain; find another explanation for it and Christianity fails. Not only that but Paul embeds a creed in vv 3-7 that states that Christ died, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to a number of his followers. This creed can be dated to within 1-3 years of the Resurrection. Crossan's ignoring of this seems a clear case of special pleading. He does deal with the passage, however, and dismisses it as a power-play by Paul to get the respect of the other Apostles based on vv 8-11.
In the end Crossan not only fails in recovering the Jesus of history he thinks is hidden, he actually buries Jesus under so much myth that he can no longer be found or even recognized.
Who to follow?.......2006-01-22
Great book. Author is sensitive to likely human need for faith and belonging, while remaining fearless and faithful to the task of asking difficult questions. Breadth and application of sources is exceptional. Not for those seeking easy comfort.
Average customer rating:
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Writing the Feminine: Women in Arab Sources (The Islamic Mediterranean)
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1860646972 |
Book Description
This book questions the conventional wisdom of the Mediterranean Muslim woman as a passive victim of the tyranny of religion, society, and male relatives. These original essays build on a range of experiences from varied regions and periods--from medieval love poetry to popular literary sources and fatwas and legal analyses--bear witness to the fact that individual women of all social classes play pivotal roles in both the private and public realms of Arab society.
Average customer rating:
- olive grove in greece
- Vibrating Sun-Drenched Gardens
- Good reference book. Wide spectrum of gardens shown
- Good overview of the mediterranean garden
- Defines the Aesthetic
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Sun-Drenched Gardens: The Mediterranean Style
Jan Smithen
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
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Binding: Hardcover
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Mediterranean Gardener
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Make Your Own Mediterranean Garden
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Mediterranean Gardens
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Gardens of Italy
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Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens
ASIN: 0810932903 |
Book Description
The Mediterranean climate, with its mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, gave rise to a gardening style that is very much in vogue today. Not only do Mediterranean-style gardens offer gorgeous, fragrant, soothing sanctuaries that are wonderfully easy to maintain, but water-saving planting is environmentally sound and enormously appealing whatever one's region or climatic zone. This lush, seductive volume showcases the distinctive beauty of some 25 gardens in France, Italy, Spain, and California that employ drought-tolerant plants such as agaves and other succulents, wisteria, lavenders, geraniums, and even some roses-and design features such as terraces, arbors, hedges, pergolas, topiary, statuary, decorative tile, and terra-cotta containers-that are hallmarks of the sun-drenched garden aesthetic.
Lucinda Lewis's 200 color photographs, made especially for this book, take the reader through a variety of private and public gardens, some grand and some intimate, while extended captions provide the practical information that gardeners want to know, as well as design ideas that will help them create their own place of escape or enchantment.
Customer Reviews:
olive grove in greece.......2007-08-07
Having bought an olive grove in greece, we are now setting about making a garden and found that this book gave us lots of ideas and enjoyed it thoroughly. It will be read a lot.
Vibrating Sun-Drenched Gardens.......2007-05-26
Sunshine is the most defining element of a mediterranean garden. Pliny the Younger (AD 61-113) wrote of the detached room in his own garden with its cool marble floors. It was open on all sides and covered with vines. He loved to rest in the airy green shade.
In a bright and arid climate, the contrasts provide a breathtaking visual and sensory experience that this book passionately and successfully conveys.
It features ideas such as those based on a French tese with a shady tunnel of green clipped shrubs that function as doorways to sequential rooms, - Italian gardens sliced out of terracing and covered with alluring ancient pietra dura, - niches with terra-cotta figures, grottos, and Southern Californian water features.
The lavishly, and skillfully photographed book is divided into chapters that demonstrate how to achieve the mediterranean look in plantings, introduce shade and water features, create structure with various types of enclosures, design with clipped and pruned greenery, and adroitly use gravel, stone, and other paving materials instead of lawns.
The book is an inspiration and sensory delight.
Good reference book. Wide spectrum of gardens shown.......2005-11-03
This book is serving as a good reference material for me. Living in the a sub-tropical region, where water is short and the hot/dry season is similar to a mediterrean climate I have been successfully using some of the garden ideas to landscape my own garden. I would recommend this book for the garden enthusiast who wants to start a garden where the soil is not idea and water is scarce, or just for some
one who wishes to grow plants which will thrive in subtropical regions.
Good overview of the mediterranean garden.......2005-03-09
Living in Colorado, sun-drenched, low-water gardens are pretty much required (at least in my yard: I have about 10 sq. ft. of shade). This book provides an attractive overview of the Mediterranean garden style using some textual descriptions and many photos, with an emphasis on pics of Italian and southern California gardens. Even though many of the classic Mediterranean garden plants are not hardy for me, this book is still useful for studying the structure and design elements of a Mediterranean garden. My only complaint is that the photos appear washed out. I'm sure this was deliberate --- these are "sun-drenched" gardens, after all --- but it makes the detailed structure and the individual plants difficult to discern.
Defines the Aesthetic.......2004-02-26
This an important work for those concerned with garden design. There are many examples of the Mediterranean Style, with emphasis on French, Italian, and Californian interpretations. The volume is light on text and heavy on pictures (and they are of exceptional quality). At times, the captions neglect to inform the reader of the dominant plant's identity. This is a good introductory volume for the hobbyist and would be a valuable tool for designers to use with clients to clarify and illustrate the style. Great advocacy for use of drought tolerant plants.
Books:
- The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian
- The Conquest of New Spain (Penguin Classics)
- The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics)
- The European Economy since 1945: Coordinated Capitalism and Beyond (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)
- The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-from-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series--and America's Heart--During the Great Depression
- The Gods of Eden
- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
- The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period
- The Key to The Name of the Rose: Including Translations of All Non-English Passages (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)
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