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Fiona MacDonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A fun way to get your essential bits of history (a history teacher's review)
As a history teacher, I think just about all of history is fascinating - the cultural tidbits, the technology, the religious beliefs, the wars, the governments. It's all fascinating! But...convincing my students is another matter entirely.

This series does an excellent job of looking at history from an interesting point of view and showing why it was tough. The art is accessible and just cartoonish enough to not be one of those boring illustrations that fill history books and plenty realistic enough that to clearly see and understand what is going on (for example, the women who are weaving on pages 16 & 17 are cartoonish but their loom looks pretty realistic).

In this book, you learn a lot about slavery in general that can be applied to any time - the drudgery and humiliation, the loss of freedom and the uncertainty. There is also a lot of Ancient Greece-specific information such as their attitudes towards foreigners and women.

I'd recommend this book for students in grade 4 or higher. I'd even recommend it for adults that want a little pain-free learning!

Fun and informative for grade schoolers
You can tell the difference between someone who has studied history and writes a children's book and someone who hasn't a clue how to find information. Unfortunately, Macdonald doesn't provide a bibliography at all or address where she got her information so I had to take off one star.However, her information seems quite solid and I love the way the book is laid-out with the life journey of one woman into slavery and her experiences there. There are obviously several of the less pleasant things left out of this book such as sexual slavery, but it did contain more reality than I had expected for a book at this level.The sidenotes are great and they actually give you the advice the cover of the book promises.There are also hints for the younger audience that things are not simple, even something they've been taught is an evil, is actually quite varied and complicated by gender, race, age, skill, and personality.

Any woman in history
This is an informational story about you, as a mother, living near the Black Sea in the 5th century B.C. in a Scythian Tribe. You are captured by the Greeks, separated from your family, and sold in Athens. The story gives a detailed description of the typical life of a slave woman in Greece. Some tips for you to remember: "Forget about your family because you will probably never see them again. Work hard if you want your owner to treat you well. Be nice to your owner's eldest son - one day he'll become your master. Improve your cooking, or your owner won't feed you at all. Don't get caught trying to escape - you will be punished or sold." The book has great pictures and a lot of interesting information presented through a story. This book makes it fun to learn about the life of a female slave because it doesn't feel like you're studying! This is a good book to read aloud to primary students and have in the classroom library for students up to the intermediate level. ... Read more

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What was the "Classical Revolution" in Greek art?What were its contexts, aims, achievements, and impact? This book introduces students to these questions and offers some answers to them. Andrew Stewart examines Greek architecture, painting, and sculpture of the fifth and fourth centuries BC in relation to the great political, social, cultural, and intellectual issues of the period. Intended for use in courses in classical civilization as well as Greek art and archaeology, his book draws on Greek lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, historiography, oratory, and philosophy in order to illuminate the art of the period. ... Read more

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This Eyewitness guide to the Ancient Greek world provides information on the mythical heroes and gods as well as the temples and statues still surviving today. ... Read more

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With a plethora of puzzles, games, jokes and brainteasers about Ancient Greece, this book also offers crosswords, word searches, anagrams, hidden word, picture puzzles, logic and maths puzzles, codes to crack and a lot of jokes and cartoons. ... Read more

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Offers an exploration of the wine and wine-making regions of Greece and their traditions, both ancient and modern. The book is a guide not only to the wines available in bottles, but also to places whose wines are available only from villagers' barrels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Scholarly Resource for Enophiles...and Much More!
For those who have read and delighted in Miles Lambert-Gocs' fine book 'GREEK SALAD', this fascinating epicurian/enophilic/geographic/historic survey of Greece is a must read.Published in 1990 (and hopefully to be re-released in the future) this fine book proves once again that Lambert-Gocs not only knows his wines, but he also knows and understands how to share the idiosyncrasies of a country that begs the reader's appetite for more.

Lambert-Gocs opens his fine volume with an Introduction that is both informative and a tasty aperitif for what is to follow.Here is a brief history of Greece as it pertains to the subject of wines, and with the history is a sociological/political/economic investigation as to the performance of Greek wines on today's commercial market. The author then travels with us, his warmly regarded companions, to all the various regions of Greece, explaining the geography of each and how that influences the grapes grown and the method of wine making.Each of these 'whistle stops' include 'Gastronomic Notes', and 'Classical Reflections' - sections which bring the less sophisticated enophile into the field with information about a country the author obviously loves.

One particular chapter meits special mention: Chapter 8 discusses in depth the 'Retsina' mystery of Greek wines.Long a fascination for wine lovers, this diffusion of the resin from certain pines(in a process which Lambert-Gocs understands well) into the wines of the region is peculiar to Greece.After reading this chapter the reader is eager to try the secret magic!

The writing of the book flows beautifully and is accompanied by maps of the regions discussed, and appendices such as 'Concerning Wine and the Greeks during Antiquity' and a fine 'Lexicon' for those who thirst to understand the Greek terms for nose, flavor and savour of wine.This is a superb book, a bit difficult to find, but one that belongs in the library of every serious traveler and lover of wine.Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06
... Read more

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Everything you need for an Unforgettable-and-Affordable Trip!Inviting places to stay, from beachfront resorts to comfortable guesthouses, for as little as $25 per person a night!The most spectacular beaches and natural wonders-with tips on affordable island-hopping.Detailed and accurate island, city, and regional maps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Getting long in the tooth
Frommer (may he rest in peace) was the pioneer of budget travel books. He has now been overtaken by other writers for the impecunious and his epigones do not have his wit and originality - they write in humorlesss cliches. It's worth buying all the books you can because even budget travel to Europe is a major expense. I think he devotes to much space to restaurant reviews in places where there are rows of restaurants with their prices and menus on display. Hotel reviews are more useful. Budget travel books have to be bang up-to-date and this one has a 1998 publication date.A 2001 edition for the Islands is promised. No illustrations except maps. ... Read more

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This gorgeously illustrated, compact volume considers the entire civilization of ancient Greece, including Magna Graecia's colonial expansion. In color photographs and text, the book offers views of virtually all aspects of ancient Greek life, from the material needs of the people to their artistic culture, from political and administrative organization to the religious cults, and from urban structures to architectural typologies. Archaeologist Stefania Ratto has infused the commentary with accurate, well-informed, and up-to-date scholarship while keeping it lively and accessible, and the clarity of the book's design makes Greece an attractive and inviting introduction to the classical period. A fantastic guide for both the traveler and the general reader, Greece is a welcome addition to any library. ... Read more

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This accommodation guide, designed to suit all budgets, also provides coverage of museums and ancient sites. It includes a 16-page full-colour section on art and architecture spanning Minoan, Mycenean, classical and Byzantine periods and including folk art. ... Read more

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INTRODUCTION

With well over a hundred inhabited islands and a territory that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Balkans, Greece has interest enough to fill months of travel. The historic sites span four millennia, encompassing the legendary and renowned - such as Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi and the Parthenon - and the obscure, where a visit can still seem like a personal discovery. The beaches are parcelled out along a convoluted coastline equal to France's in length, and they range from those of islands where the boat calls twice a week to resorts as cosmopolitan as any in the Mediterranean. Perhaps more surprisingly, the country's mountainous interior offers some of the best and least exploited hiking in Europe.

Modern Greece is the result of an extraordinary diversity of influences. Romans, Arabs, Latin Crusaders, Venetians, Slavs, Albanians, Turks, Italians, to say nothing of the Orthodox Byzantine empire, have been and gone since the time of Alexander the Great. All have left their mark: the Byzantines in countless churches and monasteries and in ghost towns like Mystra; the Venetians in impregnable fortifications at Nafplio, Monemvassia and Methoni in the Peloponnese; and other Latin powers, such as the Knights of Saint John and the Genoese, in magnificent castles throughout the eastern Aegean. Most obvious of all is the heritage of four hundred years of Ottoman Turkish rule which, while universally derided, exercised an inestimable influence on music, cuisine, language and way of life. The contributions, and continued existence, of substantial minorities - Vlachs, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Gypsies - have also helped to forge the Hellenic identity.

All these players have been instrumental in forming a hard-to-define but powerful sense of Greekness, which has kept alive the people's sense of themselves throughout their turbulent history. With no local ruling class or formal Renaissance period to impose a superior model of taste or to patronize the arts, medieval Greek peasants, fishermen and shepherds created a vigorous and truly popular culture. It is still manifest in a thousand instinctively tasteful ways, ranging from traditional music, intricate embroidery, woven goods and carved furniture, to the stereotypically white cubist houses of popular images.

Of course there are formal cultural activities as well: museums that shouldn't be missed in Athens, Thessaloniki and Iraklion; the compelling monasteries of the Meteora and Mount Athos; the magnificent mansions of Zagori and Pílion; castles such as those in the Dodecanese, northeast Aegean, central Greece and the Peloponnese; as well, of course, as the great ancient sites dating from the Mycenaean, Minoan, Classical, Macedonian, Roman and Byzantine eras. The country hosts some excellent summer festivals too, bringing international theatre, dance and musical groups to perform in ancient theatres at Epidaurus, Dodona and Athens, as well as castle courtyards and more contemporary venues in coastal and island resorts.

But the call to cultural duty should never be too overwhelming on a Greek holiday. The hedonistic pleasures of languor and warmth - always going lightly dressed, swimming in balmy seas at dusk, talking and drinking under the stars - are just as appealing. But despite recent improvements to the tourism "product", Greece is still essentially a land for adaptable sybarites, not for those who crave five-star treatment with super-soft beds, faultless plumbing, Cordon-Bleu cuisine and attentive service. Except at the growing number of luxury facilities in new or restored buildings, hotel and pension rooms can be box-like, campsites offer the minimum of facilities, and the food at its best is fresh and uncomplicated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Ok, but Frommers and Lonely Planet were better
I bought this book based on the reviews on Amazon for this book vs. Lonely Planet.Additionally, I heard Rick Steve's book on Greece was horrible.I usually love Lonely Planet and Rick Steve, so those are my default brands.After I purchased the Rough Guide, I ended up borrowing Frommer's book from the library and my traveling companion bought Lonely Planet.As a general observation, none of the guidebooks were perfect, which was a disappointment.However, in the end, I liked the Frommers the best.It was the easiest to understand and gave the most in-depth coverage of each of the islands I visited, plus Athens.The recommended itineraries in Frommers were also the most on point with advice I received from people who either lived in or visited Greece (notably, I never found the recommended itineraries in Rough Guide).The next best guide was Lonely Planet, which had the best maps.Rough Guide came in third, and I wish I had not spent the money on it.Unfortunately, I could not return it because my dog bit the Rough Guide right before I packed it up to return it.

Book is Must Have for Greece Tip
Making good use of the information in this book for an upcoming Greece trip.It also came highly recommended by Rick Steves so need I say more.

Possibly the best general guidebook for Greece
We spent two weeks in Greece -- 9 days on the mainland and the Peloponnese, and 6 days on the islands. Not an hour went by that we didn't refer to our Rough Guide! It is packed full of fantastic information and led us in all the right directions.

There were a few gems of our trip that I was surprised weren't mentioned in the book, so if you're planning on spending longer than a week on the islands, you may want to consider buying a guidebook specifically written for them.

All in all, I recommend this book if you want just one good, general guidebook for Greece.

Some serious shortcomings
This 12th edition of Rough Guide to Greece is a massive disappointment. First of all it has more than a hundred fewer pages than the 10th edition published in May of 2004 just before the Athens Olympics. Fromm 1168 pages to 1014 pages. New management? Whatever the explanation it should be nearly 10 percent less informative than that earlier edition (I did not purchase the 11th edition).
Also, in the 10 edition there is fulsome praise for the Cecil Hotel on Athinas Street in Athens. The praise in the 12th edition has been toned down but the hotel is still recommended. Since I stayed there one night on RG's recommendation, I can tell you it is somewhere between a dump and a rat trap. We might ask ourselves if someone's palm isn't getting greased (?).
In the tenth edition the town of Lavrion where many ferries leave for the Aegean islands received some negative comments and in the 12th it has completely disappeared. Maybe it fell into the sea between editions. But I would really like to have some updated information about the town and its restaurants and hotels.
Maybe the publishers and writers of RG are resting on their laurels for the time being. In the past they have put out a wonderful guide to Greece and have deserved and gotten high praise from critics. Makes you wonder what is going on nowadays

Very comprehensive, but double check the opening hours
This is a great book.Very comprehensive and generally accurate.One thing to watch out for though: double check with the tourist office the opening hours of sites before you go.Many sites seem to have shortened their opening hours dramatically.For example, Acropolis in Athens closes at 5 instead of 7 in April.Also in April, Nafplio's Paramidhi castle closes at 2:45 pm instead of 6:30 according to the book.I got there at 3 and was turned away!

Other than that and a few minor spelling issues (the book uses Syndagma square even though all English signs in Athens spell it Syntagma), this book is almost perfect.I brought it on a guided tour to Corinth, Mycenae, and Epidauros.It's more helpful than the guide.Especially in Mycenae, the book pointed me to the two tholos outside the wall that most people missed. ... Read more

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Whether you want to escape to a quiet island beach, trek through the mountains of mainland Greece or live it up in Athens, all the information you need is right here at your fingertips.

Features: 140 easy-to-read maps, including plans of ancient sites; new, expanded coverage of the Cyclades; the latest information on inter-island ferries, catamarans and hydrofoils; hundreds of places to stay, from cosy domatia to centuries-old monasteries; and comprehensive coverage of major sites and museums.Amazon.com Review
From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are LonelyPlanet has been therefirst. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides areguaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-pathfinds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks fornearly 30 years and asa result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's"been there" advice. Theoriginal backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range ofaccommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

Lonely Planet's Greece is an expert guide to this incrediblecountry, covering everything from the narrowest walkable gorge in the worldto classic Greek myths. The authors provide information on inter-islandferries accompanied by a ferry map; extensive writings on history, culture, and mythology; place names in Greek script; and advice onchoosing a quiet or gregarious island vacation. A special color feature covers Greek art. --Kathryn True ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Pointed to wonderful food
After visting many places in Greece - Athens, parts of the Peloponnese, Mykonos - I can definitely say that this guide is worth it. It paid for itself many times over by leading us to delicious places to eat that were less expensive and far more delicious than we would have otherwise found on our own.

It also showed us some interesting places to shop (Even if they didn't jive with our personal tastes, they were interesting), and gave some useful background summary of some places we visited.

My trip to Greece would have been far less wonderful without this book!

Greece (Country Guide)
This is the only book you'll need (don't order Greek Islands they are covered in this book). While we haven't been to Greece yet, just planning our May trip; this book appears to have extensive, comprehensive write ups. We've always liked the Lonely Planet hotel recommendations - they are realistic. While we usually prefer guides with color pictures, this guide has so much information, it won out.

just what you'd expect from LP
This was the only guide I could find as I planned our trip to Greece that would give me all the specifics I needed to be prepared to travel in Greece.The other guides mostly describe the tourist attractions and throw in a couple hotels and restaurants.If you like to make all your own plans and are on a budget, this is the guide for you.I can add to the accuracy of their details when I get back from our trip.

Quality is Slipping at the Lonely Planet
I have been a long time user of Lonely Planet guidebooks. They've navigated me through plenty of countries over the past 15 years, and I've always relied on them for the kind of tips and advice you need to
know when visiting a foreign place.
Unfortunately, this edition of the Greece book is not one I can recommend. I used it to travel in Greece for 2 weeks this past May (2009), and it consistently led us astray. We came within 2 minutes of missing a ferry based a critical piece of missing information in the book, ended up eating at some of the worst restaurants in Athens, and were generally disenchanted with the quality of the suggestions provided by the guide for things to see.
Overall, we couldn't help but feel many of the reviews were stale, and did not reflect the current reality. Certainly this was reflected in the prices, which were off by as much as 100% in some cases. As much as I have enjoyed LP guides in the past, there are better travel books out there for Greece.

Lonely Planet is a sure bet.
I really like the Lonely Planet travel guides.They really try to cover all the basics and then give you tips for off the beaten track.This edition is a 2006 so prices are not even close, but I still got websites to check out current prices.

I wanted an overview of Greece so I could start planning where I wanted to go and this guide certainly does that.It also has lots of maps for each region.

I highly recommend this Lonely Planet Guide to Greece. ... Read more

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