The Ancient Greeks (Penguin History) [Mass Market Paperback]

M. I. Finley (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140137076
• ISBN-13: 978-0140137071
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #889,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic Greek History, October 7, 2005

By 

K. Spoden "British/Western Civilization Histo... (Chicago,Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ancient Greeks (Penguin History) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ancient Greek society is a pretty elaborate topic and this book only touches on the basic principles of this place in history. Really only for the casual reader, the book only briefly touches on the "important" aspects of Greece such as science, religion, art, military, architecture, etc. In describing these things the author does not go into any sort of deatil, only giving you a taste of it. Eventhough it is not written for a serious historian it does do a good job of giving you an idea of the society that was Greece.

6 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars don't bother--others are MUCH better, June 4, 2005

By 

Dan Kostopulos (Little Rock, AR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ancient Greeks (Penguin History) (Mass Market Paperback)

For being such a great scholar of ancient Greece and Rome, Finley's book is just awful. The writing is dry and uninspiring and Finley's presentation of Greek culture is too cerebral and bloodless. Maybe some people like their classical history served like white bread on a paper plate, but not me. Get Kitto or Freeman instead.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good for introductions, May 15, 2000

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Ancient Greeks (Penguin History) (Mass Market Paperback)

Finley is a master of so many fields and types of scholarship. Here he has turned his talent to an introductory textbook about ancient Greece. Unlike his specialized previous work, Finley demonstrates that he can write in a clear and logical fashion. A little sparse on social history at times.