The Life and Times of Homer (Biography from Ancient Civilizations) [Library Binding]

Kathleen Tracy (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Biography from Ancient Civilizations

For almost 3,000 years, The Iliad and The Odyssey have thrilled people with tales of adventure in ancient Greece. The stories of Helen and Paris, the Greek gods, the Trojan War, Achilles and of Odysseus' ten years quest to return home after the war are known all over the world among all cultures. But so much about the life of Homer, responsible for the epic poems, remains a mystery. Despite the controversies surrounding him, Homer is still honored as one of civilization's greatest poets. His poems were so vivid that 19th century archeologists used descriptions in The Iliad to locate the city of Troy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Reviewed with John Bankston's The Life and Times of Alexander the Great.

Gr. 5-8. Each book in the Biography from Ancient Civilizations series offers a brief, fairly fast-moving account of the subject. Because so little is known of Homer's life, Tracy's book relies on legends from ancient sources, and at times, young readers may find it difficult to separate fact from fiction. For instance, a page listing Greek heroes blends the mythological and historical (Pericles follows Perseus). More is documented on the life of Alexander the Great, and Bankston makes an effort to name the sources of some of the familiar stories about the world conqueror. Most of the illustrations in both books are reproductions of paintings or engravings from the baroque period or from Roman wall paintings. Each book concludes with a time line, chapter notes, a chronology, a short glossary, and a bibliography (including Web sites). Libraries with a lot on the subjects can probably pass over these, but some students will appreciate the brevity of each of these biographies. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Kathleen Tracy has been a journalist for over twenty years. Her writing has been featured in magazines including The Toronto Star's "Star Week," A&E Biography magazine, KidScreen, and TV Times. She is also the author of numerous biographies including "The Boy Who Would Be King" (Dutton), "Jerry Seinfeld—The Entire Domain" (Carol Publishing) and "Don Imus—America's Cowboy" (Carroll & Graf). She recently completed "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Portrait Photography" for Alpha Books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Lane Pub Inc (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584152605
• ISBN-13: 978-1584152606
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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