Oxford First Ancient History (Oxford First Books) (Paperback)

~ the late Roy Burrell (Author), Peter Connolly (Illustrator) "As the ice disappeared towards the Arctic in Northern Europe about ten thousand years ago, the snows of winter turned mostly to rain..." (more)
Key Phrases: Julius Caesar, North Africa, Asia Minor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Beginning with prehistory, this book surveys ancient civilizations, primarily in the Mediterranean region. Although sections of several pages cover the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Persians, and Britons, and two-page sections survey the Phoenicians, Chinese, Assyrians, and others, most of the book presents the cultures of the Greeks and the Romans. Every page includes at least one full-color illustration, a map, a cutaway drawing, a painting re-creating the times, or a photograph of a wall painting, sculpture, artifact, site, or explorer. Not only is the format inviting, but the text is also quite readable. Besides standard presentations of facts, the author conducts imaginary interviews with such characters as a Babylonian soldier discussing justice under Hammurabi, a worker for Sir Arthur Evans talking about the excavations at Knossos, and a Greek mask maker describing the theater. English in origin, the book may occasionally confuse readers with its Briticisms, but this is still a lively, helpful resource. One warning: considering the price, the binding could be (should be) stronger. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"A lively, helpful resource."--Booklist
"This panoramic tour of the ancient world, from the Stone Age to the fall of Rome in A.D. 476, is at its best when recreating the military conflicts of Greece and Rome. The book features dozens of detailed, vigorous paintings by Peter Connolly."--School Library Journal
"Will reach a broad age range, from advanced elementary grades through middle school. Children's illustrator Peter Connolly provides the colorful, authentic-looking recreations of historical fact that will lend to the easy appeal of these fact-filled guides."--Children's Bookwatch

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195213734
• ISBN-13: 978-0195213737
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,502 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous But Highly Flawed, December 20, 2004

By	Michael S. Mahoney "Gruffybear" (Goshen, Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This past summer I searched up and down for an ancient history text age appropriate for middle schoolers. Voila! Not surprisingly, Oxford University, or its tendrils, provides this beautifully conceived book that not only contains a slew of fine, colorful illustrations by Connolly, but also perfectly fits a traditional curriculum tied to the development of western civilization.

The find was certainly fortuitous. The text of this ancient history, however, is often awkward, and not simply because Burrell writes in a myopically and ultimately insensitive Anglocentric style. The British tone and jargon are fine and offer many "teachable moments," (case in point: "There were no lifts, of course - nor could poor people (Romans) afford expensive glazed windows. You didn't need them in a sticky Roman summer but when the weather got worse, the only way to keep the flat's temperature up and the rain out was to close the wooden shutters.") That's all fine and good -- lifts, glazing, and flats -- the problem arises from some dodgy grammar and bizarre verb shifts that make reading the text, even for adults, an occasional strain. My students have even pointed out many typos, the result obviously of the same shoddiness that characterizes British newspapers, which though written with great erudition, often seem scrawled in haste and edited by lager louts with licensing hours at the forefront of the brain.

Errors aside, the book is a wonderful introduction to ancient history with a special, and completely justified, emphasis on the Greeks and Romans. Where would we be without them? The paperback edition, though seemingly robust, doesn't hold up well to middle school abuse. American backpacks wreck havoc on the poor thing. Many of our copies will be totally shot by year's end -- a pox on Oxford University Press for the decision to cease publication of the hardback edition. Argghh! Must say that I've learned a tremendous amount from reading this colorful, informative book and have not encountered its rival for adolescents.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing for my son, October 2, 2007

By	A Mom (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

M 12 year old picked up this book to read from the library and his interest in it lasted all summer. We had to check it out of the library 3 times! It is due back again to the library today so I am finally going to purchase it for him as he seems to keep referring back to it and has a real interest in continuing to research it. This is something he has done on his own and not for any class. It must be a good book to keep him interested in it for going on 5 months! The sections on Greek and Roman armies seem to capture his imagination the most.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great find, November 30, 2008

By	C. Logansmith (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for my 10 year old son last year, as he is very interested in history. It was such a big hit that I am buying it for two of his cousins this year. It has a chatty, informal tone, which combines with lots of illustrations and great research to deliver a lot of knowledge painlessly. He has read it repeatedly and it should continue to be useful for many years.