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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 March 2013
‘Classics, is, to me, the unicycle of education. It isn't especially practical or useful… It won't get you a well-paid job in a fancy office, and it won't necessarily make you attractive to the opposite sex… But none of that is important compared with the simple fact that studying Classics is brilliant’ (253). So says comedian (and former Cambridge classicist) Natalie Haynes on her own one-wheeled whistle-stop tour of the classical world: The Ancient Guide to Modern Life. Haynes is an intelligent guide with a real passion for the Classics and a great sense of humour. The index gives a good indication of what to expect: The Office can be found next to Xenophon's Oeconomicus, Dead Poets Society next to Tertullian's De Spectaculis, and Barbra Streisand sandwiched between Stoicism and Suetonius. Chapter titles are inevitably playful: from ‘Thinking Allowed’ to ‘Frankly, Medea I Don't Give a Damn’ and the inevitable ‘There's No Place Like Rome’. But this is not just a book played for laughs: Haynes's discussion of Aristophanes (199–209) is keen to emphasize that entertainment and education, comedy and Classics are not mutually exclusive categories: as she shows, is it possible both to amuse and advise.
1 The Ancient Guide to Modern Life. By Haynes, Natalie. London: Profile Books, 2012. Pp. 275Google Scholar. Paperback £8.99, ISBN: 978-1846683244.
2 The Long Shadow of Antiquity. What Have the Greeks and Romans Done for Us? By Gregory, S. and Aldrete, Alicia. London and New York: Continuum Books, 2012. Pp. vii + 365Google Scholar. Hardback £25, ISBN: 978-1-4411-6247-2.
3 Homeric Greek. A Book for Beginners. By Pharr, Clyde, Wright, John, and Debnar, Paula. Fourth edition. Norman, OK, University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Pp. xxi + 434Google Scholar. 1 map. Paperback $34.95, ISBN: 978-0-8061-4164-0.
4 A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect. Expanded Edition. By Cunliffe, Richard John. With a new preface by Dee, J. H.. Norman, OK, University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Pp. xiii + 492Google Scholar. Paperback £34.95, ISBN: 978-0-8061-4308-8.
5 Writing. Theory and History of the Technology of Civilization. By Powell, Barry B.. Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Pp. xx + 276CrossRefGoogle Scholar. 105 illustrations. Paperback £19.99, ISBN: 978-1-118-25532-2.
6 Ancient Historians. A Student Handbook. By Sorek, Susan. London and New York: Continuum Books, 2012. Pp. xx + 243Google Scholar. Hardback £65, ISBN: 978-1-4411-3756-2; Paperback £19.99, ISBN: 978-1-4411-7991-3.
7 Expurgating the Classics. Editing Out in Greek and Latin. Edited by Harrison, Stephen and Stray, Christopher. London: Bristol Classical Press, 2012. Pp. vii + 224Google Scholar. Hardback £65, ISBN: 978-1-84966-892-7.
8 Exploring Greek Myth. By Clark, Matthew. Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Pp. xiii +196Google Scholar. 10 illustrations. Hardback £55, ISBN: 978-1-4051-9456-3; paperback £19.99, ISBN: 978-1-4051-9455-6.
9 Greek and Roman Animal Sacrifice. Ancient Victims, Modern Observers. Edited by Faraone, Christopher A. and Naiden, F. S.. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012. Pp. xiv + 209CrossRefGoogle Scholar. 32 b/w illustrations, 1 table. Hardback £55, ISBN: 978-1-107-01112-0.