Oxford History of the Classical World, Oxford University Press

By this time tomorrow I will have finished this terrific book, one that I first picked up more than four years ago. At that time I actually lugged the hardbound version, probably five or more pounds of literary wisdom, with my wife and I on our first trip to Greece. That seemed like a good idea at the time, but after tearing the binding and smearing sunscreen across its pages, I now chuckle at my choice in vacation reading.

For one reason or another I didn't really dive into the book until March 30 of this year. It's been a terrific read. Divided into three sections, Greece, Greece & Rome (i.e. Hellenistic), and Rome, it has provided me with a great recap of this all-important era of world history.

I remember actually saying to my wife after reading the first few chapters that this was actually the first serious Greek history that I had read in ages, something that I have really gotten away from due to my recent focus on ancient Egypt and Rome.

Interestingly, this book is authored by several scholars, each focusing on a relatively narrow topic, presumably their respective specialty. This is not a book for the lay-reader, for it assumes a working knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world.

I'm anxious to finish it off, though, as always I am looking forward to exploring the other tomes that are piling up in my study.