Author Description

Rather than a simple history book this is instead focussed on the classic historians and their histories. This is an essential read for anyone who would like to have, or considers themself to have, a classical education. Famous Irish classicist and scholar John Pentland Mahaffy tackles the enormous subject of the history of Greece in his workProblems in Greek History. Famous for his wit, Mahaffy is credited as being a teacher and major inspiration for Oscar Wilde. Mahaffy was an experienced and well-published scholar on the topic of Greek history, having published numerous works pertaining to the topic. Mahaffy's book is a survey of Greek history from the period of ancient Greek myths to the period of Roman-controlled Greece. The focus of this book is not Greece itself, but rather the history of Greece as has been documented by historians. The author examines the main points of the great Greek historians, first highlighting the strengths of their histories before illuminating the deficiencies and inconsistencies present. Mahaffy's voice is authoritative. He does not shy away from potentially controversial subjects and seemingly relishes pointing out errors that exist in accepted histories. His trademark wit is present throughout, making this both an informative and entertaining read. The book concludes with an examination of the lessons one can take from Greek life. It is this portion of the book that may be most interesting to some readers, particularly those less interested in historiography. Problems in Greek History is an important work in the subject. This book provides the reader an opportunity to read first hand the work of one of the most important and influential Irish scholars of his day, as well as providing history enthusiasts and classicists with an interesting work detailing Greek history. Recommended. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find mor