Cyril Edward Robinson (1884–1981)

Um margt fróðleg bók bæði hvað varðar sögu Rómar og fordóma höfundar og samtíðar hans.
Robinson gefur út söguna 1935 og hún hefur ekki elst vel. Í sögunni ber töluvert á kynþáttafordómum (Húnar eru t.d. "hideuous and dwarfish"), mismunandi stéttir eru taldar æðri öðrum, austræn menningaráhrif til bölvunar og sömuleiðis konur. Herramaðurinn, eða á ensku "the gentleman" er afbragð annarra.
En að þessum smáatriðum frátöldum er þetta vel skrifuð saga sem greinir aðallega frá lífi yfirstéttarinnar og stjórnendum Rómaveldis aldirnar 2 fKr. til 2 eKr. þótt upphafi Rómar séu reyndar líka gerð skil og allt þar til Rómaveldi byrjar að liðast í sundur á 5. öld.… (mere)

This book is written in an older classical style that occasionally compares the ancient Greeks with modern British traditions, which makes for strange and sometimes uncomfortable reading in this day and age. It goes into detail about many different facets of life in the ancient Mediterranean. The prose is florid, which I like a lot, even if it sometimes sacrifices a feeling of objectivity (which I tend to dislike in a history book) for emotional resonance and dustings of personal interpretation. I like it.… (mere)

A nice little book on ancient Greece, with a good description of the differing ways of the Spartans and the Athenians. I learned that they had a sport like MMA fighting they called 'Pancration,' they loved to recite the Homeric stories, their populations were in the tens of thousands, and that they came from the north of Greece to settle Greece, being culturally influenced by the Mycenaeans. Good number of pictures. Written in 1933 by an Oxford professor, so there's no PC ****. Overall, a nice, satisfying summary.… (mere)