School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-This invaluable guide is an expert abridgment of the acclaimed Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed., 2003). This version, more readable in style and font, retains the core information and fascination of the parent volume at half its bulk. Entries center on the period 776 B.C.-A.D. 180. Alterations are judicious: all two paragraphs of the original entry on the Vindolanda tablets survive intact, for example, while the earlier editions lengthy piece on Roman history is cut to under half its original length. Although the bibliographies are gone, for nonspecialist users, abridgment is largely a blessing, eliminating distracting (and discouraging) byways and pointing readers to the essentials. Greek is transliterated but British usage remains. An appended article on the value of money in the classical world will help answer students perennial questions on that topic. A chronology, gazetteer, classical-author list, and six black-and-white maps add to the books scope. Teachers and students of history, literature, and classics will find this an outstanding reference volume.-Patricia D. Lothrop, St. Georges School, Newport, RI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Choice Review
This perfect gem of a book, an abridgment with just over a third of the content of The Oxford Classical Dictionary (OCD), rev. 3rd ed., ed. by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth (CH, Oct'03, 41-0661), provides a fascinating glimpse into the Greek and Roman classical world, 776 BCE to CE 180. In its 2,500 highly readable entries on all aspects of Greek and Roman society, readers will find biographical-historical, mythological, geographical, and historical information, as well as material on an astonishing variety of societal concerns, e.g., food, education, and marriage laws. Judicious use of cross-references within each entry enhances the total learning experience. Useful appendixes include a lucid overview of the monetary systems and wage structures; a gazetteer with ancient place-names and their modern descendants; a chronology of events across Greece and the East, and Rome and the West; and a series of maps. For this abridgment, geographic areas (Greece and Italy are the core ones) and time periods (lighter emphasis on the Hellenistic period) were adjusted; at roughly half the price, if financially necessary, this is an affordable and desirable alternative to OCD for students, scholars, and the intellectually curious general reader. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Academic collections supporting lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. P. Mardeusz University of Vermont
