Josiah Ober: The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece

Not heavily academic, this is a very interesting book that extracts some unexpected (or even “heretic”) conclusions from many previous studies and revises our understanding of ancient Greece. His arguments are solid and we consider it the best source to understand the evolution of ancient Greece.

"An astonishing work. If you want to know what the fuss is about the ancient Greeks, this is the book to start with."―John Ma, University of Oxford

Roderick Beaton: The Greeks – A global History

An excellent overview of the history of Greeks for the last 3.500 years, by one of the great historians of our times. Easy to read, it offers, in just one volume, a comprehensive and insightful view of the story of this small corner of the earth that influenced so much the Western world over the centuries.

 “For anyone who wants to understand Greece today, this is the place to start."―Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules―For Now

Tom Holland: Persian Fire

If the Greeks lost the Persian Wars, the history of the West would be completely different. Tom Holland proves a great narrator of the decisive conflict that determined the fate of the West in the following centuries. 

“an ambitious contemporary retelling of an epic tale that, framed as a conflict between East and West, quietly subverts certain other recent histories' parallels between empires past and present… its parallels to modern events are subtle and often implicit” - Brendan Driscoll editorial review 

David Studdart - A History of Ancient Greece in 50 lives

A different approach, David Studdart tells the story of Ancient Greece through the narration of the lives of 50 prominent Greeks that left their mark in that period. An interesting and rather easy-to-read tale with many interesting details!

"The real power of the book is the author’s ability to convey the context of the subjects’ lives and the interconnected effect of their actions on their society and one another. A highly enjoyable and accessible volume. For readers new to Greek history, it provides an excellent overview of significant events and personages, while those familiar with its subjects might find that the presentation results in an interesting perspective."  ― Library Journal Xpress Reviews

Democracy

For a long time, the ancient Athenian Democracy was seen by many as a "rule of the mob". Of course, this was a rather simplistic way to look at it but it had prevailed (just check the opinions of the founding fathers of American Democracy). Probably, the first change occured with the monumental work of George Grotte, who depicted it in a more sophisticated way. These books explore various aspects of the Athenian Democracy in a well founded manner and provide lots of insights on the issue.

Paul Cartledge - Democracy

Cartledge contends that there is no one "ancient Greek democracy" as pure and simple as is often believed… he sheds light on the variety of democratic practices in the classical world as well as on their similarities to and dissimilarities from modern democratic forms, from the American and French revolutions to contemporary political thought…

"Thanks to Cartledge, Athenian democracy feels more vital than it has done for decades. It is a belter of a book." - Peter Thonemann, Books of the Year 2016, Times Literary Supplement

Moses I. Finley - Democracy Ancient and Modern

Finley's book is considered a classic one on the issue. Now, in its second edition it includes five essays about various aspects of the Athenian Democracy that dismantle many of the previous perceptions of this "self-governance system" and display its complexity in its full array. One should always keep in mind that the first Democracy was an ongoing experiment, since there was no previous know-how and underwent a great number of changes!

"An extremely stimulating series of essays, demonstrating anew the continued vitality and relevance of the Athenian experience to modern political problems." (Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science)

Josiah Ober - Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens: Rhetoric, Ideology, and the Power of the People 

Ober is one of the scholars that shed light in the evolution of Greek cities and the evolution of their regimes. In this book he examines the question: Why did Athenian democracy work as well and for as long as it did? Josiah Ober seeks the answer by analyzing the sociology of Athenian politics and the nature of communication between elite and nonelite citizens. We can draw many useful conclusions for our modern democracies!

"the book is meant to be a contribution to Greek history: an attempt to explain the social roots and internal functioning of the political system of an ancient city-state" - From the back cover

Loren J. Samons - What's wrong with Democracy

Bold and provocative, this book has raised controversy among scholars, who have debated against some (or many) of its views as it challenges many conventional assumptions. Nevertheless, it provides interesting questions on issues that dominated the ancient Athenian thought and, after all, it's always good to question our own assumptions and reconsider if and when necessary. 

"Professor Samons' lively and challenging account of ancient Athens raises important questions about democracy, ancient and modern. It will surely arouse keen interest and debate."--Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War

Mythology

The first one is for children, while the others are for adults who want something more than a simple narrative of Greek Myths

D'Aulaire's - Book of Greek Myths

Published in 1962, it remains a great choice for kids. Make them a gift that they will not forget!

Stephen Fry - Mythos

The first of a 4 volumes series (the others are: Heroes, Troy and Odyssey) this volume is a good starting point for adults. The writing of Stephen Fry and impressive artworks, make this edition a great introduction in Greek myths for the average reader.

Carl Kerenyi - The Gods of the Greeks and The Heroes of the Greeks

First things first, these two volumes are NOT for the average reader but only those who want to delve deep down into the Greek Mythology (by the way you may find these two volumes as one in some cases, under the title: The mythology of the Greeks).

Carl Kerenyi is most likely the founder of a modern look in ancient Greek myths that incorporates pchycological interpretations as he was influenced by Carl Jung's work, the famous psychiatrist. This aspect is actually the most important feature of myths (not just Greek ones, but all myths). Kerenyi used all available sources to give all versions of myths and this feature makes his work the most thourough examination of Greek Mythology!

Philosophy

Jostein Gaardner - Sophie's World

Disguised as a novel, this best seller book is actually a simple introduction to Western Philosophy for young and old!

“A simply wonderful, irresistible book...a cross between Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy and Alice in Wonderland.” ―Daily Telegraph

Anthony Gottlieb – The Dream of Reason

A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance

There’s a multitude of similar books out there but this one provides a non-academic read that combines scholarship, clarity and easy flow narrative thus making it a great history of Philosophy for readers of all levels. 

"[Gottlieb] writes with fluency and lucidity, with a gift for making even difficult matters seem comprehensible." ― Richard Jenkins, New York Times

Mark Cohen, Patrcia Curd and C.D.C. Reeve - Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales to Aristotle

Out of many introductions in Ancient Greek Philosophy, this rather extensive one (736 pages) has some qualities that made it widely appreciated as a great anthology of its kind! It's an all-in-one stop book.

Gregory Vlastos - Socrates: Ironist And Moral Philosopher

We simply recommend it as one of the best books about Socrates.

"Gregory Vlastos's book begins from the conviction that Socrates' strangeness is 'the key to his philosophy.' It is a marvelous book, in which no major aspect of Socrates' career is eclipsed. The rigor of his arguments, the depth of his moral commitment and understanding, his complex relationship to Athenian ethical traditions, his rational religion: all this comes to life in writing whose vigor and lucidity put the challenge of Socrates squarely before the reader.... It deserves as much honor as any work of scholarship in Greek philosophy in this century." - Martha C. Nussbaum ― The New Republic

Sciences

Let us please explain! The first two books (Golden Ratio and Bonobo and the Atheist) are specifically for the people that have participated in our philosophical tours. They will understand why we have included them. The third is from the founder of the very interesting "Ancient Greek Technology Museum" that describes many of the scientific innovations of ancient Greece and the last one is for kids! Ok, hope all is clear now!

Arts & Novels

John Boardman - Greek Art

John Boardman, one of the best known and acknowledged scholars of the classical Greek world, presents in this book the most influential and widely known historic artistic tradition of the Old World  and provides insights of the society that produced them.

“One of the very best short histories of Greek Art.” ― The Financial Times

Steven Pressfield: Gates of Fire

If you want to grab the Zeitgeist (= spirit of the times) of ancient Greece this is the only book you need! Definitely the best historical fiction book we have ever read about ancient Greece and a great read. Its main subject is the famous battle of the 300 Spartans, and describes it in such a vivid (and raw) way that you will “experience” the battle as if you were there, yourself! The most important however is that it offers lots of great insights not just for the Spartan warriors but also about life in ancient Greece. 

“A timeless epic of man and war . . . Pressfield has created a new classic deserving of a place beside the very best of the old.”—Stephen Coonts

Madeline Miller - The song of Achilles

“A captivating retelling of The Iliad and events leading up to it through the point of view of Patroclus: it’s a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity.” — Donna Tartt, The Times

“One of the best novelistic adaptations of Homer in recent memory, and it offers strikingly well-rounded and compassionate portrait of Achilles....[Miller] injects a newfound sense of suspense into a story with an ending that has already been determined.” — Wall Street Journal

Steven Pressfield: Tides of War

"Brilliant at war, a master of politics, and a charismatic lover, Alcibiades was Athens’ favorite son and the city’s greatest general. A prodigal follower of Socrates, he embodied both the best and the worst of the Golden Age of Greece. A commander on both land and sea, he led his armies to victory after victory. But like the heroes in a great Greek tragedy, he was a victim of his own pride, arrogance, excess, and ambition. Accused of crimes against the state, he was banished from his beloved Athens, only to take up arms in the service of his former enemies."

"Tides of War conquers by sheer storytelling prowess, reminding us that war was--and is--a highly addictive version of hell"  Darya Silver