This book by John Boardman covers an essential period in Greek Art. The Black Figure style takes place from about 580-500 BC, though it is overlapped by Attic Red Figure about 530 BC. This book gives you the names, dates and vases of more than 50 Attic Black figure artists. John Boardman knows his material, and it shows, he gives a full array of differing views about the authorship of some vases showing that his opinion may not be the only opinion. I really learned a lot from this book, and truly recommend it to any Art or Classics student, as well as the person looking for general knowledge. A Good Buy!

This is another John Boardman book covering Greek Art. This style starts during the late 6th century BC, flourishing in the 5th century BC. It was started by the Athenians, and some of the most famous Greek artists are Red Figure Vase painters. John Boardman is a master storyteller, and he is able to tell the story of the Red Figure painters without sounding too distant. His knowledge of such matters shows and he talks as if he really understands the motives of the artists. His dissemination of different artists and their schools will certainly help the layperson or the student of history. This is a Must Buy!

Very well-written, fascinating treatment of this important period in history. Shows the importance of the Persian Empire and its influence on the Greek and Mediterranean empires than came afterward. The book manages to cover a great deal of material rather efficiently -- a must-have for anyone who wishes to seriously expand their understanding of civilization.

Though this adds to a field which has been dealt with before, the book presnts a fresh and insightful viewpoint. It will be valuable to all students of Greek history and chronolgy, and modern "pot throwers" everywhere.

This book does an excellent job of serving as a primer for studies of the ancient Greeks.

While the appeal of the 'oxford' name and the attractive price/page ratio make this book seem like a good deal, I found it extremely difficult to get any useful information out of this book. The authors give their opinions on subjects, before (or in many cases, in place of) giving any coherent summary of it. Just for example, try to figure out who Draco was. If you don't already know, this book is not going to tell you. The writing style is not especially clear, either. If this is one of the best texts available, I can see why nobody learns classical history anymore.

The best aspect of this book on Greek history is its comprehensive treatment of all aspects of Greek life. Literature, politics, religion, etc. are all covered in this book. My favorite sections dealt with how the Greeks socialized through organizations such as the Gymnasion and the Prytany. It really showed how the Greeks were devoted to the polis and how they were required to be very social creatures from cradle to grave. A serious problem of the book is tendencies by some of the authors to write in a style that is not user friendly. Also, a background in Greek history is required to recognize names and places. Without that you will be lost. Don't buy it unless you are really interested in Greek culture.

This is a very good work on classical Europe.

There are many virtues of this complete book, I would like to stress though its most important: its fresh look at ancient world (eg the first chapter by Mr G.Forrest is a good example), and although one might not agree with all points in the book (e.g the hindoeuropen idea at which Mr Griffin is attached is at best weak), but certainly one agrees that the concept of the book is on the right track.

I especially enjoyed the very good chapters in a not well known part of hellenic history, that of the hellenistic times, at which the Macedonian hellenes, made Greece a Universal culture. Buy this book and study it, you can only gain!

I bought this book hoping to learn about the history of the Greek colonies in the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, and it seems that Boardman is the old acknowledged expert.

Boardman provides some info on where the colonies where, but beyond that the entire discussion is about (a) from what Greek city the colony was founded, and (b) what kind of coins and pottery were there, (c) where there Phoenicians around. Believe it or not, that's pretty much all there is.

He starts out by indicating he will leave out all the politics and military history of the colonies, as they have been covered by Herodotus and others! In other words, let's leave out the interesting part. It's kind of frustrating when the leading expert on a historical topic starts out by indicating he will only talk about coins and pots. The maps are generally good in indicating where all the old Greek colonies were, except for the Black Sea, where the maps are sketchy.

For better Black Sea maps and information, see Professor G. Tsetskhadlze, publisher Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, or look up The Phanagoria Project on the net, he seems to be the leading expert now, doing excavation there. And he writes in English.

I have read and owned every edition of "The Greeks Overseas" since the first little Pelican paperback. It is the single, first and last, indispensable book for students of Archaic Greece, whether studying primarily history or archaeology or art. I consider it prerequisite to his other books on Archaic art and on the diffusion of Greek civilization. Professor Boardman has given us more than any other scholar of his generation, all of it of enduring value. The latest edition of the basic "Greek Art" is also worthy of reading by everyone from adolescents to mature scholars. A new edition of a Boardman book is not merely a new cover and an up-dated bibliography (though that, of course, is provided).

The Roman World is an overview of Roman art and history (alot to cover in one book). Without a solid background in Roman history it is very hard to keep up with this book. Lots of gaps that a scholar might be able to fill in but I had a very difficult time piecing everything together. Not for the casual reader.

The above addition is a 1987 edition. It was reprinted in 1997 and has had two updates to it in 1998. The 1987 edition for sale is outdated and useless.