When one visits Pompeii one of the first things that becomes evident is the erotic nature of the art. Even many of the souvenirs are erotic in nature. So, this book seems particularly appropriate. While eros becomes a theme uniting the book, it discusses the history and daily life in Pompeii as well as giving information of the excavation and discoveries of Pompeii.

The book also points out the important fact that many of these erotic art ojects were not strictly for brothels but appeared in every day life. The penis, for instance, was a good-luck charm that appeared on buildings, erotic images were carved onto ordinary household items, so these things did not hold the controversy for ancient Pompeii that they might for readers of more "modern" sensibilities.

This is an excellent book, which, I believe, gives readers a real feeling for the ancient city of Pompeii . It would be quite useful for anyone planning a trip or interested in learning more about the culture of the city.

This book instills the reality that when women are strong, courageous and great leaders, they are not acting like men, they are acting like.... women! Did you know that a woman did just what Paul Revere did? Also, it points out the enormous contribution of running households, farms and schools, and manufacturing textiles, food supplies, etc. to the creation of our country. I had my teenage daughter read it over the summer and she enjoyed it. Recommended for boys or girls.

Some readers are apprehensive about Michael Grant because the adjective "prolific" so often precedes his name. Whether or not you've read his other 70 books, this is a great work which, in little over 300 pages, takes us into the heart of the Hellenistic world. The period "Alexander to Cleopatra" is often treated as bookends marking the ending and resumption respectively of interesting periods; the interregnum punctuated only by obscure wars between Ptolemites and Selucids. But, as Grant recalls, the Hellenstic period saw Greek culture spread from Egypt to Central Asia and marked new heights in art, mathematics sculpture and literature. Moreover, without understanding the Hellenistic world, it is well nigh impossible to understand the history behind the New Testament - much of which was written in Greek. Maybe it is the very success of the Alexandrian conquests in spreading Greek culture which leads historians to look down their noses at this period - as if the popularization of Hellenic thinking somehow represents a debasement of the coinage. Well illustrated, too.

Riding on the hype and legendary "Lord of the Rings" resurgence, I was skeptical about purchasing this book, thinking that it may be a quick exploitive means to cash in on the fantasy regrowth. While this book has many of the recurring fantasy themes found else where, the contributors to this graphic novel have produced a fun, can't-put-it down comic.

The story centers around the person Robin Drake as he journeys to warn the other inhabits on "earth" of the return of the Beast, a villian the others thought had died fifteen years ago. Many of the superheros are cleverly introduced and united under the banner of saving the "world." Some heros take more proding than others, which aids in the story telling. It was interesting using Robin as the central character - considering he has always been a sidekick (even on his own, Nightwing has never really broken out of Batman's shadow).

This move gives the story more force and gives a "Frodo" of the Lord of the Rings" trilogy feel to the book, without copying the material too much. The formula also works well, so why change a genre that works so well - an unlikely hero, who saves the world.

The art is outstanding and many great artist contribute their unquie talents to provide pertinent images as the story progresses. A must for graphiic novel fans, who just want to read a good story, view some great art, and have a nice evening.

This book is a goldmine of wonderful, not-too-difficult recipes that make the home cooking I loved and remembered best when I was growing up. When I asked my Texan grandmother to write down my favorite recipes from her collection, she just smiled and told me that Michael Grant's cookbook is all I need. That is a true compliment from a fantastic cook. This is true Texas cooking at its very best! And by the way, Mr. Grant, your wonderful daily columns are very much missed in San Diego! :)

I was very happy to see this book back in print. Although writtin in 1976, this book provides a clear introduction to Paul and his work. The author is not a theologian or religious specialist, but he is well-read and provides an excellent secular discussion. There are lots of books about Paul and his ideas, which have more density and complexity. But, one needs to read a basic book like this to start. Then, one can read Paul's Letters and other works about Paul.
The style and pacing is similar to Michael Grant's book on Jesus - so if you liked that book, you will enjoy this book too. -WGL-

A copy should be in every nonprofit library. It's an indispensable guide to fundraising!

In its last days, the Roman Republic was a wild and wooly place. Popular thugs like Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline) and Publius Clodius Pulcher saw in the shifting vacuums of power an opportunity to flout the law and win power and riches at the expense of their fellow countrymen. Standing squarely in their path was a Roman Senator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who knew how to win men's minds with his powerful speeches and who had a fanatical dedication to maintaining the rule of law in the face of anarchy.

The art that Cicero practiced is not held in great repute today: We tend to distrust a man who can marshal cogent arguments and dazzling rhetoric in support of a cause. Consider, however, how remarkable it is that so many of Cicero's orations, letters, and other writings have survived today. Not only were his speeches eagerly read by his contemporaries, but early Christian monks saw in the great orator a basically moral, even if Pagan, writer whose work was worth saving in the scriptorium.

Among his own speeches, Cicero most highly rated his four blistering attacks on Catilina. My own personal favorite is "In Defence of Titus Annius Milo." In it, the wily orator shows he had a strong streak of Johnny Cochrane. The Tribune Publius Clodius Pulcher had been one of Cicero's most determined enemies and at one time had him banished for his advocacy of executing the leaders of Catiline's conspiracy. When Clodius is killed attempting to bushwhack a rival, Cicero jumped to defend the accused murderer.

In a letter, Cicero had bragged, "Let me tell you that it was I who produced the necessary darkness in the court to prevent your guilt from being visible to everyone." Where Cicero claims that Titus Annius Milo was attended at the time of the ambush with an "unwarlike retinue of maids and pages," he was actually accompanied by a large party of gladiators who were more than able to thwart the attack. While claiming that Milo had never threatened Clodius, Cicero wrote a letter to his lifelong correspondent Atticus stating the opposite, that Milo had openly threatened to kill Clodius.

Even when pulling the wool over his listeners' eyes, Cicero's political speeches in this volume provide a fascinating picture of a time and place which would otherwise be largely unknown to us.

Michael Grant's book, The Severans, covers a very short period of Roman history that, due to the lack of source materials, is usually left untouched. My only complaint about the writing style is that the work really needs to be read twice: once to get the general feel of the ideas presented, and a second time to follow all the references to chapters found later on in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Ancient Roman history, even though I found the price a bit high for a 90-page work.

This is the best thesaurus I have ever seen. It provides lots of synonyms for more common words, and provides cross-references for less common words. I use it in all my writings.