New Books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you don't know how much I love reading, I suspect you are a new follower to my blog. If you are new, welcome to Australian Kiwi, in fact, welcome to you if you're an old follower too. Welcome to my slightly crazy blog about my life. But, the purpose of this post is not to distribute welcome here, there, and everywhere, it is to announce the arrival of some brand new books!

On the 4th of August, I ordered five books from Amazon.com (aka HEAVEN!) and was told they would arrive around the 22nd of September. I was a little sad that they would take so long, but, then again, the best things come to those who wait. Imagine my absolute delight when someone knocked on the door this morning and, when I opened it, it turned out to be the postie with a parcel addressed to yours truly from Amazon.com. Now, here's the part that won't surprise you, they're all about ancient Greece. Four of them are works from the period of time itself, and one of them is a historical work about the time period. The books (and the photos of them) are below and displayed in alphabetical order of author last name.

Book One
The Homeric Hymns by Homer and Susan C. Shelmerdine

This book contains the hymns Homer wrote in honor of the Olympian deities and other important Gods and Goddesses (such as Mother Earth), each with an introduction by Susan C. Shelmerdine. I have only read one hymn, that is the Hymn to Apollo, which tells the story of his birth. If all the hymns are as interesting as that one was then this will be a fascinating read. I love reading works written in the ancient times, because it gives you a glimpse at a people lost to us.


Book Two
The Iliad by Homer (Translated by Samuel Butler)

This is, in my opinion, one of the most amazing works ever written. One of only two epic poems to survive from ancient times, the Iliad tells the story of the wrath of Achilles when the beautiful Burseius is taken from him by Agamemnon. The furious warrior goes to his tent and only rejoins the fighting when his friend is killed. I haven't read it in its entirety yet, but I know from the snatches of it that I have read that it is excellent.


Book Three
The Histories by Hereodotus

Another classic treasure, The Histories was the first book to ever be written in prose (a post on prose and poetry will be coming soon). Herodotus, the father of history, wrote this book about how the Greek city states repelled the Persian army in around 500BC. Or, that's what it is supposed to be about, I hear that his natural curiosity gets the better of him several times and he rambles on about Egypt and how much he enjoys it there, but that's OK. Looking forward to reading this one.


Book Four
Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod

Again, this one is a primary source (if you don't know what that means you didn't pay attention in history class at school). It is a genealogy of the Gods as the Greeks saw it at the time and tells how they came to rule over Chaos. It's only a little book, so it won't take me very long to read. I'll read it once I finish the book below, I think, then I'll write a review.



Book Five
Ancient Greece from Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times by Thomas R. Martin


This one is the only book that doesn't have its origins in ancient Greece. Written by a distinguished classical scholar, this compact edition of Greek history is reputed to be perfect for all readers. I'm reading it at the moment and, even when it talks about the periods of Greek history I'm not interested in, it has me absolutely enthralled. I'll write an in depth review of it once I finish.



So, there you have it, my five new books. As I finish reading them, I will write reviews of them and post them here.

~ Australian Kiwi