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SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS

Voyage to the Lands of Gods and Heroes

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

  • E-MAIL
  • PRINT

Kids

Books for

A Family Learning Adventure in the Classical World

Essential Reading

Item EXMED546. Buy these 6 items as a set for $85 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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No Man's Lands, One Man's Odyssey Through the Odyssey

No Man's Lands, One Man's Odyssey Through the Odyssey

by Scott Huler

  • LITERATURE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Middle-aged everyman and NPR commentator Scott Huler draws lessons from the twists and turns of the life of Odysseus in this hilarious account of a whirlwind, six-month Mediterranean journey from Troy to Ithaca. (MED127, $14.00)

Greek Gods and Heroes

Greek Gods and Heroes

by Robert Graves

  • LITERATURE
  • 1965
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES
  • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12)

Graves recounts the glorious days when gods and goddesses who dwelt on Mount Olympus ruled over the mortal world below, and fabled heroes performed mighty deeds of valor in this classic collection for young exploreres and their families. (GRE361, $5.99)

Ancient Greece: Art, Architecture, and History

Ancient Greece: Art, Architecture, and History

by Marina Belozerskaya | Kenneth Lapatin

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

This lively illustrated guide covers the architecture, painting and sculpture of Ancient Greece from the third millennium to the end of the Hellenistic period. With 282 color and 28 black-and-white illustrations. (GRE194, $19.95)

Mediterranean by Cruise Ship

Mediterranean by Cruise Ship

by Anne Vipond

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

The best-selling, compact guide, featuring excellent local maps, hundreds of color photographs, concise background information and recommended excursions for ports-of-call throughout the Mediterranean. (MED34, $21.95)

Eyewitness Ancient Greece

Eyewitness Ancient Greece

by Anne Pearson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 72 PAGES
  • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12)

Covering fun and games, politics, power and myth, these illustrated essays explore the history and daily life of ancient Greece. (GRE59, $16.99)

Mediterranean Explorer

Mediterranean Explorer

by Ocean Explorer Maps

  • 2006
  • MAP
  • BEST SELLER

This handy color map of the Mediterranean from Spain to the Black Sea and the Levant puts ancient sites and historic ports into context. With notable people, a timeline and descriptions of dozens of places across the classical world, this map serves equally well for Mediterranean and Black Sea cruises. (MED89, $11.95)

 
Fodor's Rome's 25 Best

Fodor's Rome's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

This shirt-pocket guide includes a map of the city and essential information on its highlights. (ITL112, $11.99)

Pocket Rough Guide Athens

Pocket Rough Guide Athens


by John Fisher

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

By the savvy editors at Rough Guide, these just-right guides are bundled with a pullout map. (GRE476, $12.99)

Parthenon

Parthenon


by Lynn Curlee

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 34 PAGES
  • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12)

This splendid introduction to the Parthenon, its design, construction and history features Lynn Curlee's detailed illustrations, many full-page. Geared to grades 5-8. (GRE264, $19.99)

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, Why the Greeks Matter

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, Why the Greeks Matter


by Thomas Cahill

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Cahill sketches ancient Greek society and civilization through the lives and words of politicians, playwrights, a poet, philosopher and artist in this eloquent and absorbing tribute. (GRE182, $16.00)

The Ancient Mediterranean

The Ancient Mediterranean


by Michael Grant

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 374 PAGES

Grant explores the realms of archaeology, geography, art and economics to sketch this classic portrait of the ancient world, from prehistory through the Roman Imperium, and the influence on western civilization. (MED10, $20.00)

The Ancient Olympic Games

The Ancient Olympic Games


by Judith Swaddling

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 120 PAGES

An attractively illustrated survey of the religion, mythology and celebration of sport at Olympia. (GRE158, $19.95)

The Ancient Olympics, A History


by Nigel Spivey

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Spivey, a wonderful popular writer and classicist at Cambridge, offers a vivid history of Greek athletic contests, not just the Olympian but also the Pythian at Delphi, Isthmian at Corinth and Nemean at Argos. (GRE206, $19.99)

The Classical World

The Classical World


by Robin Lane Fox

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 656 PAGES

Fox conjures tyrants, conquerors and enthralling personalities, from Homer to Hadrian, in this marvelously written history of ancient Greece and Rome. (GRE293, $19.99)

The Mediterranean in History

The Mediterranean in History


by David Abulafia

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A professor at Cambridge, David Abulafia leads a team of eight historians in this engaging, richly illustrated overview of the civilizations, societies and grand themes in the history of this great sea at the heart of Europe. Published in conjunction with the J. Paul Getty Museum, the book features 150 well-integrated color and 150 black-and-white illustrations. (MED79, $29.95)

The Middle Sea

The Middle Sea


by John Julius Norwich

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

A marvelous writer who has already tackled Byzantium, the Normans in Sicily and Venice, Norwich spins his magic in this story of culture, trade and politics, royalty and rulers, wars and religion in the Mediterranean. (MED98, $21.00)

The Mycenaeans

The Mycenaeans


by Louise Schofield

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

This book, based on the latest research, describes daily Mycenaean life and assesses what we really know about the mythic city of Agamemnon. (GRE372, $35.00)

The Naked Olympics, The True Story of the Ancient Games


by Tony Perrottet

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 214 PAGES

Perrottet covers the history of the games with frank humor and the immediacy of sports writing in this entertaining account of the Olympics. (GRE196, $16.00)

The Tomb of Agamemnon

The Tomb of Agamemnon


by Cathy Gere | Mary Beard

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 208 PAGES

An enlightening brief guide to the archaeological site (a fortified hill in the Peloponnese at Mycenae), its history and current scholarship on the Bronze Age. (GRE252, $19.95)

The World of Odysseus

The World of Odysseus


by Moses I. Finley

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 205 PAGES

A classic portrait of ancient Greek society based in large part on the author's ground-breaking interpretation of the Iliad and Odyssey. (GRE76, $14.95)

The World of the Ancient Greeks

The World of the Ancient Greeks


by John Camp | Elizabeth Fisher

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Featuring hundreds of illustrations and inviting short chapters on topics from The First Greeks to The Heroic Age and Classical Athens. With modern color photographs of great ancient cities from Athens and Delphi to Knossos, Ephesus, Pergamum and Priene. (GRE365, $24.95)

Vesuvius

Vesuvius


by Gillian Darley

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2012
  • HARD COVER
  • 144 PAGES

Gillian Darley unveils the human responses to Vesuvius, both feared and celebrated, from a cast of characters as far-flung as Pliny the Younger and David Hockney in this entry in Harvard University Press's excellent Wonders of the World series, a perfect introduction for travelers to Pompeii and Herculaneum. (ITA275, $22.95)

Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times


by Thomas R. Martin

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 254 PAGES

An introduction to Greek history, culture and politics from prehistory to 30 B.C. (GRE212, $16.95)

Mysteries of the Snake Goddess

Mysteries of the Snake Goddess


by Kenneth Lapatin

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER

An intelligent account of archaeology, art and deceit revolving around a Minoan sculpture excavated by Sir Arthur Evans (of Knossos fame), later acquired by the Boston Museum of Fine Art. (GRE166, $16.95)

Pompeii, The Day a City Died

Pompeii, The Day a City Died


by Robert Etienne

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 215 PAGES
  • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
  • >

This indispensable pocket guide illustrates daily life in the city as told by its evocative frescoes, mosaics and treasures. (ITL01, $15.95)

St. Paul's Ephesus, Texts and Archaeology

St. Paul's Ephesus, Texts and Archaeology


by Jerome Murphy O'Connor

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 289 PAGES

Jerome Murphy-O'Connor transports us back to the ancient city of Ephesus during its heyday, including contemporary accounts from Roman to biblical times, and featuring a guided walk through the city as a center of Paul's teachings. (TKY226, $29.95)

The Complete World of Greek Mythology

The Complete World of Greek Mythology


by Richard Buxton

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

With hundreds of color illustrations, site plans, genealogies and maps, this handsome, encyclopedic reference illuminates the world of the Greek gods. (GRE377, $39.95)

The Parthenon

The Parthenon


by Mary Beard

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 204 PAGES

A lively tale of the construction, significance and many uses of the 2,500-year-old marvel. (GRE195, $14.95)

The Search for Ancient Greece

The Search for Ancient Greece


by Roland Etienne | Francoise Etienne

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

Lavishly illustrated, this pocket encyclopedia covers the archaeology and meaning of ancient Greece, quite an accomplishment for such a slim book. (GRE01, $15.95)

Paul, A Very Short Introduction

Paul, A Very Short Introduction


by E.P. Sanders

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

A brief biography of St. Paul and his role in the formation of the Christian religion. E.P. Sanders is professor of religion at Duke and a well-known biblical scholar. (MED93, $11.95)

The Colossus of Maroussi

The Colossus of Maroussi


by Henry Miller

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 223 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Miller captures the spirit and warmth of the resilient Greek people in this inspired tale of a wartime journey from Athens to Crete, Corfu and Delphi with his friend Lawrence Durrell. (GRE05, $12.95)

Turkish Reflections, A Biography of a Place

Turkish Reflections, A Biography of a Place


by Mary Lee Settle

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 253 PAGES

Settle's travelogue is a richly detailed portrait of Turkey, its people, myths, treasures and traditions. (TKY08, $16.99)

A Literary Companion to Travel in Greece

A Literary Companion to Travel in Greece


by Richard Stoneman

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 347 PAGES

Poetry, prose and literature over the ages, arranged geographically with an excellent introduction and commentary. Stoneman artfully weaves together hundreds of short excerpts. (GRE06, $19.95)

Odysseus, A Life

Odysseus, A Life


by Charles Rowan Beye

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 197 PAGES

A chronicle of the life of Homer's Odysseus by a classicist with a wry sense of humor. Beye draws on recent scholarship, literature and archaeology in constructing this clever "biography" of the cunning wanderer. (GRE191, $13.95)

The Fall of Troy

The Fall of Troy


by Peter Ackroyd

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Bestselling author Ackroyd's acclaimed novel follows an archaeologist whose ruthless obsession with unearthing Troy raises questions about the malleability of scientific truth. (MED137, $14.95)

The Iliad

The Iliad


by Homer | Robert Fagles

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 704 PAGES

In the excellent Fagles translation -- here presented in a deluxe paper edition -- Homer's Trojan epic hasn't aged a bit in the last 2,700 years. Take it along to Troy and the Aegean. We also carry Fagles's translation of The Odyssey. (Item no. GRE45, $17.00) (GRE173, $17.00)

The Leopard

The Leopard


by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Evoking a lost world of privilege and tradition, Giuseppe Di Lampedusa's memorable tale, set on a rural Sicilian estate during the days of independence, follows the world-weary Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina. A classic, now in a 50th anniversary edition. (ITL11, $16.00)

The Smiles of Rome, A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers

The Smiles of Rome, A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers


by Susan Cahill

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

A wonderfully inspired anthology featuring excerpts from 29 writers and artists interspersed with practical suggestions for travelers. (ITL573, $14.95)

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Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.