tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664958436931528900.post312231780873758944..comments2024-02-27T07:15:23.786+01:00Comments on Simon's Book Blog: H.D.F. Kitto: The Greeks (1951)Simon McLeishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16433000161180042201noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664958436931528900.post-83799579824413170882014-05-10T08:17:16.950+01:002014-05-10T08:17:16.950+01:00Your comment is really that I wasn't clear eno...Your comment is really that I wasn't clear enough in what I meant in my review. I wouldn't claim that the quality of any Wikipedia article is likely to approach that of Kitto's writing. What I was trying to say is that he makes assumptions about the knowledge of the general reader who wants to learn about the ancient Greeks which are no longer valid. So Wikipedia will probably be much more comprehensible and serve better as an introduction; after gaining some understanding there, reading The Greeks is going to be a pleasure rather than too difficult.<br /><br />It is a bit difficult for me to put myself in the position of someone who knows little about the subject, though, as my father was an eminent populariser of ancient culture, so I grew up with ancient Greek culture around me in a way which few even forty years ago would have done.Simon McLeishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16433000161180042201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664958436931528900.post-58897705761738441072014-05-09T23:46:20.640+01:002014-05-09T23:46:20.640+01:00To say that this astonishing book carry parity wit...To say that this astonishing book carry parity with the dead language of a Wiki entry nullifies your critical acumen. His command and scope of a very great subject filled me with, as he says "eros"; passion. He has awoken in me an understanding of the overall reach of the Greek mind that years of episodic, haphazard and partisan interpretations had left confused, fluid and muddy. The very qualities he admires in the Greek mind he brings to this magisterial summary; Reason, Clarity and the Essence. Yes, it is slightly dated, but so is anything after 1 year. You beggar a pithy concision with some personal wit with your petty analysis. For shame. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08947825493098787432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664958436931528900.post-1637762032937439512013-01-02T04:42:14.871+00:002013-01-02T04:42:14.871+00:00I have just started it and already like the spirit...I have just started it and already like the spirited and canny insights. I have read a couple of such general overviews eg. Burns and a little more contemporary,Cartledge. Motto reminds me of Bowra; a great stylist. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com