Men of Athens

Once again, Olivia Coolidge puts flesh and blood on the bones of history. In these short stories that frame the Golden Age of Athens she spreads before the reader a dramatic, highly colored panorama of the times and men who made the glory of Athens's Golden Age. Here is the barbaric splendor of the Persian court at Sardis; a stirring view of the battle of Salamis; here is Themistocles, the ambassador from Athens, cleverly outmaneuvering the smug and simple Spartans; Criton, the athlete, defending the honor of his city at the Olympic games; the bustle of the marketplace where even a potter strives for an excellence worthy of his city. Finally, after the flashing brilliance of Athens at its height of power, there is a moving account of the day that Socrates is condemned to death, a verdict that seems to spell the death of Athens itself. As with the author's Roman People , which Library Journal called "absolutely essential," the book makes excellent reading just as a collection of fine and exciting stories; at the same time it will make the Athenian century a living reality and give the reader a sense of participation in the Golden Age.