I was the editor of this book, which for various reasons was never published. Thus, an out-of-print search will be of no avail.

How this little gem has been so completely overlooked I simply do not understand. I have to confess that I am as guilty as the next person. As an inveterate reader of the Iliad in translation and of everything I can get my hands on about the Iliad, I had somehow missed this. I first saw it obliquely referenced in the New York Review of Books. I can not even remember what the book being reviewed was. But i Do recall that Griffin's book was mentioned in a footnote.

It took me a couple of weeks to read it -- though it clocks in at barely over 200 pages. Not because it it tough slogging, but because the ideas are so startling and so ingenious that you have to sit back, savour them, re-read them, and then press on. I kept my favorite translation of the Iliad to hand (Fagles) and spent hours cross-referencing Griffin and Fagles texts in their respective margins. Now when I pick up the Iliad in search of a memorable passage I have a note that takes me straight to Griffin's lucid, limip analysis.

As a society we do not understand death very well -- and we are not prepared for it. I first confronted this when my mother died. I ralized then that nothing I had learned, nothing I had ever read, prepared me properly for the event. I wish I had read Griffin on the subject before that fateful day. At one point he writes, "...the Iliad is a poem of death rather than of fighting. The subject of the poem is life and death, constrasted with the greatest possible sharpness."

He writes passionately at all times -- and, on ocassion, almost polemically. But his opinions are always founded on the most careful analysis of the text.

Here he is on the value of Greek myth:

"Greek myth is distinguished from others above all by the dominant position within it of myths about heroes....They illuminate...the potential and limitations of man in the world. In the noble speeches and tragic insights of a Sarpedon, a Hector, an Achilles, we see both the terrible and unalterable laws of life and death, and also the greatness which man can achieve in facing them. The loyalty of Penelope, the endurance of Odysseus, the self-sacrifice of Patroclus, even the tragic dignity of the guilty Helen: all show us that amid suffering and disaster human nature can remain noble and almost god-like."

Griffin also translates EVERYTHING. Many of his era, including the magisterial Syme, would hardly have deigned to do this -- assuming that even the lay reader should have a knowledge of Latin or Greek. But not Jasper Griffin. Thank you Jasper.....

If you love the Iliad, you will LOVE Griffin. I also discovered a reference to this book at the end of "Who Killed Homer". Now, depending upon your view of Hanson (I love him) that may either damn or exalt Griffin in your eyes. But for what it is worth, Hanson listed this little book as one of the ten books on antiquity that MUST be read. And he is right!!

This is a wonderful book for children just learning how to read. The illustrations glow and pop off the page! A wonderful book for all!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There are commentaries on design at the introduction, which I found informative and interesting. Also, the quality of work that is displayed is absolutely amazing. There is verything from furniture to lighting, to the most innovative products of our time. The editors did a fantastic job on the page layout, truly a mastery of graphic design as well. Another great series of books along these lines is the Graphis yearbooks. I love the book, and I can't stop looking at it!

This reference book is one of the most in-depth works on heavy metal music that I have ever found. The entries for major bands are accurate and interesting, but the real value lies in the entries for lesser-known and regional bands. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in hard rock or heavy metal.

Did you miss the Johns retrospective at NY MOMA? This book captures the essence of an American Michaelangelo. Subjective? You bet! If you have even the slightest interest in modern art your library is not complete without this retrospective. The many color and b&w photographs are superb, and it is accompanied by a solid chronology of Mr. Johns's life. Emphasis is on original works, but includes a good selection of more important lithographs (I recommend the prints Catalog Raisonne by ULAE if you want a complete reference work in this area). A tour de force by Varnedoe and his editing team!

Simmons does it again with a great bedtime story about Jasper. The ending will make you smile and hug your kid. Definately a re-read!

If you dare to have some of your pet theories about the old Antibellum South challenged, take a look at this unusual little volume! The story of a Black slave that became one of the most famous Protestant preachers of the South. The life of John Jasper provides a look at the South from the vantage point of the Preacher himself, with some portions of his sermons reprinted. A most unusual and unorthodox look at the spirit of his era.

I started reading out of a mild curiosity about the man who wrote "Monstrous Regiment of Women". By the end I was fascinated and appalled...Ridley has a lot of respect for the reader's intelligence, and doesn't stint on the ghastly details that made some people (at last) revolt against theocracy in Elizabethan England. Tends to remind Americans just how much we are "missing" , the cure for nostalgia over those days.

Jonathan Jasper Jeremy Jones is a delightful book about a "busy young fellow without any bones" that is very easy to read and is wonderfully written. The children love to hear it and even adults love it too! It has a nice rhythm and beautiful pictures. I highly recommend it!