This is a very good book on the subject of Oedipus, but not quite the best book on Sophocles or Oedipus. I liked both Bates' "Sophocles-poet and dramatist" and Weinstock's "Sophokles" a wee bit better, but that may be just my personal taste. Knox has a very bad habit of insisting that, by playing with the translations of tense and the shifting of meaning, and the redistributing of stress in a given sentence, that whole new meanings of the text can be 'discovered'. This is a very lazy, haphazard way to engage in critiquing, for it is not research. And Fagle's translation is plodding. Takes the poetry right out of the text.

The superlative reviews from publications as disparate as the New York Times, the New Yorker and Hellenic World (!)should be sufficient inducement to convince anyone with the least interest in Sophocles and "Oedipus Tyrannus" to buy this book.

Bernard Knox is perhaps the greatest living classicist and he may just be one of the greatest of all time. He writes with an ease and lucidity that renders the most difficult subject available to the lay reader. He has an uncanny facility to sum up in a paragraph a subject that has occupied him for twenty or thirty pages. Indeed one of the delights of this book is that at the end of each section there appears a wonderfully pithy summation.

When this book was first published it (surprisingly) received immediate and positive reviews from the New York Times and the New Yorker. But it was almost universally ignored by the classical community who were perhaps annoyed at the twitting they received in Knox's introduction. Dismayed by the appearance of an article entitled "The Carrot in Classical Antiquity", Knox had lashed out at the "excessive technicality" of his colleagues. This will remind many of us of Victor Davis Hanson's brilliantly polemical attack on the classical establishment in "Who Killed Homer".

Time, however, was on Knox' side and he went, on, as I said, to become a giant in his field. In 1998, "Oedipus at Thebes" was republished for a new and grateful generation of students.

This is a true tour de force. Knox took as his starting point a statement made by Walter Headlam. Headlam had claimed that "when embarking on the elucidation of a Greek text, the scholar should first learn the text by heart and the read the whole of Greek literature looking for parallel passages." Sounds almost preposterous. Right? Well Knox actually did this. The result is a reading of "Oedipus Tyrannus" that is not only breath-taking in its magisterial sweep, but which, as far as I am concerned offers the first coherent explanation of what the play is about (but see also Charles Segal's sensitive reading - "Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge"). Knox has lovingly burnished Sophocles somewhat tarnished reputation and has ensured that Oedipus Tyrannus takes its place in the pantheon of the greatest works of literature.

But Knox is also careful to point out the relevance of the play for modern readers -- yet another reminder (and it is despairing that we need them) that the classics should be taught in our schools and read by all of us. Here is Knox on the subject: "A play, however, which suggests that, for all its great achievements, human ingenuity may be fatally flawed, does not seem irrelevant for an age that lives in dread of atomic and biological warfare, not to mention the nightmare possibilities offered by the latest developments in genetics."

The reason I read this little book is that I had started to read Sophocles' plays in the Chicago collection, "The Complete Greek Tragedies", edited by Grene and Lattimore. I became immediately bogged down in "Oedipus Tyrannus" and I began to suspect he had more to do with the translation than anything else.

The dust jacket of this collection contains superlatives about Grene's translations. We are gushingly told at one point that the Greekless reader needs "no other translation." Well allow me to politely differ. As I read Knox's book, using it as a tool to annotate Grene's translation, I came to see that time and again Grene had, for what could only be poetic purposes, obscured the true meaning of the text. In so doing he presents a version of the play that is VERY far from what Sophocles must have intended.

So, for those of you about to embark at University (or at home) on a study of Sophocles let me suggest two things. 1. Buy Knox and read him FIRST. 2. Buy Fagles' translation of Sophocles and not Grene (it is anything but unpoetic as has been suggested elsewhere). You won't be disappointed. I think you will emerge with far more respect for Sophocles and Greek society in general.

This is by far the best (critical) text ever written on Sophocles and Greek tragedy. This book delves into the Oedipus myth and covers many themes in the Oedipus, particularly the primary theme between fate and free will, which is a direct refutation to Freud and his conception of the myth: in "The Interpretation of Dreams," Freud labels the Oedipus a "tragedy of fate." His claim is certainly controversial and Knox deals with it in a very thorough manner. Oedipus at Thebes not only displays an apt critical analysis, but also displays a very unique writing style: very elequoent, yet easy to understand. This text is useful for research as well as for pleasure purposes. Bernard Knox also delivers a wonderful analysis of the Oedipus in the Introduction/Notes to Fagles' translation of "The Three Theban Plays."

Readers should note that if you do not read Latin (and I don't), you will not be able to read the actual epistles in this book - only the introduction and the commentary. Since I will have to order another version of the Heroides to actually read the ancient text, I cannot yet comment on the English commentary included in this book! I am giving it a two for now.

My Latin class is using this text this quarter, and we find it excellent. It includes a large introduction with explanations of the myths involved, and which tells about Ovid's life. The book also includes many, many notes that give suggested translations for difficult lines and explain ambiguous references. The text includes Heroides letters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, and the "incerti auctoris epistula Sapphus ad Phaonem". Enjoy!

This commentary is erudite and insightful, full of information that is useful to scholars of all levels. What a fantastic book!

This work can be utilized by experienced field personnel. Lacks definitions of many terms and techniques for identifications, referred to in the dichotomous key. Common names for the family and genus are rarely used. However, the photos and illustrations provided are of very good quality. The guide provides the necessary detail required for general field use of mammal skulls.

This is an outstanding book for field identification of mammal skulls. I highly reccommend this book for any student of mammology or any one interested in Zoology

Dr. Knox first presents a lively defense of the study of the ancient Greeks as an important part of a liberal arts education - there's value in the ancients if you look beyond the stereotypes. Next he defends the liberal arts education itself - again value beyond the stereotypes. Finally, he defends the modern Greeks against his fellow Classics scholars, who surprisingly have been perpetuating a stereotype about how visiting Greece is disappointing and learning modern Greek is damaging to the "ear."

All told, an entertaining read.

Dr. Knox dares to stand up for the ancient Greeks and their pivotal influence on Western society in this rather short collection of three essays. His message is largely a response to the modern calls from multiculturalists and "radical feminists" downplaying or even condemning the importance of the humanities in today's academic world. The overspecialization that is the inevitable product of multiculturalism sees only the faults in ancient Greek society--slavery, a limited and inferior role for women, the crudities of ritual sacrifice, an undemocratic democracy, etc.. Knox acknowledges the validity of such criticism, but he argues cogently that Greek culture and its pervading influence on the West cannot be examined solely through a narrow lens. Some modern critics have even gone so far as to label ancient Greek society a reactionary force enforcing conformity. This, as Knox explains very well, is ludicrous. The study of the classics has long been the wellspring from which innovative, radical, and even subversive new ideas emerge. Certainly, ancient Greek society was flawed in certain ways, but the fact remains that this culture bequeathed us the very foundations of our politics, philosophy, drama, rhetoric, science, etc. The very playing field upon which modern critics denigrate the influence of the ancient Greeks was essentially constructed by their long-dead opponents.

I was most impressed by Knox's analysis of the recent history of the humanities in Western culture. Until the last century, education was largely an aristocratic privilege. The Industrial Revolution set in motion a recomposition of society, one that now dwells more and more on "practical" education; it is this social metamorphosis that has done much to call into question the role of the humanities in education today. Do not throw out the baby with the bath water, Knox warns. The world we have created reflects the vast influence of the ancient Greeks, but more importantly, that influence is even still working actively to challenge modern thinkers. While we have learned a great deal from the culture of the oldest dead white Europeans, we yet have much more to learn from them. Even should the humanities and classical studies be suppressed tomorrow, their value, beauty, and utility are such that they would soon return to the forefront of intellectual and academic studies despite the wishes of modern critics.

I must say that I was disturbed by the widespread disdain for the history of "dead white guys" while immersed in my own postgraduate studies. Multiculturalism and the new social history represents a noble effort to tell the stories of men and women who have been voiceless until now, but the end result threatens to pigeon-hole and fragment academia. The study of the classics provides an education in democracy and citizenship; herein lies the secret of its eternally important influence. I rejoice in reading such an outspoken defense of the importance of the humanities, and I believe all traditionalists will admire and be inspired by the essays collected here.

Many modern protestants refuse to use Catholic Bibles because they contain these texts. What this book proves is that early protestants believed in their authenticity and it is only in the last hundred years or so that these books have been removed from protestant bibles. However, most of the introductory essays are so opinionated as to be almost useless.

So often we act as if the only Bible canon dispute was between Catholics and Protestants. We leave the Orthodox with no complete Bible as the editions of "Bible with Apocrypha" have only the Catholic/Protestant books. This book includes texts for both Greek and Slavonic Orthodox and the one "appendix" accepted by the Greek Orthodox.

So the articles prefacing the texts are written as dogma rather than history or theology ... who cares? At least now I can have a truly complete parallel Bible for Bible studies.

Footnote: I am not Orthodox but some texts accepted only by the Orthodox as canonical appear as antiphons in Catholic liturgy.

James Polk is usually the least familiar president to appear on historians' top 10 lists. But for William Dusinberre, Polk firmly holds a spot near the very bottom. For Dusinberre, Polk and his ideological brethren set the country on a course that unnecessarily led to the Civil War, the violent fall of the South, and the self-destruction of his own class.

Polk annexed Texas and was the instigator of the Mexican American War, which led to acquisition of most of the southwest for the United States. Polk also took the Oregon territory, which encompassed much of what is now the northwestern United States. Dusinberre suggests that there was a certain inevitability to some of this, but the way it all played out, and the final border results were far from certain. Polk's overly aggressive expansionism was, to Dusinberre the worst possible way for the country to stretch from sea to shinning sea because it infused militarism and obstinacy into the debate about the future of slavery.

Dusinberre convincingly argues that Polk's, and the Southern ruling classes' mores about slavery as a tool of social order, southern honor, and states rights were all subservient to the economic benefits reaped by slave owners such as Polk. This economic incentive was so great, that it blinded Polk to what Dusinberre believes to be the inevitable fall of slavery. A more forward-looking advocate of the Southern ruling class could have promoted a plan for a soft landing and perhaps sought alliances with moderates, rather than painting everyone who had any problems with slavery as extreme 'abolitionists.'

Polk's military adventurism, intolerance for even discussion of issues related to slavery, and insistence that slave owners' so-called rights should be expanded (or the South would lose its dominance in the Senate) was coupled by his implicit threat of secession in the event of almost any sort of compromise. Dusinberre argues that before Polk and his war, different gradations of opinion existed in the south, but afterward existed only unithought. The Civil War followed.

SLAVEMASTER PRESIDENT is not really a biography as much as it is a study of how slave ownership may have affected the ideology of pre-Civil War southern Democrats such as and including Polk, and how that ideology in turn contributed to the conditions that led to the Civil War. It is a compelling argument. Dusinberre also achieves a heart-rending description of slave life on the Polk plantation. The book achieves what it set out to do.

Still, I would have liked the book to be a bit more biographical. Dusinberre expains up front that his book 'does not discuss Polk's role as a congressman in President Andrew Jackson's war against the Bank of the United States. Nor does it portray President Polk's part in securing the Tariff of 1846, nor his diplomacy with Britain, which led to the establishment of the northwestern boundary dividing the United States from Canada. These stories,' explains Dusinberre, 'have been told elsewhere.' Maybe they have, but there is remarkably little popular literature on this influential, if wrongheaded president. I am satisfied with Dusinberre's book such that it is, but it also left me wanting to read more about Polk.

James Polk is usually the least familiar president to appear on historians' top 10 lists. But for William Dusinberre, Polk firmly holds a spot near the very bottom. For Dusinberre, Polk and his ideological brethren set the country on a course that unnecessarily led to the Civil War, the violent fall of the South, and the self-destruction of his own class.

Polk annexed Texas and was the instigator of the Mexican American War, which led to acquisition of most of the southwest for the United States. Polk also took the Oregon territory, which encompassed much of what is now the northwestern United States. Dusinberre suggests that there was a certain inevitability to some of this, but the way it all played out, and the final border results were far from certain. Polk's overly aggressive expansionism was, to Dusinberre the worst possible way for the country to stretch from sea to shinning sea because it infused militarism and obstinacy into the debate about the future of slavery.

Dusinberre convincingly argues that Polk's, and the Southern ruling classes' mores about slavery as a tool of social order, southern honor, and states rights were all subservient to the economic benefits reaped by slave owners such as Polk. This economic incentive was so great, that it blinded Polk to what Dusinberre believes to be the inevitable fall of slavery. A more forward-looking advocate of the Southern ruling class could have promoted a plan for a soft landing and perhaps sought alliances with moderates, rather than painting everyone who had any problems with slavery as extreme "abolitionists."

Polk's military adventurism, intolerance for even discussion of issues related to slavery, and insistence that slave owners' so-called rights should be expanded (or the South would lose its dominance in the Senate) was coupled by his implicit threat of secession in the event of almost any sort of compromise. Dusinberre argues that before Polk and his war, different gradations of opinion existed in the south, but afterward existed only unithought. The Civil War followed.

SLAVEMASTER PRESIDENT is not really a biography as much as it is a study of how slave ownership may have affected the ideology of pre-Civil War southern Democrats such as and including Polk, and how that ideology in turn contributed to the conditions that led to the Civil War. It is a compelling argument. Dusinberre also achieves a heart-rending description of slave life on the Polk plantation. The book achieves what it set out to do.

Still, I would have liked the book to be a bit more biographical. Dusinberre expains up front that his book "does not discuss Polk's role as a congressman in President Andrew Jackson's war against the Bank of the United States. Nor does it portray President Polk's part in securing the Tariff of 1846, nor his diplomacy with Britain, which led to the establishment of the northwestern boundary dividing the United States from Canada. These stories," explains Dusinberre, "have been told elsewhere." Maybe they have, but there is remarkably little popular literature on this influential, if wrongheaded president. I am satisfied with Dusinberre's book such that it is, but it also left me wanting to read more about Polk.

I like this book just for browsing through it and dreaming along about a wonderful home with wonderful crafts. There are too many different crafts and patterns to mention. This hardcover book contains 256 pages. No matter if you quilt, knit, crochet, stitch or paint, there is something for everybody to find and try their hands. Another great Better Homes and Gardens book.

Introduced in "The Biloxi Witness", Kerry Allen a Mississippi Gulf Coast veterinarian (who happens to be dating the local sheriff) is back for her 2nd adventure in crime detecting.

The mysterious disappearance of the owner of 'The Biloxi Gambler' casino would involve Sheriff Frank Borth even if he and Kerry had not just been socializing with the man. Was it a kidnapping? Foul play? Eduardo Macias is from a weathly Columbian coffee family and soon family representatives arrive to be involved in the hunt. The suspects are numerous - could it be a casino employee? Or does it have a connection to his family?

As Kerry and Frank try to unravel the mystery, the reader learns more about the history and culture of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and how gambling has affected the area. We also get to know Kerry, who is in practice with the father that raised her single handly, better in this book. Does she take after the mother who left her in a love of danger and adventure (and where will that lead)? At times in the book both Kerry's safety and her relationship with Frank seem threatened.

Anyone wanting a strong sense of local color about a part of the country that is visited by many, but not often the setting for books should give this book a try.

This book isn't necessarily a "life of Paul," but rather a look into certain aspects of his life. It looks at the differences between the letters of Paul and the book of Acts pertaining Paul's journeys and life. Easy to read book. John Knox did a great job explaining why he discusses the points he does. The book hits broad topics such as the career of the apostle and the man in Christ. Each of which is broken down into finer detail.

don't think you know all there is about seafaring. THis book covers so much, that you'll need to read it multiple times in order to understand all the detail it gives you about commercial and naval vessels and the men that go out to sea.