When I saw all the amazing photographs in the DK Travel Guide to Greece I figured their book on "Ancient Greece" would be equally impressive and I was correct. This book consists of a series of 2-page spreads dealing with various topics from Minoan civilization to Alexander and the Hellenistic age. Each spread has a basic paragraph of text from author Anne Pearson and then the rest is devoted to color photographs of various archeological treasures (or contemporary recreations) and informative captions. You will see dozens of examples of statutes and friezes, pottery and art of mythological figures taken from pots, many of which I have never seen before although I am have been actively looking for quite some time now because of a mythology course I am teaching. There are also contemporary photographs of historic ruins scattered throughout the book and recreations of Greek clothes, hair dressings, meals, and other aspects of daily life.

Readers young and old alike will find this book a great supplemental work whether they are reading a World History textbook or Homer's "Iliad." Certainly what you see within these pages will help you create more realistic images in your minds eyes when you read about the golden age in Athens, the ancient Olympic games, or the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. "The Los Angeles Times Book Review" described these Eyewitness Books as being "Like a mini-museum between the covers of a book," and that is certainly the case. Even better, the items pictured come from museums around the world, from the British Museum and the National Gallery to the Vatican and the Delphi Museum. I am planning a trip to Greece early next year and this book has certain raised my expectations for what I can hope to see in the various museums I intend to visit in Athens, Delphi, Mycenea, et al. I have particularly enjoyed seeing the ancient myths I have been teaching represented on urns and pots, several choice examples of which are pictured herein.

The best part of this book is the photographs. They are plentiful, taking up as much room as the print, and useful, too. They help you to see which of the styles of architecture is which, the layout of a Greek home, and many other things that would be hard to visualize if told only in words. This is a convenient book to have at home -as are the other eyewitness books; a quick reference, and also a plain fun read. Though it is supposed to be for children aged 9 to 12, I think many teens would enjoy this book.