Spawforth's work is well written, well researched, and easily understood. As an introductory work for general audiences, I don't think it can get better than this book. Spawforth thoroughly explains and thoroughly explores the formation of the Greek city-states and the flowering of Greek culture in the region. He does the same for Rome. Even as a historian with a heavy focus on the time periods covered in this book, I was pleasantly surprised that I learned new information. I have recommended this book to students, friends, and colleagues that are interested in learning more about the history, culture, and archeological explorations of the region that comprised ancient Greece and Rome.

As a long-ago History major before entering librarianship, this book reconnected me with my love of ancient history and examining the connections between civilizations and history. A personal must-read, it is on our Fall ordering list to boost our ancient history collection as part of my goal of having more accessible history titles! Well done!

I was a bit slow downloading this, and it was unfortunately archived before I got a chance, so I bought a copy to review.

I enjoyed this book very much. An interesting and informative history book, and even though it's an academic volume it is beautifully written in a very accessible style.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for approving my request, and apologies for not downloading.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I have adored Greek and Roman culture and mythology since I was a little girl. I even preferred reading myths than fairy-tales. Later, I become fascinated by stories of real people that lived in ancient Greece and Rome. So, I was looking forward to reading "The Story of Greece and Rome" by Tony Spawforth.

The author manages to write about history of Greece and Rome juggling many elements, facts, historical figures, cultural influences at the same time. It is impossible not to be impressed by the author's erudition. He writes about so many different aspects of Greek and Roman universe and he does it with such ease! Because of that the story really flows, there is continuity that the most of the books on history sadly lack. The drawback of this attitude is that the author cannot really stop to examine anything in depth. He simply glides through time and places, pointing out interesting facts.

I really think that you need a previous knowledge of Greek and Roman history to enjoy this book, because of few explanations and many references to people and places. If you know a lot about Greek and Roman history, then you will be able to enjoy this book in full.

I enjoyed revisiting the ancient world with the author. Sometimes, I got the impression that "The Story of Greece and Rome" is also a list of author's visit to the most impressive antiquities collections and archaeological sites. He constantly makes references to places, where he has been and people that he knows. It adds a very personal aspect to the book and I found it truly endearing. Maybe the author is boasting a little, but he has reasons to be proud of his erudition, knowledge and passion for the antiquity.

I recommend this book to historians and readers passionate about Greek and Roman history.

I received "The Story of Greece and Rome" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

A good read for history buffs, covering almost all the major events of Greece and Rome. The author has acquitted himself well considering the herculean task of limiting all that history into one volume.

An interesting look at the histories of Greece and Rome. I'll definitely recommend this to our history buffs.

With a title as general as this, you can imagine that there is going to be a boatload of history offered in this book. Just choosing either Greece or Rome could fill volumes, so it is easy to appreciate the task author Tony Spawforth set for himself.

I chose to read this book because my knowledge in this area of history was limited to a few of the main stories – The Trojan Horse, King Leonidas and the 300, etc. – and I wished to fill in all the blanks. Mr. Spawforth’s book was more than sufficient to fulfill this goal. The history moved back and forth between Greece and Rome, first telling of Greece until a certain point in history before switching to what Rome was doing during that same time period. At times the focus switched to another country and the effect that country had on Greece or Rome.

The pace was quick, slow enough for me to grasp the essentials but fast enough to keep the book moving at a steady pace. The author did not overfill the book with every tedious detail. He gave me enough facts to understand without inflicting sensory overload. I also appreciated that Mr. Spawforth did not insist on pushing his own historic agenda. If historians were not in agreement about a moment in history, the author explained both sides without interjecting his personal feelings. Thus, I felt I received a fair and balanced account.

Mr. Spawforth told the story in a conversational style, as if we were sitting around and he was relating this incredible tale of what had gone before. Rather than place footnotes at the bottom of each page, much of the supporting background was mentioned in the text. This enabled me to learn while receiving verification at the same time. This method certainly made the retelling livelier, warding off the feeling of reading some stuffy college textbook.

Those who are not interested in history may find this a difficult book to read. Although there are tales of action and intrigue, there are also descriptions of the art, engineering, education, methods of government, and all those things that can cause history to be a fascinating subject, which is more than enough for those of us who seek knowledge and enlightenment about the people and countries that came before. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.

Thank you for letting me try this book however I didn't realise it was aimed for University reading. Bit heavier than I had planned, properly very good for students but not someone who wanted a little bit of information.

Good coverage of the basics of the histography of Rome and Greece. Clearly written and concise. Good tool for those interested in the period or who those who just need to read up on certain aspects of the area.

This is popular history written with the nuance and in-depth knowledge of an academic Classicist: it sweeps from the early Myceneans through to the fall of the Roman empire, and is especially interested in the complicated ways in which Rome both revered and yet was also troubled by ancient Greek culture. It's impossible, of course, to focus on detail as Spawforth moves at a brisk pace through the Athenian empire, the Persian wars, the internal strife of the Peloponnesian Wars and into the conquests of Alexander before turning to Rome. He does, though, weave in attention to artefacts, monuments and literary texts to illuminate key moments.

The second section of the Romans feels slightly more skimpy to me though, to be fair, Roman history, especially of the late Republic and early Principate is probably better known to a general audience so the emphasis can be justified.

Overall, this is an ideal introduction to students contemplating studying Ancient History or Classics at undergraduate level - or general readers wanting an up-to-date single volume history of classical civilisations.

I enjoyed reading about the interlinked civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and learning more about their story.
Because I am Greek most of them were known to me through my history books at school but there were also a lot of things that i didn't known or I knew little off.
The book was very accessible, easy to read and full of information.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.