A tale of tomb raiders, legal battles, suspicious death, and a 2,500-year-old vase: "Spivey proves a diligent detective and an engaging storyteller." — Times Literary SupplementPerhaps the most spectacular of all Greek vases, the Sarpedon krater depicts the body of Sarpedon, a hero of the Trojan War, being carried away to his homeland for burial. It was decorated some 2,500 years ago by Athenian artist Euphronios, and its subsequent history involves tomb ra...

A masterly investigation into the Classical roots of Western civilization, taking the reader on an illuminating journey from Troy, Athens, and Sparta to Utopia, Alexandria, and Rome.An authoritative and accessible study of the foundations, development, and enduring legacy of the cultures of Greece and Rome, centered on ten locations of seminal importance in the development of Classical civilization.Starting with Troy, where history, myth and cosmology fuse ...

In the late nineteenth century, the first discoveries of prehistoric painting were greeted with incredulity. How could there have been such deft and skillful artists in the world over 30,000 years ago? Noted art historian Nigel Spivey begins with this puzzle to explore the record of humanity's artistic endeavors, and their impact on our own development. How Art Made the World , in conjunction with the PBS miniseries, reveals how artists from the earliest caveman to the most studie...

What happened to the characters of DECLINE AND FALL and VILE BODIES when the war broke out? PUT OUT MORE FLAGS shows them adjusting to the changing social pattern of the times. Some of them play a valorous part; others, like the scapegrace Basil Sea, disclose their incorrigible habit of self-preservation in all circumstances. Basil's contribution to the war effort involves the use of his peculiar talents in such spheres of opportunity as the Ministry of Information and an obscure section o...

The word 'athletics' is derived from the Greek verb 'to struggle for a prize'. After reading this book, no one will see the Olympics as a graceful display of Greek beauty again, but as war by other means. Nigel Spivey paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were - fierce contests between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault. Victory was almost worth dying for, and a number of athletes did just that. Many more resorted...

Ancient Greek sculpture seems to have a timeless quality – provoking reactions that may range from awe to alienation. Yet it was a particular product of its age: and to know how and why it was once created is to embark upon an understanding of its 'Classic' status. In this richly illustrated and carefully written survey, encompassing works from c.700 BC to the end of antiquity, Nigel Spivey expounds not only the social function of Greek sculpture but also its aesthetic and technical achiev...

In "The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold," Evelyn Waugh crafts a poignant exploration of existential dread through the lens of its protagonist, Gilbert Pinfold, a beleaguered author grappling with his declining mental state. The narrative intertwines dark humor and sharp social commentary against a backdrop of post-war England, reflecting Waugh's characteristic satirical style. As Pinfold embarks on a seemingly innocent sea voyage, he becomes increasingly ensnared in a web of paranoia and halluci...

The End of the Battle, also known as Unconditional Surrender, is the third novel in Waugh’s Sword of Honour series, the author’s examination of the Second World War. The novels loosely parallel Waugh’s wartime experiences.

In "Officers and Gentlemen," Evelyn Waugh continues the narrative established in his acclaimed novel "Sword of Honour," delving into the experiences of British officers during World War II. This novel employs Waugh's trademark satirical wit and masterful prose, blending humor with a poignant critique of military life and the moral dilemmas faced by its characters. Through a vivid portrayal of wartime absurdities, Waugh captures the degradation of traditional notions of heroism in a conflic...

Evelyn Waugh's acidly funny novel of the Roaring Twenties, with an introduction by Simon JamesIn the years following the First World War a new generation emerges, wistful and vulnerable beneath the glitter. The Bright Young Things of twenties' Mayfair, with their paradoxical mix of innocence and sophistication, exercise their inventive minds and vile bodies in every kind of capricious escapade - whether promiscuity, dancing, cocktail parties or sports cars. In a qu...

Evelyn Waugh's celebrated tale of decadence and social disintegration, with an introduction by Philip EadeAfter seven years of marriage, the beautiful Lady Brenda Last is bored with life at Hetton Abbey, the Gothic mansion that is the pride and joy of her husband, Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver and forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. Brilliantly combining tragedy, comedy and savage irony, A Handful of Dust captures ...

Evelyn Waugh's masterful depiction of World War II, with an introduction by Martin StannardWaugh's own unhappy experience of being a soldier is superbly re-enacted in this story of Guy Crouchback, a Catholic and a gentleman, commissioned into the Royal Corps of Halberdiers during the war years 1939-45. High comedy - in the company of Brigadier Ritchie-Hook or the denizens of Bellamy's Club - is only part of the shambles of Crouchback's war. When action comes in Cre...