Oxford First Ancient History (Oxford First Books) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This past summer I searched up and down for an ancient history text age appropriate for middle schoolers. Voila! Not surprisingly, Oxford University, or its tendrils, provides this beautifully conceived book that not only contains a slew of fine, colorful illustrations by Connolly, but also perfectly fits a traditional curriculum tied to the development of western civilization.
The find was certainly fortuitous. The text of this ancient history, however, is often awkward, and not simply because Burrell writes in a myopically and ultimately insensitive Anglocentric style. The British tone and jargon are fine and offer many "teachable moments," (case in point: "There were no lifts, of course - nor could poor people (Romans) afford expensive glazed windows. You didn't need them in a sticky Roman summer but when the weather got worse, the only way to keep the flat's temperature up and the rain out was to close the wooden shutters.") That's all fine and good -- lifts, glazing, and flats -- the problem arises from some dodgy grammar and bizarre verb shifts that make reading the text, even for adults, an occasional strain. My students have even pointed out many typos, the result obviously of the same shoddiness that characterizes British newspapers, which though written with great erudition, often seem scrawled in haste and edited by lager louts with licensing hours at the forefront of the brain.
Errors aside, the book is a wonderful introduction to ancient history with a special, and completely justified, emphasis on the Greeks and Romans. Where would we be without them? The paperback edition, though seemingly robust, doesn't hold up well to middle school abuse. American backpacks wreck havoc on the poor thing. Many of our copies will be totally shot by year's end -- a pox on Oxford University Press for the decision to cease publication of the hardback edition. Argghh! Must say that I've learned a tremendous amount from reading this colorful, informative book and have not encountered its rival for adolescents.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Oxford First Ancient History (Oxford First Books)

Click here for more information about Oxford First Ancient History (Oxford First Books)