A cabinet of Greek curiosities : strange tales and surprising facts from the cradle of western civilization / J.C. McKeown.

2024-05-13T10:20:19Z

by McKeown, J. C.
Call Number 938 23
Publication Date 2013
Summary Like its companion volume, A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities, this is an uproarious miscellany of odd stories and facts, culled from a lifetime of teaching ancient Greek civilization. In some ways, the book demonstrates how much the Greeks were like us. Politicians were regarded as shallow and self-serving; overweight people resorted to implausible diets; Socrates and the king of Sparta used to entertain their children by riding around on a stick pretending it was a horse. Of course, their differences from us are abundantly documented too and the book may leave readers with a few incredulous questions. To ward off evil, were scapegoats thrown down from cliffs, though fitted out with feathers and live birds to give them a sporting chance of survival? Did a werewolf really win the boxing event at the Olympic Games? Were prisoners released on bail so that they could enjoy dramatic festivals? Did anyone really believe that Pythagoras flew about on a magic arrow? Other such mysteries abound in this quirky and richly illustrated journey into the "glory that was Greece."
Format: Electronic Resources
http://ezproxy.angliss.edu.au/login?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=563826

Old Shanghai and the clash of revolution / X.L. Woo.

2024-05-13T10:20:19Z

by Woo, X. L.
Call Number 951.13205092
Publication Date 2013
Summary Life in Shanghai played out against a backdrop of shifting political maneuvers until World War II burned off the patina that had made 'Old Shanghai' a world unto itself. In this personal history we follow one man through Japan's conquest of Shanghai in 1937 to the Chinese civil war and Communist takeover, Mao's desperate attempts to modernize a medieval country and Deng Xiaoping's opening the economy but not social freedoms. The protagonist lees burgeoning corruption and makes it to the United States to see for himself what the tales of freedom and democracy might offer.
Format: Electronic Resources
http://ezproxy.angliss.edu.au/login?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=632628

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A cabinet of Greek curiosities : strange tales and surprising facts from the cradle of western civilization / J.C. McKeown.

Old Shanghai and the clash of revolution / X.L. Woo.