Who's Who in the Ancient World: A Handbook to the Survivors of the Greek and Roman Classics

by Betty Radice

Provides a reference to those events and personalities of classical antiquity most often encountered in Western art and literature

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction, Classics, Mythology, Roman History, Classical Studies

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Betty Radice (3 January 1912 - 1985) was joint editor of Penguin Classics and vice-president of the Classical Association.

Reviews

[Aloke]

Found this in a pile of books on the curb yesterday evening: a mix of history, classics, Waugh, Greene, Conrad and travel guides from the Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It was an intriguing pile that I forced myself to pass up thinking of my own pile back at home. But out of a lingering sense of opportunity missed I took another look this morning and decided on this volume with the justification that it would come in handy if I ever got around to reading the copy of Homer’s Odyssey that I liberated from my parents’ bookshelves this weekend. And it turns out that she was a colleague of E. V. Rieu, the translator of that edition, and she eventually became the sole editor for Penguin’s classics. She was also the editor of Gibbon’s memoirs which was also serendipitous because I’d just picked up the e-book for “Decline and Fall” (some editions are currently available on Amazon for $1.99, I bought the one edited by Mueller). Lastly the author’s name also caught my eye. The other Radice I've heard of is William Radice who I discovered first by his book “Teach Yourself Bengali” but later found out was a well-known scholar of Bengali literature. William Radice turns out to be Betty Radice’s son.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A large guide that tells what the title describes. If you have a question on Plutarch or Pliny, this is the book for you!

[Debra Croft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read from cover to cover, as well as a useful reference work.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an entry point to Greek and Roman mythology and classical literature, and it was somewhat useful. However, I feel it would be of more use to someone who is already vaguely familiar with the legends and tales, or as a reference guide for specific characters. Only a few of the shorter tales were explained in the entries, and often they relied on some basic knowledge of the original material. With complex works with multiple characters, the book uses a series of somewhat circular internal references, making it more difficult to fully understand the myth. Despite this, it was useful in learning about some more minor tales and characters of ancient mythology.

[Troy Soos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific resource to keep on hand while reading ancient Greek or Roman history. Radice includes names and places, both historical and mythological. The only thing missing is the pronunciations (otherwise it would have earned five stars).