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Title: Fourteen Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus (Classics S.) by Michael Psellus ISBN: 0-14-044169-7 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1979 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Test of Time
Comment: I was first hooked on Byzantine history after picking up a copy of John Julius Norwich's abridged History of Byzantium. This led to an abiding interest in the second half of the Roman Empire.
Psellus' turn of phrase and genuine storytelling ability make this book a pleasure to read. I only regret I cannot read it in its original Greek, for I think it would be even better. Despite the bias against his female compatriots (only to be expected in that era) Psellus remains fresh, authoritative, winning, and as balanced as can be expected. I love the Penguin editions of classic works- I rarely buy anything else- and my copy of the Chronographia is already dog-eared and underlined.
In short, I truly recomment this edition for any serious or leisurely student of Byzantium. Psellus gives us a window into a sorely misunderstood time and age- as well as being able to tell a ripping good story when the mood takes him.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Original History
Comment: I always like to read the original texts that historians tend to paraphrase.
This is definitely not one of those antique histories written by a forgotten author. Instead, Psellos writes across a range of topics: psychology of leadership, geography, Orthodox Christianity, statecraft, and let's not forget philosophy. This historical work is a tribute to the power of the Medieval empire of the Greeks, the high extent of its culture, and its heritage.
Rating: 5
Summary: Psellus is fantastic; Highly-Recommended
Comment: I completely recommend Michael Psellus to anyone who wants to understand a bit more about the Byzantines and this very harsh period of time in their history. Psellus is fun to read, his commentaries are often humorous, and he seems genuinely interested in preserving this period of time as more of a memoir that tries to place together the good and the bad aspects of life. Before his commentary on Constantine IX, he notes that the position of historian, just as the position of emperor, is a very complex one -- you can try your hardest to do it as accurately as possible, but, in the end, one realizes that most people are complex and cannot be quantified in words or even pages, particularly via using the words of other subjective humans. The reviewer at the bottom concerns himself with Western pipedreams; Psellus' (or Psellos') account is a memoir from events that happened in his life, it is *not* a play-by-play logbook.
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Title: The Alexiad of Anna Comnena (The Penguin Classics) by Anna Comnena, Edgar Robert Ashton Sewter ISBN: 0140442154 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1979 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Secret History (Classics S.) by G. A. Williamson, Procopius ISBN: 0140441824 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1982 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Later Roman Empire: A.D. 354-378 (Penguin Classics) by Ammianus Marcellinus ISBN: 0140444068 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1995 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Constantine Porphyrogenitus De Administrando Imperio (Dumbarton Oaks Texts 1) by Gy. Moravcsik, R. J. H. Jenkins ISBN: 0884020215 Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 May, 1985 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Fall of Constantinople, 1453 (Canto S.) by Steven Runciman ISBN: 0521398320 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 1990 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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