This is a rather straightforward account of the many ups and downs of the Greek peoples since the dawn of their civilization (of our civilization?) to the time Isaac Asimov wrote this book (ca. 1963).

If you’re looking for an overview of that long history, this book probably fits your bill. Given the scope of the subject matter and the inherent complexity of all the events, characters, and developments of such long history, Asimov makes a great job in keeping the narrative streamlined and coherent. Given the length of the book (only 320 pages), where it fails it just goes to prove that Asimov’s intention was to keep it simple and readable: it sacrifices narrowing too much on historical precision to provide a much needed broader overview of the whole of that history.

Here and there Asimov goes a little bit overboard in making his personal fancies known, by criticizing this or that character, this or that people (mainly the Spartans, of whom he doesn’t hide his dislike), this or that event. But, on the whole, those little subjective snippets do not harm the main narrative. If anything, these just give a quaint flavor to the text, making it somewhat outdated and queer.

So, if you’re already acquainted with the subject, if you are familiar with Greek history, and its manifold characters and accomplishments, this probably isn’t the book for you. This book is for those who, knowing little, are curious to learn about the incredible civilizing journey of the Greek peoples, how they came about and how they came to be what we now know them to be. Therefore this is not a book for experts; rather this is much more a beginner’s book. And since it succeeds in this task, it deserves its positive reviews and ratings.