{"product_id":"9780691236186","title":"American Classicist","description":"Author: Victoria Houseman\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9780691236186\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 Dec 2023\u003cbr\u003ePages: 536\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA biography of the remarkable woman whose bestselling\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMythology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e has introduced millions of readers to the classical world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdith Hamilton (18671963) didn't publish her first book until she was sixty-two. But over the next three decades, this former headmistress would become the twentieth century's most famous interpreter of the classical world. Today, Hamilton's \u003ci\u003eMythology\u003c\/i\u003e (1942) remains the standard version of ancient tales and sells tens of thousands of copies a year. During the Cold War, her influence even extended to politics, as she argued that postwar America could learn from the fate of Athens after its victory in the Persian Wars. In \u003ci\u003eAmerican Classicist\u003c\/i\u003e, Victoria Houseman tells the fascinating life story of a remarkable classicist whose ideas were shaped by-and aspired to shape-her times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHamilton studied Latin and Greek from an early age, earned a BA and MA at Bryn Mawr College, and ran a girls' prep school for twenty-six years. After retiring, she turned to writing and began a relationship with the pianist and stockbroker Doris Fielding Reid. The two women were partners for more than forty years and entertained journalists, diplomats, and politicians in their Washington, D.C., house. Hamilton traveled extensively around the world, formed friendships with Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, and was made an honorary citizen of Athens. While Hamilton believed that the ancient Greeks represented the peak of world civilization, Houseman shows that this suffragist, pacifist, and anti-imperialist was far from an apologist for Western triumphalism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn absorbing narrative of an eventful life, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Classicist\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how Hamilton's Greek and Roman worlds held up a mirror to midcentury America even as she strived to convey a timeless beauty that continues to enthrall readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026amp;#x27;Comprehensive...A long overdue life of the multifaceted, deeply learned writer and explorer of the past.\u0026amp;#x27; \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46803868188830,"sku":"ADS-9780691236186","price":69.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9780691236186.jpg?v=1778206499","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9780691236186","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}