When in Greece, books for Greece
WHEN IN GREECE, BOOKS FOR GREECE
- Premium Archaeological, Art and History series
Cloth or leather bound, hard cover books, with cover, some encased in a hardback box set, fully illustrated
Perfect for a present or a coffee table book
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN ANCIENT GREECE
Ancient Olympia and the Olympic Games
General Editor: Nicolaos Yalouris
A detailed picture of ancient Greek athletics, and of its remarkable growth and peak. The focus is on the Olympic Games, and there is a separate description of each event and its playing techniques. This standard work is a full and informative guide, written by sports specialists and university professors. Buy now
Pp 304, cloth. 156 ills., Size: 22cm x 28cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €47,96
PHILIP OF MACEDON
Manolis Andronicos & Michael Sakellariou
Professor Andronikos, Professor Sakellariou, and seven other specialist scholars tell the story of the career of Philip II, king of Macedon, and describe how his tomb was discovered in the course of excavating the tombs at Vergina. Buy now
Pp 254, cloth. 129 ills., Size: 22cm x 29cm
Available in Greek, English, French
Price: €47,77
GREEK ART
ANCIENT GOLD JEWELLERY
Ekaterini Despini, Former Inspector of Antiquities
The works of Greek gold art examined in this volume belong to the beginning of the first millennium BC, while the jewelry already had a long tradition behind it. Its form has been influenced many times by the religious and metaphysical conceptions of each era, as briefly mentioned in the introduction of the book. The manufacture of Greek gold jewelry depended on the possibility of obtaining the precious metal, the ways of exploration of which and its processing techniques, intertwined with myths and traditions, are examined in subchapters. Buy now
Pp 296, cloth, 221 ills., Size: 24cm x 28cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €49,77
GREEK ART
BYZANTINE WALL-PAINTING
Myrtali Acheimastou – Potamianou
With their simple, accessible materials, the precise, effective flexibility of the painter’s brush, and the efficient, frequently inspired artistry of their creators, Byzantine wall-paintings are a vigorous yet modest expression of the monumental painting of Byzantium, a worthy equivalent of the precious mosaics.
Their easily executed, albeit demanding, technique, the immediacy and charm of their style, and the instructive potential of the representations (vehicles of the fervent faith and the doctrines of Orthodoxy), combined with their low cost, were all factors contributing to the wide-spread dissemination of wall-paintings throughout the entire chronological and geographical extent of the Byzantine Empire and the countries under its religious and cultural influence. In the populous cities and major monastic centres of Byzantium, eloquent, dignified religious paintings inundate the walls of both small, insignificant houses of prayer and renowned churches, adding equal prestige to their donors: important state officials, high-ranking members of the Church hierarchy, and humble believers alike.
A representative sample of outstanding wall-paintings from forty-one celebrated monuments in presented in the volume ‘Byzantine Wall-Paintings’. This treasury of visual artistic material covers, historically and stylistically, the development of the art of wall-painting from the 7th to the 16th century inclusive, which is fully documented, and discussed with great sensitivity by the author in her introduction to the volume. The particular visual physiognomy and artistic contribution of every ensemble of wall-paintings included in this book can easily be appreciated by the reader with the aid of full, readily comprehensible discussion of the artistic style and aesthetic value of each of the paintings, together with a brief account of the monuments it adorns. Buy now
Pp 274, cloth, 190 ills., Size: 24cm x 28cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €49,77
GREEK ART
BYZANTINE MOSAICS
Nano Chatzidaki
With the luxury of their materials, technical precision, beauty, and aesthetic grandeur, Byzantine mosaics , particularly the wall mosaics, constitute the most impressive manifestation of Byzantine painting.
Highly expensive and laborious works of art, they were commissioned and dedicated by emperors, dignitaries, state officials and members of the Church hierarchy, in order to enhance the dwellings of Divinity, important churches and monasteries; and at the same time to manifest the power, glory and legendary wealth of His earthly representatices.
A brillian selection of mosaics from twenty-five famous monuments are presented in the volume ‘Byzantine Mosaics’ by Nano Chatzidakis, Professor of Byzantine Arta and Archaeology at the University of Ioannina. In historical and stylistic terms, they cover the development of mosaic art from the 5th to the 14th century, which is described and analysed efficiently by the author in the first part of the volume.
The unique pictorial character and special artistic importance of each individual mosaic ensemble presented in this volume is superbly illustrated and emerges strikingly through a full discussion of the stylistic and aesthetic physiognomy of the mosaics it comprises, and a brief reference to the monument it adorns. Buy now
Pp 268, cloth, 268 ills., Size: 24cm x 28cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €49,77
GREEK ART
MODERN GREEK ENGRAVING
Chrisanthos Christou
The art of engraving, which flourished in Europe as early as the Renaissance, first made its appearance in Greece in the 17th century. It was organized and set on a more systematic basis in the 19th century, when it provided elucidatory and illustrative material to accompany various forms of printed matter (books, periodicals and newspapers). And it emerged as an autonomous, diversified, creative art in the present century.
Engraving is a demanding art, a combination of painting and sculpture which, in addition to artistic inspiration, calls for specialized knowledge and complete mastery of a wide variety of materials (wood, copper, stone, zicn, aluminium, steel, etc.); discipline, precision, and an attention to minute detail in its many techniques (wood-engraving, copper-engraving, lithography, linocuts, silk-screen printing and mixed techniques); and an imaginative, inventive mind, able to realize its vast expressive potential and exploit the continually evolving dynamic of its numerous applications in the visual arts.
In the beginning, Greek engraving produced prints of a religious nature, that served ecclesiastical policy, followed later by patriotic works, portraying personalities and events of the Greek War of Independence. Gradually, however, from the first half on the 19h century, prints were made depicting secular subjects, which henceforth formed the major part of its repertoire.
The volume ‘Modern Greek Engraving’ begins with a presentation of the techniques involved in engraving and a discussion of the thorny problem of the authenticity of prints, and continues with a brief review of the history on the art form in Greece, from its first appearance in the 17th century until the present day, with special emphasis on the great masters and creators of the 19th and mainly of the 20th century. Buy now
Pp 272, cloth, 188 ills., Size: 24cm x 28cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €49,77
SINAI. TREASURES OF THE MONASTERY
Konstaninos Manafis, Professor of Byzantine Literature, Athens University
The books deals with the history and architecture of the famous monastery of Saint Catherine on the Sinai peninsula. The text describes and illustrates the mosaic and wall-paintings, and the precious items of Orthodoxy and Byzantine art – icons, vestments, and illuminated manuscripts of immeasurable value- that are treasured within the walls of this monastery, where ‘the feet of God walked in ancient time’, and which has been called by scholars ‘the most important monastery in the world’. Buy now
Pp 400, cloth, 400 ills., Size: 25cm x 32cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €81.61
- Archaeological guide series
Visit the sites with a complete fully illustrated paperback guide. Bring a souvenir from the sites back home.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
GODS & HEROES – THE TROJAN WAR – THE ODYSSEY
Katerina Servi
This compendium of Greek mythology is intended both for the academic audience and for all who are fascinated by myth. It offers an authoritative account of the web of Greek mythology, in a style that will appeal to the general public. Readers of all ages will find this volume absorbing, from the professional scholar to the youngster who want to find out more about ancient Greek myths, gods and heroes. Buy now
Pp 184, 285 ills., Size: 17cm x 24cm
Available in Greek, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian
Price: €9.95
THE ACROPOLIS. THE ACROPOLIS MUSEUM
Katerina Servi
The Acropolis and its new, state of the art museum.
One of the most important monuments of human civilization and the new architectural jewel of Athens, both presented through informative, easy to read texts, in a fully illustrated edition with color representations and detailed site plans.
This brand-new book begins with a look at the history of Athens and the Acropolis. Starting at prehistoric times, this historical overview describes the town’s development, from a quite modest Mycenaean settlement to one of the most powerful city-states of the classical era, the one that gave birth to democracy and theatre, and then its downfall to a small, provincial fortified town of the Byzantine Empire. At the same time, the reader can follow the historical steps of the Acropolis itself, originally a fort, which was transformed to the most glamorous shrine of the city, only to become a fort again, after the end of the ancient world. Then, there is a short account of the Athenian myths, especially the ones concerning the town’s patron deity, Athena.
After discovering the exciting past of the town and the sacred rock, the reader will get to know the temples, buildings in general, that were constructed at the top of the Acropolis during the archaic and classical era of Greece. Parthenon, the masterpiece of Pheidias, Iktinos and Kallikratis is, of course, the highlight, but there were other important and architecturally innovative structures there, such as the Propylaea and the Erechtheion. This part of the book gives a very good idea of how the ancient hill looked, with all its buildings and its uncountable offerings: statues that ancient Atheneans were bringing to their goddess Athena as a present.
Then, the reader will have the chance to learn everything about the very important south slope of the Acropolis, with the famous theatre of Dionysus, and enjoy an imaginary walk at the north and east slopes of the ancient rock.
The second part of the book is devoted to the admittedly impressive new Acropolis Museum. The reader can “navigate” through the different levels of the museum exhibition, using the book as a guide which gives interesting information and highlights the most important exhibits. Impressive loutrophoroi found at the small temple that the ancient Athenians had dedicated to the Nymph, the Famous Korai of the Acropolis, the Moschophoros, the Scribes, the “Persian” horseman, the Morning Athena, the marvellous Caryatids and of course, the Parthenon pediments, metopes and frieze are only a few of the ancient pieces of art that this book presents, through captivating pictures and texts.
In conclusion, The Acropolis, the New Acropolis Museum is a valuable reading for all those who want to explore and understand one of the major archaeological sites of the world and it’s brand new Museum. Buy now
Pp 168, 156 ills., Size: 17cm x 24cm
Available in Greek, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian
Price: €10.00
OLYMPIA. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE AND THE MUSEUMS
Olympia Vikatou
Olympia, the most brilliant, the most revered panhellenic Sanctuary, dedicated to Zeus, father of gods and mankind, is near the western coast of the Peloponnese, in the magic valley of the ricer Alpheios, “in the most beautiful place in Greece” according to Lysias. Below the Kronion hill, where the little river Kladeos joins the plentiful waters of the mythical river Alpheios, in a place that even now is imbued with Olympic beauty and calm, lies the sacred grove of Olympia, the Altis. Buy now
Pp 173, 243 ills., Size: 17cm x 24cm
Available in Greek, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish
Price: €8.96
GREECE
Othon Tsounakos
It is not the purpose of this book to add just one more to the already huge number of general tourist guides to Greece, whether such an ambition could ever be achieved in a couple of hundred pages and half that number of illustrations.
What makes Greece, as it has always made her, such an inexhaustible treasury of memorable experience for the discerning traveller, is the depth of Greek history, combined with her unique display of classical monuments, her fascinating folklore, and her abundant natural beauty. A full picture of these is not to be had in a matter of days or even of weeks. It is no exaggeration to say that even the experts on Greece, people who have spent a lifetime getting to know and describe in detail the main ‘sights’ of the Greek landscape, whether they are historians or naturalists, often have the happy sensation of discovering the country for the first time and being just at the start of their research. Buy now
Pp 256, 272 ills., Size: 17cm x 24cm
Available in Greek, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish
Price: €11.95
DELPHI
Manolis Andronicos
Anybody coming upon the holy site for the first time is struck with awe. “It is as if the earth had been cleft asunder by some cosmogonic spasm; the valley is a vast and profound chasm… And as soon as we reach the foot of the Phaidriades, at the exact spot of the Kastalian Spring, we are faced with something that appears like the chasm of chasms: the two rocks are separated by a tremendous gorge, narrow and impassable – the Arkoudoerma (the Bear’s Gully) as it is known today – which continues all the way down the slope, deep into the thicket” Ch. Karouzos). And there, at the point where the two rocks meet, in the deepest recess of the gorge and at the foot of the most limpid water gushes forth: it is the water of the celebrated Kastalian Fountain where both priests and pilgrims cleansed themselves before entering the temple. On the western side, at the foot of the rock named Rhodini, Apollo’s sanctuary, the most famous in ancient Greece, extends across the opening on the rising ground. And down below, the deep valley of the Pleistos river spreads out, green and the way down to the sea-coast. Buy now
Pp 80, 57 ills., Size: 17cm x 24cm
Available in Greek, English, French, German and Italian
Price: €6.96
MOUNT ATHOS. AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE MONASTERIES AND THEIR HISTORY
Sotiris Kadas
Mount Athos represents for the Greeks the cradle of national tradition and that part of Greece where, for more than a thousand years, the Greek-Christian heritage, Greek letters, and the true Byzantine style of worship have been preserved. Moreover, it is sacred repository which contains untapped sources for the study of theology, philosophy, history, Byzantine and post-Byzantine art and Eastern mysticism. It is also a museum richly stocked with artistic treasures of the Christian Orthodox past. Buy now
Pp 200, 132 ills., Size: 17cm x 24cm
Available in Greek, English, French, German and Russian
Price: €11.95
- Children’s non- fiction, fold out book with Greek artist illustrations, in Greek and English
Apostolos Xantzaras illustrates Greek sea life for children ages 3+ drawing inspiration from the 1400-1200 b.c. minoan depictions of sea life in Ancient Crete.
IN THE DEAP BLUE
THE SARDINE. THE OCTOPUS
Maria Koursi, Apostolos Xantzaras
Painter Apostolos Chantzaras illustrates two creatures of the greek sea, the Sardine and the Octopus, with fantastic, warm, glowing colours. Maria Koursi wrote the children’s lyrics, describing with humor the characteristics of the Sardine and the Octopus. Betty Lambrakis translated the greek lyrics into english with musicality and grace. A bilingual, original edition, a cheerful fold out-book (in a box), an art object with creatures of the light-hearted colours for children and adults alike. Because joy can be a privilege for all of us. Buy now
ills., Size: 12cm x 19cm
Available in Greek and English
Price: €8.00