The Library of Alexandria, one of the wonders of the Ancient World, has haunted Western culture for over 2,000 years. The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt—successors of Alexander the Great—had a staggering ambition: to house all of the books ever written under one roof, and the story of the universal library and its destruction still has the power to move us. But what was the library, and where was it? Did it exist at all? Contemporary descriptions are vague and contradictory. The fate of the precious books themselves is a subject of endless speculation. Canfora resolves these puzzles in one of the most unusual books of classical history ever written. He recreates the world of Egypt and the Greeks in brief chapters that marry the craft of the novelist and the discipline of the historian. Anecdotes, conversations, and reconstructions give The Vanished Library the compulsion of an exotic tale, yet Canfora bases all of them on historical and literary sources, which he discusses with great panache. As the chilling conclusion to this elegant piece of historical detective work he establishes who burned the books. This volume has benefited from the collegial support of The Wake Forest University Studium.

The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World (Hellenistic Culture and Society)

Literature & Fiction

CANFORA, Luciano

History & Criticism

University of California Press

In this splendid profile, Luciano Canfora offers a radically new interpretation of one of the most controversial figures in history. Julius Caesar played a leading role in the culture and politics of a world empire, dwarfing his contemporaries in ambition, achievement, and appetite. For that, he has occupied a central place in the political imagination ever since. Yet Caesar, struck down by his own lieutenants because he could not be comprehended nor contained, remains an enigma. The result of a comprehensive study of the ancient sources, Julius Caesar: The Life and Times of the People's Dictator paints an astonishingly detailed portrait of this complex man and the times in which he lived. Based on his many years of research, Canfora focuses on what we actually know about Caesar, the man of politics and war, in a stylish, engaging narrative chronologically structured around the events in Caesar's life. The result is a rich, revelatory, full biographical portrait of the dictator whose mission of Romanization lies at the very heart of modern Europe. Copub: Edinburgh University Press

Julius Caesar: The Life and Times of the People’s Dictator

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

This book is a splendid profile of an extraordinary man, and a radically new interpretation of one of the most controversial figures in history. Caesar played a leading role in the politics and culture of a world empire, dwarfing his contemporaries in ambition, achievement and appetite. For that, he has occupied a central place in the political imagination of Europe ever since. Yet he remains something of an enigma, struck down by his own lieutenants because he could be neither comprehended nor contained. In surviving evidence he emerges as incommensurate and nonpareil, just beyond the horizons of contemporary political thought and understanding. The result of Luciano Canfora's many years of research is a fascinating portrait of the Roman dictator, combining the evidence of political history and psychology. The product of a comprehensive study of the ancient sources, it paints an astonishingly detailed portrait of a complex personality whose mission of 'Romanisation' lies at the root of modern Europe. Key Features * Easy, engaging and pleasurable to read * About 42 chronological studies of events create a full portrait of Caesar and the contemporary Roman background * Space is devoted to the details surrounding his assassination

Julius Caesar: The People's Dictator

Edinburgh University Press

This history traces the development of democracy in Europe from its origins in ancient Greece up to the present day. 
<ul> <li>Considers all the major watersheds in the development of democracy in modern Europe. 
</li> <li>Describes the rediscovery of Ancient Greek political ideals by intellectuals at the end of the eighteenth century. 
</li> <li>Examines the twenty-year crisis from 1789 to 1815, when the repercussions of revolution in France were felt across the European continent. 
</li> <li>Explains how events in France led to the explosion of democratic movements between 1830 and 1848. 
</li> <li>Compares the different manifestations of democracy within Eastern and Western Europe during the latter half of the nineteenth century. 
</li> <li>Considers fascism and its consequences for democracy in Europe during the twentieth century. 
</li> <li>Demonstrates how in the recent past democracy itself has become the object of ideological battles.</li> </ul>

Democracy in Europe: A History of an Ideology (Making of Europe)

History

World

Wiley/Blackwell

L'Imposture démocratique: du procès de Socrate à l'élection de G.W. Bush

Essays & Correspondence

Flammarion

LA VERITABLE HISTOIRE DE LA BIBLIOTHEQUE D'ALEXANDRIE

Historical Study & Educational Resources

DESJONQUERES

La influencia de Marx y el marxismo en los estudios sobre la Antigüedad (Estudios del Mediterráneo Antiguo / PEFSCEA) (Spanish Edition)

Núñez López, Christian

Sierra Martín, César

Cortadella, Jordi

Martínez Lacy, Ricardo

Paiaro, Diego

Requena, Mariano

Arrayás Morales, Isaías

Antela-Bernárdez, Borja

Plácido, Domingo

Ancient Civilizations

Miño y Dávila editores

El mundo de Atenas (Spanish Edition)

Europe

Editorial Anagrama

La idea mas extravagante que puede pasarsele por la cabeza a un politico -escribio en su dia Robespierre- es pensar que es sufriente para una nacion entrar a mano armada en el territorio de un pueblo extranjero para hacerle adoptar sus leyes y su constitucion. Los misioneros armados no le gustan a nadie. Que motivos reales mueven a los paladines de la libertad? Con que oscuros fines se utilizan palabras como liberacion o democracia? Desde el mundo griego hasta las recientes invasiones occidentales de paises como Afganistan o Irak pasando por la Europa napoleonica la historia parece empenada en repetirse. En este lucido y certero ensayo Luciano Canfora reflexiona sobre las altisonantes declaraciones con las que los gobiernos ocultan las cinicas e inconfesables intenciones que les llevan a invadir un territorio extranjero.

Exportar la libertad: El mito que ha fracasado

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Editorial Ariel

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by CANFORA, Luciano. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by CANFORA, Luciano