- Hardcover: 450 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (Sep 30 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0521853575
- ISBN-13: 978-0521853576
- Product Dimensions: 25.9 x 21 x 4.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 2 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #400,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Booklist
The discovery of historical Troy in the 1870s instigated the hunt for historical Ithaca, but the island today named Ithaca is not likely where Penelope loyally awaited the return of Odysseus. Seizing the mystery with gusto, Bittlestone concentrates on the neighboring island of Cephalonia. With Homer in one hand and a digital camera in the other, Bittlestone walked about the island, convincing himself that Cephalonia is the real Ithaca. Convincing the learned world of his theory becomes Bittlestone's story and the source of its charm. Returning to his native Britain, he approached a classics don and a geology expert. They not only did not dismiss Bittlestone, they participated in his quest. Bolstered by their advice about philology and the active tectonics of Cephalonia, Bittlestone provisionally identified places in the action of the Odyssey. Resplendent with hundreds of landscape and satellite images, Bittlestone's freelance investigation is enthralling, accessibly presented, and possibly true--and, like its subject, finds its soul more in the journey than the destination. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
‘The reconstruction of prehistoric Ithaca has a convincingly Homeric ‘look and feel’ to it.' Professor Gregory Nagy, Harvard University -- Advance Review
‘This curious, spellbinding book is a masterpiece of writing for the general public.' Professor Tjeerd van Andel, University of Cambridge -- Advance Review
‘This curious, spellbinding book is a masterpiece of writing for the general public.' Professor Tjeerd van Andel, University of Cambridge -- Advance Review
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Midnight in Manhattan: Andreas Delaportas awakens bolt upright in his bed. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended Book on Historical Exploration,
By Robert C. Williamson "Robert Williamson" (St. Catharines, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca (Hardcover)
For more than two thousand years, people have debated and made claims as to the location of Ithaca, the homeland of King Odysseus, (known to the Romans by the name Ulysses.) Now, through some great historical, and geological research by businessman Robert Bittlestone (founder of Metapraxis Ltd.), and fellow researchers James Diggle (Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Cambridge), and John Underhill (Professor of Stratigraphy at the University of Edinburgh), it appears that the puzzle has been solved.I have had a great interest in history for most of my life, starting as a child and have read a great number of books dealing with the classics and history in general over the years, and I must say that I consider this to be the best book on historical exploration that I have ever read. It is the type of book that is very difficult to put down before you are finished. I couldn't wait to get back to it when my reading was interrupted. I hope that there will be another book to update information as it becomes available. Well documented, and researched. Well illustrated with photographs, charts, graphs, and all explained in a manner that makes the information easily understood by the layman, but also enough scientific information to hold the interest of a professional, Robert Bittlestone and his collegues have produced a book that should find a place front and centre in the collections of people who have a love of history and archeology. I recommend this book highly to those that have any interest in historical, and archeological discovery. You will not be dissapointed.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews) 28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A detailed presentation of a plausible theory,
By Bruce Trinque - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca (Hardcover)
Robert Bittlestone's "Odysseus Unbound" is a massive book, nearly 600 pages filled with excellent illustrations (maps, photographs, aerial photographs, satellite images) and a highly detailed narrative explaining the development of and evidence for the author's theory: that Homeric Age Ithaca, the kingdom of Odysseus, was not located on the modern island of Ithaki, but instead on the western peninsula of the nearby island of Cephalonia. The evidence presented is complex, involving literary sources, geology, and archaeology, but a critical portion of the author's argument is whether in Homeric times this western peninsula was separated from Cephalonia by a sea channel since closed up by earthquake-induced rockfalls.Although Bittlestone is "only" an enthusiastic amateur, his research has been reviewed and backed by his professional co-authors, one a professor of Greek and Latin and the other a geologist specializing in the Ionian island area. I find Bittlesone's analysis to be persuasive, but as yet -- and he recognizes this -- the evidence is not wholly conclusive. This may come in the next several years with additional geological work to confirm the existence of the sea channel and with archaeological surveys to study various associated sites. 22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A really great read, it really made me think about and formulate my own ideas,
By Jacob Fishebin "Jacob" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca (Hardcover)
Odysseus Unbound was a wonderful book to read. Being that i love Greece and the Odyssey I truly loved it. The way it was written was great, the way it was explained with pictures and diagrams was also wonderful. The excerpts and clues were amazing to read and I really felt as if i was traveling in Ancient Ithaca.Just a few days before i bought the book I was reading the Odyssey and it said the Ithaca lies low and away, the farthest out to sea, and I thought how could modern Ithaca be that? Then this book comes out and answers me. I truly loved it and i don't know how else to explain how much it means to me now. I can feel that Odysseus was a real person, and that some sort of journey took place. It was just soooooo amazing and i highly reccomend it for anyone who loved Greece, "Homer", or the Odyssey. --Jacob Fishbein 9th grader 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and Convincing!,
By Silas Sparkhammer "opinionated ain't I?" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca (Hardcover)
Who wouldn't be fascinated by the presumption, if nothing else, of the premise: Odysseus' Ithaka found after two and a half millennia! But Bittlestone's book, instead of a grueling epic, is a quiet, beautiful story of information-age discovery. It shows how incredibly far an intelligent amateur can go when backed up by the power of our technology. Bittlestone attacks the mystery with the might of GPS location finding, LandSat photos, internet advice from true experts...and a little true Sherlock Holmesian deduction. (He even quotes from Holmes a few times!) The photos are beautiful, the logic is elegant, the science is very educational, and the conclusion is convincing!
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