Talking Classics
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Published on 16. April 2026
978-1-80522-032-9 (ISBN)
Description
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'EastEnders for the 1st century AD... Beard's enthusiastic sense of wonder remains undimmed' THE TIMES
'The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome' FINANCIAL TIMES
'The reigning Queen of Classics' SPECTATOR
What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What's the point?
The life, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome have something to offer everyone. They are not the property of wealthy white men only. They make us wonder how to make sense of people who lived long ago (from angry landlords to giggling senators) - and to think harder about our own world, to look at it differently.
In Talking Classics, Mary Beard points to the surprising connections between antiquity and the present. From revolutionaries to dictators, Bob Dylan to Beyonce, she joins forces with the varied modern characters who have been transfixed by the ancient world. It's not compulsory, she argues, to be excited by antiquity, but it's a shame not to be.
After half a century teaching and studying classics, she fills the book with lively stories, curious facts and some good gossip. Talking Classics explains why the deep past does really affect us all.
'EastEnders for the 1st century AD... Beard's enthusiastic sense of wonder remains undimmed' THE TIMES
'The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome' FINANCIAL TIMES
'The reigning Queen of Classics' SPECTATOR
What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What's the point?
The life, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome have something to offer everyone. They are not the property of wealthy white men only. They make us wonder how to make sense of people who lived long ago (from angry landlords to giggling senators) - and to think harder about our own world, to look at it differently.
In Talking Classics, Mary Beard points to the surprising connections between antiquity and the present. From revolutionaries to dictators, Bob Dylan to Beyonce, she joins forces with the varied modern characters who have been transfixed by the ancient world. It's not compulsory, she argues, to be excited by antiquity, but it's a shame not to be.
After half a century teaching and studying classics, she fills the book with lively stories, curious facts and some good gossip. Talking Classics explains why the deep past does really affect us all.
Reviews / Votes
Her irreverence has turned her into a national treasure... illuminates the present through the past * Observer * EastEnders for the 1st century AD... Beard's enthusiastic sense of wonder remains undimmed and unjaded. * The Times * This book is a true delight, a thought-provoking, engaging and deeply personal look at the classical world from an author who understands it like no other -- Elodie Harper, author of THE WOLF DEN A lively, accessible case for why the ancient world still matters, drawing connections between Greece, Rome and today. Packed with insight and wit, this is a spirited defence of classics for modern readers. * i Paper * Pithily presented, with flashes of salty humour... excavates the discipline from the layers of argument that surround it * The Economist * Her enthusiasm remains undimmed, and it's her great gift that she's able to bring the past to life * Radio Times * Deeply affectionate... draws on decades of teaching experience * Express and Star * Engrossing... Beard's book shows how, in these days of easy AI-generated answers and polarised politics, engaging with classics means grappling with different viewpoints * Sunday Post * Delves deep into the worlds of ancient Rome and Greece [from] a renowned classicist * Irish Times * A treatise on why the cultural artefacts of Ancient Greece and Rome remain relevant to our present millennium * Buzz Magazine * Iconoclastic and energetic... makes the case for rethinking - and renewing our relationship with - the Classics * Observer * Praise for Mary Beard: 'Britain's most famous classicist is at the peak of her powers * The Times * A beautifully written product of a lifetime of deep scholarly learning * Financial Times * What she says is always powerful and interesting * Guardian * Dynamically, wittily and authoritatively brings the ancient world to life -- Simon Sebag Montefiore Beard informs and entertains... What she touches turns to light * Independent * The most famous historian of Rome sets the record straight * Time *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Reflowable
Illustrations
integrated photographs/illustrations
File size
6,27 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-80522-032-9 (9781805220329)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
04/2026
Profile Books Ltd
€21.50
Available immediately
Person
Mary Beard is the most acclaimed classicist working today. She is the Professor Emerita of Classics at Cambridge and is the Classics editor of the TLS. She is also the co-host, with Charlotte Higgins, of the podcast Instant Classics. Her previous books include the bestselling, Wolfson Prize-winning Pompeii as well as Confronting the Classics, SPQR, Women & Power and Emperor of Rome. Her work has been published in over 35 languages.
