{"product_id":"talking-classics-the-instant-sunday-times-bestseller-9781805220312","title":"Talking Classics: THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe world's most acclaimed classicist on whether and why the Classics still matter\u003c\/p\u003eFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EMPEROR OF ROME AND SPQR'The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome' FINANCIAL TIMES 'The reigning Queen of Classics' SPECTATORWhat'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 Beyoncé, 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.\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781805220312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: Main\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 23 Jun 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Profile Books Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 21.8(H)x14(L)x2.4(W)321\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 321\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eMary 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 \u003ci\u003ePompeii\u003c\/i\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eConfronting  the Classics, SPQR, Women \u0026amp; Power \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Emperor of Rome.\u003c\/i\u003e Her work has been  published in over 35 languages.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003eHer irreverence has turned her into a national treasure...  illuminates the present through the past * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eEastEnders for the 1st century AD... Beard's enthusiastic sense of wonder remains undimmed and unjaded. * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eThis 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\u003cbr\u003eA 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 *\u003cbr\u003ePithily presented, with flashes of salty humour... excavates the discipline from the layers of argument that surround it * The Economist *\u003cbr\u003eHer enthusiasm remains undimmed, and it's her great gift that she's able to bring the past to life * Radio Times *\u003cbr\u003eDeeply affectionate... draws on decades of teaching experience * Express and Star *\u003cbr\u003eEngrossing... 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 *\u003cbr\u003eDelves deep into the worlds of ancient Rome and Greece [from] a renowned classicist * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003eA treatise on why the cultural artefacts of Ancient Greece and Rome remain relevant to our present millennium * Buzz Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eIconoclastic and energetic... makes the case for rethinking - and renewing our relationship with - the Classics * Observer *\u003cbr\u003ePraise   for Mary Beard: 'Britain's most famous classicist is at the peak of her powers * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eA beautifully written product of a lifetime of deep scholarly learning * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eWhat she says is always powerful and interesting * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eDynamically, wittily and authoritatively brings the ancient world to life -- Simon Sebag Montefiore\u003cbr\u003eBeard informs and entertains... What she touches turns to light * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eThe most famous historian of Rome sets the record straight * Time *","brand":"Professor Mary Beard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48880269525209,"sku":"9781805220312","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781805220312.jpg?v=1783000263","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/talking-classics-the-instant-sunday-times-bestseller-9781805220312","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}