American Classicist

The Life and Loves of Edith Hamilton

Victoria Houseman

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Pres
01 December 2023

Biography

A biography of the remarkable woman whose bestselling Mythology has introduced millions of readers to the classical world.

Edith Hamilton (1867–1963) didn’t publish her first book until she was sixty-two. But over the next three decades, this former headmistress would become the twentieth century’s most famous interpreter of the classical world. Today, Hamilton’s Mythology (1942) remains the standard version of ancient tales and sells tens of thousands of copies a year. During the Cold War, her influence even extended to politics, as she argued that postwar America could learn from the fate of Athens after its victory in the Persian Wars. In American Classicist, Victoria Houseman tells the fascinating life story of a remarkable classicist whose ideas were shaped by—and aspired to shape—her times.

Hamilton studied Latin and Greek from an early age, earned a BA and MA at Bryn Mawr College, and ran a girls’ prep school for twenty-six years. After retiring, she turned to writing and began a relationship with the pianist and stockbroker Doris Fielding Reid. The two women were partners for more than forty years and entertained journalists, diplomats, and politicians in their Washington, D.C., house. Hamilton traveled extensively around the world, formed friendships with Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, and was made an honorary citizen of Athens. While Hamilton believed that the ancient Greeks represented the peak of world civilization, Houseman shows that this suffragist, pacifist, and anti-imperialist was far from an apologist for Western triumphalism.

An absorbing narrative of an eventful life, American Classicist reveals how Hamilton’s Greek and Roman worlds held up a mirror to midcentury America even as she strived to convey a timeless beauty that continues to enthrall readers.

'Comprehensive...

A long overdue life of the multifaceted, deeply learned writer and explorer of the past.' – Kirkus Reviews

By: Victoria Houseman
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780691236186
ISBN 10: 0691236186
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 01 December 2023
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Victoria Houseman is a historian and associate professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

Reviews for American Classicist: The Life and Loves of Edith Hamilton

"""Comprehensive. . . . A long overdue life of the multifaceted, deeply learned writer and explorer of the past."" * Kirkus Reviews * ""Victoria Houseman unspools a life that was both remarkably long and remarkable, full stop. . . . Edith Hamilton’s contribution is undeniable, and thanks to Houseman’s biography, her importance as a classicist and woman of letters has been restored.""---Amanda Kolson Hurley, American Scholar ""An extensive biography of writer Edith Hamilton, whose Mythology and The Greek Way were standard texts that introduced the Classical world to generations of students. This book deeply explores many facets of Hamilton’s long life.""---Charles Green, Gay & Lesbian Review"