Harry Mount studied ancient and modern history and classics at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he gained a First. He has written a number of books including Amo, Amas, Amat and All That (Short Books), A Lust for Windowsills (Little Brown) and How England Made the English (Viking). He is a former New York correspondent for The Daily Telegraph and now writes regularly for the Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail.
The book is packed with such goodies ... As he picks his way among the ruins, brooding on the past — his own, and that of Greece — the author remains essentially English ... Equally, at times, Harry Mount has an air of being the living embodiment of the study of classics itself: noble, solitary, uneasily beleaguered, and sporting a slightly silly hat * Spectator * Mount is honey-tongued, and this journey is ... fantastically entertaining * The Times * An exploration of the diverse ways in which ancient Greek culture still runs in our veins, influences our thinking and governs our world view. -- Michael C. Scott * Times Literary Supplement * [An] enjoyable and informative book ... fact and fiction can, as in the Bible, merge to create a heady mixture, which inspires and instructs. Cruise this book, and find the flavour of it * The Oldie * One of the most compelling writers of his generation. -- A.N.Wilson * Evening Standard - Books of the Year 2015 * A minor masterpiece of self-deprecation -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *