Eternal Greece

Published by Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1971, hardcover, illustrated, 176 pages, 

This book, nearing 70 years old, is one of the most enthralling books ever published on the monuments of Ancient Greece. The black and photogravures by Martin Hurlimann are infinitely superior to recent books because they capture the timelessness of the objects and spaces themselves but also the state of the art in luxury publishing in 1971..

The text by Rex Warner is as poignant and monumental in its own way as the architecture and sculpture themselves.

Finally got around to reading this charming volume that I inherited some years ago. Author Rex Warner considers the building of Athens, the marbles of Aegina, Delos and Mycenae, various accounts of the oracle at Delphi. Besides the amusing argument for the repatriation of the Elgin marbles, the bit that will stick with me is this passage on the uniqueness of Greek sculpture, especially when contrasted with the Roman:

"Statues of Roman emperors or athletes cannot fail to remind us of modern businessmen or bruisers; but in every head, every grave relief or vase from ancient Greece there is a grace, a vitality, often a kind of mystery which can scarcely be associated with anything ordinary or vulgar in our own times. There is a feeling, not quite of spirituality, but of something very different from materialism..."