The Cyclades: Discovering the Greek Islands of the Aegean

by John Freely

Book Overview

The Cyclades are the quintessential Greek isles, renowned for the beauty of their seascapes, their historical monuments, and a unique way of life deeply rooted in the remote past of the Aegean. Over... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845111605
• ISBN13: 9781845111601
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Company
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A useful read, but not a guide

We're just back from a sailing vacation in the Cyclades, and brought this book along for reference. The historical perspective that the author carefully provides, is the most useful aspect of the book. After reading the book, and visiting the land, it is clear that many aspects of Ancient Greece are still alive! Visiting today and observing the ruins, one feels like a mere speck in time. The only criticism I have, is that some of the information in the book is out of date. For example, the Chora in Kea was not clean, but somewhat dirty and depressed, and felt chronologically displaced. So we're told, it turns out that Kea was a Communist enclave during the 1960's, and we even observed the word "Castro" written in Greek and engraved in large stone letters on a walkway. I recommend the book as an interesting historical read, but not as a practical guide. At least for sailing, the most popular text is "Greek Waters Pilot" by Rod Heikell. It also contains good general information about Greece and its ports.