Jack Lindsay (1900–1990)

This book is probably more of use to those studying at degree level rather than the casual reader. It seems well researched but very dense in the way the information is conveyed as this book is solid text. Obviously it wasn't too dry (or I would have given up) but there is a lot to take in and, personally, I could have done with maps and a glossary of unfamiliar terms.

I think the "ribaldry" of the title is a misnomer. This is an anthology of writings about love, and while it has its humorous aspects there is little in here that is coarse or scurrrilous, as the Concise Oxford has it.

Disappointingly and surprisingly dull. Out of the Folio Ancient Rulers series, Alexander the Great and Hannibal are far and away the best.

This book, Julius Caesar and Nero in the Rulers of the Ancient World set from Folio are all dull, and written at a level that redefines redundancy. The books themselves I have no problem with. Folio Society, on the other hand, should never have chosen these three (Alex the Great and Hannibal are quite good) to compose a set of introductory biographies of the era. Sorry Folio Society but you missed the boat on this one.