THING OF BEAUTY: Travels In Mythical and Modern Greece

As the publisher for Time Out, Peter Fiennes nurtured a lifelong obsession with old guide books, walking books and city guides and titles about Britain's countryside and seaside. Here he turns his attention to the golden age of Greek myths and how they crop up in novels, films and popular culture. But what's the modern relevance of Theseus, Hera and Pandora? Were these stories ever meant for children and what's to be seen now at the places where heroes fought and gods once quarrelled? Fiennes travels to the sites of some of the most famous Greek myths on the trail of hope, beauty and a new way of seeing what we have done to our world. He walks through landscapes both stunning and spoiled on the trail of dancing activists and Arcadian shepherds, finds the 'most beautiful beach in Greece', consults the Oracle, and loses himself in cities, villages and ruins of this storied land. 'A classical education for those of us who are bereft of one.' - Patrick Barkham. 294pp, line art and map.