Greek Homosexuality

An unprejudiced description of the homosexual phenomena depicted by classical Greek artists and writers has long been an urgent desideratum. Dover's book fills this need successfully. In its collection and interpretation of the ancient evidence it will be indispensable for broader and/or more specialized explorations of the sexual aspects of Greek art and society. * Classical World *
[Re-released] with fine new introductory material from Stephen Halliwell ... This is arguably Dover's best, and unarguably his most influential, book. * Times Literary Supplement *
A landmark study.... One cannot underestimate the importance of Mr. Dover's book. With philological brilliance and scholarly objectivity, he presents facts that can no longer be ignored. It is a step closer toward understanding the complex nature of the Greeks, whom we claim as cultural fathers. It is also a step closer to understanding human nature. -- Erich Segal * New York Times Book Review *
In Greek classes past teachers used to slide quickly over the exact nature of the relationships between men and boys in ancient Athens.... In this expert, candid, and wry study all is made clear. * Washington Post *
Greek Homosexuality provides--finally--an unvarnished look at Athenian homosexuality.... [It is] now the standard volume on the subject. -- John Scarborough * American Historical Review *
Dover's is an authoritative discussion; he is a philologist of great stature with wide achievement as editor, commentator, and literary critic.... The subject was one which needed to be exposed to the light of day; we can be thankful that it has been done by a great scholar and one who treats the subject without prejudice. -- Bernard Knox * New York Review of Books *
Halliwell, Masterson and Robson have provided a welcome gift to the academic community. Their re-edition of Greek Homosexuality offers to senior scholars a stimulating reading, while it presents to younger students an exemplary book that shows how scientific research should ideally open up new frontiers, leaving at the same time space for further questions, debates and theorisations. This is an iconic book indeed, one that not just concerns historical phenomena, but which is a story in itself, a historiographical milestone. * The Classical Review *
Dover's text merits re-reading not just for its masterly synthesis of a wide range of evidence and as a starting point for this rich area of scholarship, but also for the balance he achieves in his discussions of male same-sex relationships. ... [T]he picture he paints of sexual relationships is arguably more rounded and human than any subsequent scholar has achieved. * ARGO: A Hellenic Review *
[A] welcome republication of the second edition (1989) of the late Kenneth Dover’s ‘landmark’ study. * Classics For All Reviews *
Dover's book has aged remarkably well. The clarity and simplicity of the prose (what else would one expect from the leading scholar on Lysias) ensures that there are few flourishes or ornaments to date the text. The range of material discussed continues to impress. * Classics Ireland *