Other. Recent Books
Tius volume contains lectures, articles and reviews by;•Professor Norman Baynes, for the most part, ptiblished • between the years 1912 and 1951: This cbilection of a number of imPortant ,ptiblfcations, mainly connected with 13yzantirie flistory,,by the ',leading living British scholar in thiu had,' is the more welcome in that some 'of them were hot easily accessible before. Moreover, two unpublished lectures on 'The Byzantine State' and `Idolatry and the Early Church' are included, as well as an un-
published article on isocrates, all of which display She author's erudition and strict scien- tific method. Most of the contents of this book refer to ..prohlems of ,the period of transition from the andi'ent world to mediaeval Byzantine history, 'subjects which dihnund a full know- led0. ofThe Hellenistic, Rbman and Byzantine worlds, It is particularlyinteresting to see how the author traces the survival of a great num- ber of Hellenistic elements in Byzantine cul- ture and ;thooght, as well.as the pre-Christian origin of certain Byzantine phenomena. Even more impressive, perhaps is his many-sided approach to the various problems, in which he condemns the narrow, misleading compart- mental examination of contemporary speciali- sation. Moreover, interesting suggestions for the further study of certain problems, as well as a select up-to-date bibliography contained in footnbtes orat the endWarticles, enhance the value of this book.
C. A. TRYPANIS
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