Archive for 'philosophy'



REVIEW: The Private Life of Helen of Troy by John Erskine

Dear Readers,

private-life.jpg Some of you will wonder why on earth I’m reviewing a book that’s over 80 years old and was written by John Erskine a Columbia University professor of English who went on to also be the first president of the Juilliard School of Music. Well, the answer is kind of rambling. I first read the Iliad and the Odyssey years ago. I was fascinated by them. Then over thirty years ago I saw this book in a UBS and loved the cover painting (which I can’t find an image of anywhere on the internet) of beautiful Helen in a chiton, raising her arms to fiddle with her hair. Yes, I’m shallow. Then I read the book and loved it.

Over the years and several family moves, my copy got lost. Occasionally (Before Internet) I’d think about it and wander through a UBS to see if I could find a copy but I was hampered by not remembering the author or the exact title though the cover image stuck in my mind (see shallow comment above). But for some reason once I could easily find it (After Internet) it …