The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:

My favorite is the lighthouse. Which one is yours?

Quick synopsis:

A look at the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:

The Great Pyramid of Giza is both the oldest Wonder and the only one which still exists.

Fun Fact for History Nerds:

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may not have existed.

My Take on The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:

My brain is full. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes is absolutely packed with everything you might want to know about the Wonders. Everything is in here including the people who planned it, built it, demanded it, and lived around it.

I generally find ancient history a hard time period for me. Often, we know so little about specific stories that it becomes necessary to use conjecture which always pulls me right out of a story if used too much. Hughes does not have this problem here. The amount of research and thought put into each chapter is mind-blowing. Every Wonder gets its own chapter and, while there is a lot of information, none of it was tangential. Everything made our understanding of a Wonder more complete.

Strangely, the book’s strength is also its sole weakness. I was very interested in the subject matter and even I felt, at times, a bit overwhelmed by the detail in each chapter. I found myself sometimes looking forward to the next chapter just because I felt like I already had everything I needed. Clearly, this is a minor quibble, and any ancient history nerds will be thrilled with this book and want it on their shelf.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)

Verdict:

A must for anyone interested in the Wonders. Buy it here!