In Central Greece

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 4

In Central Greece

Mainland Greece. By Robert Liddell. Longmans, 218 pp. and index.

It must be said at the outset that this is hardly a book for the average New Zealand reader, because it is in effect a superior guide-book to central Greece. Those who have never visited the region will find more titillation than satisfaction in the advice and descriptions, nor will they need warning of such matters as the ugly decor of a particular restaurant. Those who have been to Greece, however, would probably find this a magic key to memory, and those who may be going will certainly find it useful for planning their journey, as Mr Liddell draws attention to sites, legends and facts, particularly of the Frankish and Turkish occupations, that might easily be missed.

The last section is a description of the district of Mount Athos, the mountain and peninsula sacred to Our Lady and under her personal protection. Since it is a selfgoverning monastic republic, and a permit to visit must be obtained from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs—not to mention a supply of food to eke out the scanty fare available in the monasteries—it is not a place to visit on the spur of the moment; the book is therefore almost worth reading for this appendix alone, especially as it is relatively free of the rash of parentheses which elsewhere erupt (as it were) on nearly every page (and are quite unnecessary).