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Title: Disappointing: Poorly edited and not true to its title
Review: I would not get this book if I had to do it again. There was apparenly no editing as the book repeats itself in multiple places (how many times do I need to be told that two streets intersected -- in the space of two pages? This sort of thing occurs half a dozen times). The content itself is underwhelming: One section of the book is a shallow laundry list of the philosophers who graced the city. Then there is a long section on Cleopatra (read Michael Grant on this topic instead), then a better discussion of Alexandia's role as a theological hotbed prior to the Arab conquest. It really fails to do justice to the rich history or Alexandria as the capital of the Ptolemys and its role as an entrepot for thoughts and commerce. Look elsewhere for a good book on this city.
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