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In addition to Antigone s Wake, his published novels include The Eighteenth Captain (1999), Between Two Fires (2002), Empire of Ashes (2004), and The Isle of Stone (2005). His writings also include short fiction, travel and science articles in such publications as The New York Times, The New York Observer, Film Comment, and The International Herald Tribune. ........................... Reviews: Nicastro is an author who clearly relishes his subject. Each sentence bursts with juicy, nurturing historical detail and considered thought about the hopes, aspirations, ideals and troubles of those who lived in the distant past. We follow the triumphs and travails of Sophocles as he struggles to create his art and also be what Athens wants him to be a brilliant general. Athens as a great civilization is constructed in front of our eyes. Nicastro brings to life both the back-streets of the city and the sea-battle-lanes of its Empire. The towering giants of Western history; Sophocles, Euripides, Pericles and his consort Aspasia are, through his vivid imagination, given a voice. This book allows the reader to inhabit the Golden Age of Athens, and to taste its grit as well as its glory. Bettany Hughes, PBS and BBC, author of Helen of Troy: The Story Behind the Most Beautiful Woman in the World","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49526628188433,"sku":"CIN1933523263G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51055721120017,"sku":"NIN9781933523262","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51566215856401,"sku":"CIN1933523263VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51804399010065,"sku":"CIN1933523263A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1933523263.jpg?v=1750965365"},{"product_id":"circumference-book-nicholas-nicastro-9781250068446","title":"Circumference","description":"In one of history's greatest experiments, a brilliant Greek, Eratosthenes of Cyrene calculated the distance around the earth to a few percent of the actual size. In an inside glance at the philosophy and practicalities of this discovery, Nicholas Nicastro looks at a deceptively simple but stunning feat made by using only simple tools - a stick, a piece of string, and a shadow. But how was he able to measure the land a time when distance was a matter of a shrug and a ballpark figure of time spent on donkey-back? How could he be confident in underlying assumptions: that the earth was round and the sun was far away its rays struck parallel lines? Was it luck or pure scientific genius? In the exciting narrative history, Nicastro brings readers on a trip into a long-vanished world that prefigured modernity where despite his reputation, validity of method, and position as head of the greatest research institution of the time, Eratosthenes was simply right too soon about earth's dimensions. His results were debated for centuries until he was ultimately vindicated almost 2000 years later during the great voyages of exploration. Luck? 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Nicholas Nicastro brings to life one of history's greatest experiments when an ancient Greek named Eratosthenes first accurately determined the distance around the spherical earth. In this fascinating narrative history, Nicastro takes a look at a deceptively simple but stunning achievement made by one man, millennia ago, with only the simplest of materials at his disposal. How was he able to measure the land at a time when distance was more a matter of a shrug and a guess at the time spent on a donkey's back? How could he be so confident in the assumptions that underlay his calculations: that the earth was round and the sun so far away that its rays struck the ground in parallel lines? Was it luck or pure scientific genius? Nicastro brings readers on a trip into a long-vanished world that prefigured modernity in many ways, where neither Eratosthenes' reputation, nor the validity of his method, nor his leadership of the Great Library of Alexandria were enough to convince all his contemporaries about the dimensions of the earth. Eratosthenes' results were debated for centuries until he was ultimately vindicated almost 2000 years later, during the great voyages of exploration. Circumference is a compelling scientific detective story that transports readers back to a time when humans had no idea how big their world was--and the fate of a man who dared to measure the incomprehensible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50123462377745,"sku":"GOR010097481","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50245399150865,"sku":"CIN0312372477G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50682319929617,"sku":"CIN0312372477VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50927852290321,"sku":"GOR007005671","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0312372477.jpg?v=1750941869"},{"product_id":"hell-s-half-acre-book-nicholas-nicastro-9780062422569","title":"Hell's Half-Acre","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to the bloody end of bleeding Kansas.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on true events, this unforgettable novel tells the story of the Bloody Benders, a family of grifters and thieves running an isolated feed store on the Kansas plains, boarding travelers along the Great Osage Trail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeautiful Kate Bender was mysterious and well-versed in the dark arts; Ma and Pa were quiet and foreboding, speaking in guttural tones; and young John Bender was thought to be insane. 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Machon, the late king's friend and ally, is the scapegoat for Alexander's downfall, charged with the capital crime of the corruption of a god. As an Athenian and an outsider, Machon is prepared to accept the challenge of his accusers and tell the truth behind Alexander's meteoric rise and fall. From his bloody ascent to power and his string of victories, to the seething hatred of the people he conquered, to his slow descent into drunkenness, madness, and wanton brutality, this is a stunning and tragic saga of a peerless military leader who proclaimed himself a god--and lost his humanity.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50306334949649,"sku":"CIN1453628037VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51078981026065,"sku":"NIN9781453628034","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1453628037.jpg?v=1751306195"},{"product_id":"ella-maud-book-nicholas-nicastro-9781726378444","title":"Ella Maud","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50390089236753,"sku":"CIN1726378446VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1726378446.jpg?v=1750722504"},{"product_id":"isle-of-stone-book-nicholas-nicastro-9781539523093","title":"The Isle of Stone","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51035237450001,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51035240038673,"sku":"NIN9781539523093","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51674354516241,"sku":"GOR014357953","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1539523098.jpg?v=1751424367"},{"product_id":"archimedes-book-nicholas-nicastro-9781789149227","title":"Archimedes","description":"A bold reimagining of the life and work of Archimedes of Syracuse.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51050757849361,"sku":"NIN9781789149227","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51848352497937,"sku":"GOR014426005","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52110915698961,"sku":"NGR9781789149227","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52416784695569,"sku":"CIN1789149223VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52441118015761,"sku":"CIN1789149223G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1789149223.jpg?v=1751248974"},{"product_id":"passion-of-the-ripper-book-nicholas-nicastro-9781453619469","title":"The Passion of the Ripper","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51089598742801,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51089600676113,"sku":"NIN9781453619469","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1453619461.jpg?v=1750795392"},{"product_id":"between-two-fires-book-nicholas-nicastro-9781590130339","title":"Between Two Fires","description":"In the second of his John Paul Jones novels, Nicastro tells the story of America's first naval hero during the prime of his spectacular yet tragic career. 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Based on true events, this unforgettable novel tells the story of the Bloody Benders, a family of grifters and thieves running an isolated feed store on the Kansas plains, boarding travelers along the Great Osage Trail. Beautiful Kate Bender was mysterious and well-versed in the dark arts; Ma and Pa were quiet and foreboding, speaking in guttural tones; and young John Bender was thought to be insane. On land soaked with the blood of conflict, the Benders made their home. And one by one, prairie travelers began to disappear... Rooted in history, this is a vivid tale of the Benders' origins, and how they became some of the most horrific figures in early post-Civil War America. This meticulously researched, vividly told story marries an almost biblical poetry to the rough action of a Western. Readers who can stomach its violence will find a bleak beauty in this portrayal of one of the American prairie's ugliest stories. A heavenly retelling of a hellish tale. - Kirkus Reviews 'Hell's Half-Acre' is a powerful and involving work. Nicastro's anti-heroine, Kate Bender, is so winningly characterized he made me pull for her in a very unexpected way. But what sticks with me most is the land as the austere staging for this drama. The world is a stage and it's as stark as all of Kansas with nowhere to hide. Nicastro's language is equal to it. - Lamar Herrin, author of The Unwritten Chronicles of Robert E. 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