The Hemlock Cup

In The Hemlock Cup Bettany Hughes does a very good job of recreating the material world in which Socrates lived ... she is up to date on recent archaeological discoveries ... she writes frankly of the nastiness of the world in which Socrates grew up and lived

Mary Beard, Sunday Times

No physical aspect of life as experienced by an Athenian man is left out...Hughes's expert attempts to make him flesh and blood, to fill in the gaps...teach us about the value of the real as well as the philosophical.

Lesley McDowell, The Scotsman

Terrific and passionate writing about a philosopher whose heroism is unquestionable (though that heroism resides in a constant questioning); and as lively and learned an introduction to classical Athens as you could want.

Tom Payne, The Telegraph

Hughes's prose is the literary equivalent of CGI, re-creating for the reader a sense of the clamour and dazzle of the classical city that has rarely been bettered.

Observer

Hughes cleverly extracts the man from the dramatic scene-setting... Hughes credits two editors for saving her from "extreme colloquialism" but enough survives to five this intelligent, bright-eyed vigorous book a life as vibrant and provocative as that lived by its subject.

The Times

A lively and learned introduction to classical Athens

Daily Telegraph, Christmas round up

In trying to find the man, Hughes uses the skills of historian and documentarian combined in create a fresh and surprisingly pacy biography

Joy Lo Dico, Independent on Sunday, Christmas round up

This tour de force is a vivid social and political history of Athens in the 5th century BC. An extremely exciting narrative...Descriptions of Athens aren't dry but dripping with colour; the city itself is dirty, smelly, defiantly alive. This is not a study of Socrates' philosophy but his world. As thought-provoking as it is thrilling, the book is a beacon for the relevance and interest of classics today

Francesca Wade, Times

A fascinating reconstruction of the era

Colin Waters, Sunday Herald

Hughes' writing is full of the kind of earthy, real-life details and personality that can make events from thousands of years ago seem real and relevant to a modern reader... This book is as all encompassing as it can be. For anyone who has felt that they should know more about Socrates... The Hemlock Cup has to be the best place to start

bookbag.co.uk

This is a fascinating history, which gives a great deal more than might be expected

Lesley McDowell, Herald

You won't get a better introduction to every aspect of the classical city than this... A fascinating, provocative read

Irish Times

The Hemlock Cup is another vibrant and atmospheric work from this well-known promoter of the ancient world

Michael Scott, BBC History Magazine