This book is a must for any library with a Greek section and for any Greek student or scholar who likes letters. The Journal of Classics Teaching The letters are very well translated with a nice compromise between literal accuracy and an appropriately chatty style, and the commentary is helpful and economical ... an excellent introduction to one of the attractive by-ways of Greek literature from the hand of a fine scholar. The Journal of Classics Teaching ... this volume should bring some wonderfully entertaining texts to a wider audience of students. Hermathena: A Trinity College Dublin Review This timely collection of texts is pitched at undergraduate level, with sensible and solid discussions of linguistic difficulties. Whether the letters will ever become curricular standards is questionable, but those students fortunate enough to be exposed to these scintillating texts will find Costa's a safe enough pair of hands. Hermathena: A Trinity College Dublin Review While certainly not great literature, they provide some insight into social conventions of the time, amuse, and, in the case of the philosophical letters, provide some parallels to NT letters. In a sense they aid students to recognize that the Greek world had its lowbrow side as well as magnificent literature and thinkers. It will serve as a useful teaching tool for classicists and NT scholars to make alive the world of the Early Roman Empire. Religious Studies Review Editions of individual letter writers are scattered and often out of print, which makes this collection of Greek texts with good translations useful and welcome. Religious Studies Review
