'This latest addition to the long list of Sir Maurice Bowra's works begins with the words 'literature as a fine art', and this initial phrase sets the theme for what follows. The introductory chapter emphasis concentration on 'the art of words' as the central feature of Greek literature: a desire 'to impose order on words just as they did on stone or bronze'; 'formal elegance, a discipline which holds the words in check and thereby increases their effectiveness.' (...) The rest of the book is an account of the surviving products of the Greeks' skill in the art of words. The title suggests a limited selection. But in fact most extant literature down to the Alexandrinians is covered. (...) The chapter on Homer sets a high standard. (...) There have been few better or more sensitive accounts of the poems as they stand.The human characters are admirably described, and the various strands in Homer's treatment of the gods are skilfully disentangled. (...) After this exciting beginning one reader (...) must admit some disappointment. There are other excellent sections in the book - on Lesbian lyric for example, on Sophocles, and on Apollonius - but much in the later chapters seems to lack sparkle (...). According to the Preface, the book is intended 'not for scholars, but for students and lovers of good literature who may find obstacles between themselves and the Greeks', and consequently no Greek is used. (...) Those who already have some acquintance with Greek literature will find a great deal here for which they will be grateful. (..) A volume which every food school and public library - not to mention universities - should have on it shelves. (H.C. BALDRY on the English original ('Landmarks in Greek Literature) in The Classical Review (New Series), 1967, pp.177-78).