?Two ancient ?Lives record the distinguished career of Athanasius the Athonite, protégé of the powerful Michael Maleinos, friend of the austere emperor Nicephorus Phocas (AD 963-969), founder of the Lavra which established monasticism on Athos, master calligrapher and charismatic pastor, painted by Pantoleon, chief illustrator of the Basil /?Menologium? (JÖB XXI(1972) 241-9). Since the millenary celebrations of the Lavra in 1963 reawakened interest in its founder, scholars concerned to evaluate the ?Lives? have frequently lamented the lack of a critical edition. This J. Noret has now provided, for the first time uniting the two ?Lives (A and B) in a single, accessible volume. ?N.?s long introduction falls into two main parts, of which the first and larger (?) deals with the text. A careful account of all known MSS is followed by the construction of a critical stemma for each Life. (?). The second part of the introduction examines the evidence for the connection between the tow ?Lives?, for their date and place of composition (?). N.?s conclusions are convincing. Life A is certainly the earlier work and was used by the anonymous author of B., working at the Lavra. (?) These ?Lives? are essential sources for early monasticism on Athos, and rich in incidental information (?). N. has now provided a standard edition.? (MARY WHITBY in The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 1983, pp.231-232).