Edith Hamilton (1867–1963) didn’t publish her first book until she was 62. But over the next three decades, this former headmistress would become the 20th century’s most famous interpreter of the classical world. Today, Hamilton’s Mythology (1942) remains the standard version of ancient tales and sells tens of thousands of copies a year. During the Cold War, her influence even extended to politics, as she argued that postwar America could learn from the fate of Athens after its victory in the Persian Wars. 

In “American Classicist,” Victoria Houseman tells the fascinating life story of a remarkable classicist whose ideas were shaped by — and aspired to shape — her times. 

Hamilton studied Latin and Greek from an early age, earned a BA and MA at Bryn Mawr College, and ran a girls’ prep school for 26 years. After retiring, she turned to writing. Hamilton traveled around the world, formed friendships with Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, and was made an honorary citizen of Athens.