Vicki León is the prolific author of the Uppity Women in history series and Working IX to V. How to Mellify a Corpse is another popular history that serves as a survey course in the history of Greece and Rome, not focusing on the wars and political leaders, but, instead, on the male and female inventors and philosophers. (Philosophy covered physics and ethics. Especially in the early years, it was a mix of superstition and genius.) Because the subject matter sometimes overlaps, and the style pleasingly easy to read, How to Mellify a Corpse is reminiscent of Adrienne Mayor's Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs, which León cites.
How to Mellify a Corpse is organized both chronologically and geographically. While León supplies background whenever she introduces an obscure inventor, it seems best to read the book in the order presented. This warning comes from (1) a realization that many people are going to skip straight to the mellified corpse, near the end, and (2) a strong suspicion that it was not written in the order presented, but was re-arranged for coherence.
Into every chapter León injects dry, often opinionated wit. Sometimes she plays the Roman satirist, melodramatically giving up in the face of the overwhelming odds against correcting an urban legend once it has spread to the Internet. At times, she adds surprising, inspired interpretations to make it relevant for today.
In addition to being chronological and filled with humor, it is almost encyclopedic in its scope, which is pretty amazing considering its compact size (about 300 pages) and the vast number of inventions succinctly described. To get a taste, consider the table of contents. The first of the 6 sections contains 13 separate chapters all covered within 40 pages.
It's hard to say which part I liked best: There was so much great material. Instead, I'll list 3 bits that intrigued or amused me (headings, mine):
Money-back Guarantee on Education
"In the three-year 'Pythagoras-lite' program, participants only got to hear lectures. In contrast, the mathematics students endured a five-year probation and vow of silence, their property meanwhile managed by Pythagorean officials. At the end of probation, disgruntled students, if any, got their assets back plus interest, the world's first (maybe only) philosophical guarantee."
Plagiarism
"Ptolemy not only liftes all of Hipparchus' star sighting for his own catalog, Almagest, but actually got the data wrong as he transposed the figures to his later century.Looking on the bright side: since the bulk of Hipparchus' original work has vanished, we can thank our lucky stars that plagiarizer Ptolemy cribbed so much from Hipparchus."
Lead Poisoning Wasn't Accidental
"Most lead compounds are toxic yet taste sweet, making lead-laden toys irresistible to toddlers, who regularly explore their world with hands and mouths.... Two thousand years ago, Greek and Roman societies -- and not just the underage crowd -- found the sweet metallic flavor equally irresistible."
There is little enough to criticize in this book, but purists may object to the use of modern terms for ancient concepts. That didn't bother me, but I do wish there had been zillions of footnotes. Of course, then it wouldn't be a light, easy read.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
