Kitap Eleştirisi: Anna Missiou, Literacy and Democracy in Fifth-Century Athens (Cambridge et al.: Cambridge University Press, 2011), pp. 211; ISBN 978-0-521-12876-6; £ 17.99.

In her book Missiou (M.) aims to assess the role of literacy in the workings of democracy in 5th-century Athens. For this purpose she looks exclusively into the «literacy of Athenians in their role of citizens» (5). The book is divided into an introductory chapter, five main chapters and a conclusions chapter; it has a number of illustrations (23 figures and 3 maps), two tables, three appendices, a bibliography and two indices. In her introduction (1–10) M. gives a brief overview of research perspectives and sets out her own line of argument. Her underlying assumption is that literacy was extensive in fifth-century Athens and assumed a greater importance in Athens than in other Greek city democracies; she argues that the Kleisthenic reforms were conducive to the spread of literacy.