Nigel Nicholson is Walter Mintz Professor of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Humanities at Reed College, where he has also served as the Dean of the Faculty. He is the author of Aristocracy and Athletics in Archaic and Classical Greece, The Poetics of Victory in the Greek West, and, with Nathan Selden, The Rhetoric of Medicine: Lessons on Professionalism from Ancient Greece. A dedicated teacher, he was named Oregon's Professor of the Year for 2004.

The book stands out for its clarity of expression and wide-ranging themes.. Overall, the volume is an engaging and thought-provoking study that is enjoyable to read.

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviations Introduction Part One: More-than-Mortal Excellence1. Making the Most of Athletics2. Escaping the Competition3. Beautiful (Male) Bodies 4. More than Mortal Part Two: Politics 5. Leaders 6. Born Excellent 7. Victor and City8. Making Greece9. Not for the Money Part Three: Specific Events10. Boxing11, Youth Events12. Horse Races13. Events at the Margins PostscriptAppendix One: A Primer on the Victory OdeAppendix Two: Four More OdesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

Nigel Nicholson is Walter Mintz Professor of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Humanities at Reed College, where he has also served as the Dean of the Faculty. He is the author of Aristocracy and Athletics in Archaic and Classical Greece, The Poetics of Victory in the Greek West, and, with Nathan Selden, The Rhetoric of Medicine: Lessons on Professionalism from Ancient Greece. A dedicated teacher, he was named Oregon's Professor of the Year for 2004.

The book stands out for its clarity of expression and wide-ranging themes.. Overall, the volume is an engaging and thought-provoking study that is enjoyable to read.

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviations Introduction Part One: More-than-Mortal Excellence1. Making the Most of Athletics2. Escaping the Competition3. Beautiful (Male) Bodies 4. More than Mortal Part Two: Politics 5. Leaders 6. Born Excellent 7. Victor and City8. Making Greece9. Not for the Money Part Three: Specific Events10. Boxing11, Youth Events12. Horse Races13. Events at the Margins PostscriptAppendix One: A Primer on the Victory OdeAppendix Two: Four More OdesGlossaryBibliographyIndex