author
W. W. (William Woodthorpe) Tarn
1869–1957
A leading scholar of the ancient world, he became especially known for vivid, influential work on Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic age. His books helped shape 20th-century understanding of how Greek history spread far beyond Greece itself.
1 Audiobook
The Treasure of the Isle of Mist
by W. W. (William Woodthorpe) Tarn
About the author
Born in London in 1869, William Woodthorpe Tarn was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar, but he is remembered above all as a classical scholar and historian whose work focused on the Greek world after Alexander the Great.
Tarn wrote widely on Hellenistic history and became one of the best-known English-language historians of Alexander and his successor kingdoms. His major books include Antigonos Gonatas, Hellenistic Civilization, and Alexander the Great. He was widely respected in his field and was knighted for his scholarly work.
He died in 1957. Even where later historians have challenged some of his interpretations, his writing remained important for the scale of its ambition, its clarity, and its lasting influence on the study of the ancient Mediterranean world.