• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Core Study Textbooks (1 Viewer)

ari89

MOSSAD Deputy Director
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
2,618
Location
London
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
On this forum there has been heaps of general questions asked directly related to the syllabus dot points. The question is soon followed by a remark saying that the information is not available within the text book. This has led me to ask what text books are you guys using?

I used 2 text books this year for the core study and the covered all the dot points as they were both structured to the syllabus. These books were:

Secrets of Vesuvius, Cameron and Lawless

Pompeii and Herculaneum: Interpreting the Evidence
, Estelle Lazer and Brian Brennan


These books were extremely helpful so if you think you have a dodgie book that doesn't follow the syllabus, you should consider these.

Random notes:


Secrets of Vesuvius:


Much more summarised than Lazer and Brennan's book. Has many coloured pictures and exam style questions. This is adequate however a good student would wish to augment it with more info.


Pompeii and Herculaneum: Interpreting the Evidence:


Detailed book written by Lazer and Brennan. Lazer has first hand experience in Pompeii dealing with skeletons so what she says can be trusted. The book has heaps of information and acts as a good resource to further the information found in Lawless and Cameron's book. One thing I didn't like about this book was the lack of coloured pictures. In actual fact there was no colour at all.

People should add info about their textbooks for the topic in this thread. Maybe some nice mod could make it a sticky:)

All the best with ancient history people;)
 
Last edited:

princesskt

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
535
Location
Port Macquarie
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
Well, my class is using Cities of Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum by Pamela Bradley. I've read some posts on here that not many like it for various reasons. Well I find the book helpful. It covers all the dot points and it isn't 20 years old.. it was only done last year so it's pretty much up to date. but thats just me. the books uve said look good. The one by estelle lazer, im interested in that.. I'll see if my teacher has that one, otherwise where could you get it?
 

ari89

MOSSAD Deputy Director
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
2,618
Location
London
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
princesskt said:
Well, my class is using Cities of Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum by Pamela Bradley. I've read some posts on here that not many like it for various reasons. Well I find the book helpful. It covers all the dot points and it isn't 20 years old.. it was only done last year so it's pretty much up to date. but thats just me. the books uve said look good. The one by estelle lazer, im interested in that.. I'll see if my teacher has that one, otherwise where could you get it?
I'm not sure where you could get the Lazer one from. At a HSC ancient history day at Wesley theatre (held by her and Brennan) they were selling it for $15 (i bought mine for heaps more the year b4 lol).

It was published by "Ancient History Seminars'
email: seminars@magna.com.au
phone: 1800 688 395

+ it has some notice about HSC Study days for history and their website is www.secondaryseminars.com
edit: their website doesn't seem to actually exist/have anything on it
 
Last edited:

ari89

MOSSAD Deputy Director
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
2,618
Location
London
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
princesskt said:
ok thanks :) do you know if the excel ancient history books are any good?
I was looking at them a while back...for me the cost of 2 seperate books didn't justify the contents:p They may be good for topics such as Pompeii and Herculaneum (as they are not essay responses), and possibly the society however, for my period and personality they were just a series of summary notes that I had made a much more relevant and better version of.

(Btw, not all topics are covered in the book)
 

ari89

MOSSAD Deputy Director
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
2,618
Location
London
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
princesskt said:
wat period and personality are u doing?
I finished the HSC already:p
Personality: Julius Caesar
Period: Near East: Solomon to the fall of Samaria (or sumfin like that)
 
X

xeuyrawp

Guest
ari, thanks for the really awesome thread. As always, you're really helpful.

I'm stickying this thread for the moment. :)
 

jodi..1

is awesome
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
180
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
We use 'Pompeii and Herculaneum' by Louise Zarmati. Its alright but only has small paragraphs on some dot points (eg social structure). Damn, I wish I'd bought a Lazer book at the seminar now lol
 

ari89

MOSSAD Deputy Director
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
2,618
Location
London
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
jodi..1 said:
We use 'Pompeii and Herculaneum' by Louise Zarmati. Its alright but only has small paragraphs on some dot points (eg social structure). Damn, I wish I'd bought a Lazer book at the seminar now lol
Didn't they explain social structure at the seminar? (Assuming you went to the Lazer and Brennan seminar). That was one of the things we covered quite well with Balbas (his name being around that...some bald rich patrician) working your way down.
 

elle148

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2007
Messages
37
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
princesskt said:
Well, my class is using Cities of Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum by Pamela Bradley. I've read some posts on here that not many like it for various reasons. Well I find the book helpful. It covers all the dot points and it isn't 20 years old.. it was only done last year so it's pretty much up to date. but thats just me. the books uve said look good. The one by estelle lazer, im interested in that.. I'll see if my teacher has that one, otherwise where could you get it?
Yeah my school uses the Pamela Bradley one as well.
I like it because it goes along with EVERY part of the syllabus... but sometimes there's headings and not good information to go with it.
I have an exam on wednesday for it... so hopefully it goes well lol
 

pakigal

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
77
Location
New South Wales
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
Our school gets the Louise Zarmati textbook, the Cameron and Lawless and the Brennan and Lazer. All three of them put together work really well cos Zarmati gives a good summarised outline of the info, C & L is good for info in detail while B&L is great for sources (personally my favourite one even though colour would have made it more interesting)
 

alfonso22

Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
51
Location
Marayong
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
our school uses antiquity 3 by hurley et al..

its really good and set out well.... helped heaps with trials,,,:)
 

-tony-

Member
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
108
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Well, my class is using Cities of Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum by Pamela Bradley

we use that one as well
would be great if there was enough coz we have 2 classess on separate lines so we cant hav our own book
it seems good thoe.only just started using it thoe coz we did sparta last term
 

naisAtoN

Awesome Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
341
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
Our school uses no text books at all. I don't recommend this.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top