Twelve top books on Greece, by Greeks and philhellenes

Mary Norris joined the editorial staff of The New Yorker in 1978 and has been a copy editor and proofreader there for more than thirty years. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she lives in New York and Rockaway.

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen is her first book.

Her new book is Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen.

At LitHub Norris tagged "books by or about modern Greeks, though the authors may, of course, reflect on ancient history," including:

Anne Zouroudi, The Messenger of Athens

Zouroudi, who is from the North of England, is to the Greek islands what Donna Leon is to Venice. Her series features Hermes Diaktoros, a detective known as the fat man—he has been described as the Greek Hercule Poirot—who works in mysterious ways. The books (The Doctor of Thessaly, The Lady of Sorrows, among others) conjure the superstitious atmosphere of the Greek islands.

Read about the other titles on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue