Free eBook--Hypatia: Life and Times

[fljustice]

Hypatia, the 5C Philosopher from Alexandria, has been the subject of much mythmaking through the centuries. She’s the subject of poetry, plays, novels and movies. Many people “quote” her, including one of my favorites: “Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fantasies.” I’ve studied Hypatia and her times since 1980. No writing by her has survived. This oft-quoted statement and many others are fabrications—fables—created by modern authors. Ironically, many who champion truth perpetuate a mythical version of Hypatia’s life and words. This collection of essays pulls back the curtain and lets the reader see the real Hypatia, a remarkable woman in her own right. I’m sure you’ll find, like me, Hypatia needs no embellishments to be a heroine.

This eBook is also a labor of love.

When my novel (Selene of Alexandria, in which Hypatia is a major character) came out, I started a blog. Mostly posts about my passions—Hypatia, Late Antiquity, Roman history, archaeology—but also author interviews, book reviews and giveaways, and movie “reel vs. real” essays. Like most bloggers, I obsess over my views and track which articles are most popular. Hands down, anything about Hypatia draws the most readers and generates the most discussion. My posts on the historical accuracy of the movie Agora, starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, rank No. 1, 2 and 3 even after nearly two years. Hypatia has a devoted following in cyberspace.

As a favor to my readers and Hypatia fans, I decided to pull all this material together and create an eBook: Hypatia: Her Life and Times. These articles are on the web, but scattered across various sites and blogs. I have expanded some of the essays and updated others with new information. This collection is not a formal biography…two very good ones are reviewed here…but it does provide a good look at the real woman behind the mythic heroine. I hope you check it out. Smashwords provides digital files for all types of ereaders. Those who don't have an ereader can still download the book as a PDF, HTML or RTF file and read it on your computer (It's a series of essays and only 23,000 words, so it's not like reading an entire novel on screen.) I hope you check it out!

The Details:

• Title: Hypatia: Her Life and Times
• Author: Faith L. Justice
• Published: March 2012
• EPUB ISBN: 9781476318110
• Available: Smashwords.com in all digital/eBook formats
• Length: 23,000 words
• Price: Free!

[LoveHistory]

Awesome! You rock, Faith!

[fljustice]

Thanks, LH!

[Justin Swanton]

I've read it, fljustice. Very interesting, especially the politics.

[Nefret]

That looks interesting.

What is this smashwords? I have not heard of it.

[fljustice]

Thanks, Justin!

[quote=""Nefret""]That looks interesting. What is this smashwords? I have not heard of it.[/quote]

Smashwords.com is company where you can publish your ebooks in all digital formats and set the price including "reader pays what they want" and "free." No charge to publish and if your book meets certain standards (including an ISBN which they will provide free) they will distribute your book through their "Premium Catalog" to Amazon, BN, Apple, etc. and take a small cut of the price. I published my ebook novel directly through Kindle and BN, but use Smashwords for all others. I regularly make sales through Kobo and Diesel and directly from the Smashwords site.

I'm using them for my free ebook, because Kindle and Nook don't seem to have a "free" option anymore. I "publish" through Smashwords, but the book should be available through Kindle, Nook, etc. stores when it's approved for the catalog. However, anyone can download the mobi (Kindle) or epub (Nook and others) versions at Smashwords. They don't have to wait for the book to hit the catalog.

Hope that helps! If not, feel free to ask more questions..