The Idol Hunter

By Barry Unsworth,

Book cover of The Idol Hunter

Book description

NY 1980 first edition. Simon Schuster. Hardcover octavo. Fine in Fine dj.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Idol Hunter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

For my high school sophomore history teacher, world history was only Greece under Pericles and England under Elizabeth I. I went to Greece under her spell, and ever since, I have been drawn to books about Greece—fiction and non-fiction.

This book is about a fictional Greek island at the end of the Ottoman empire, an English con man caught up in his archaeological con, a beautiful artist (played by a young Helen Mirren in the film version), greedy government officials, and an informer who fears for his life is our unreliable narrator. It makes for an engrossing novel of…

From Jeffrey's list on what to read when the museum is closed.

Want books like The Idol Hunter?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Idol Hunter.

Browse books like The Idol Hunter

Book cover of Headlong
Book cover of The Horse's Mouth
Book cover of Dime-Store Alchemy: The Art of Joseph Cornell

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,585

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Greece, the Ottoman Empire, and unreliable narrators?

Greece 184 books