A Traveller's History of Athens

I highly recommend all of the, "A Traveller's History of..." series. These books are lively, informative histories that are the perfect read before a trip somewhere new or just to brush up on the history that one's forgotten over the years. They all cover a particular location's entire history up until the present and provide insights into its changing culture and politics over the years in an intelligent but highly, and swiftly, readable manner. And compact enough to bring with one to look up that forgotten bit of information that makes an afternoon's outing that much more enjoyable.