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A new spoof/parody of the movie "300" hits theaters today. "Meet the Spartans" was written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the brains behind "Epic Movie" and "Scary Movie," and features Sean Maguire as King Leonides, Carmen Electra as Queen Margo, and Ken Davitian as Xerxes.

For those interested in the real story behind the battle of Thermopylae and the history of the Spartans, Professor Paul Cartledge from the University of Cambridge has written the definitive works: Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World and Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece, both available from Overlook.

Paul Cartledge's masterful Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World is the subject of an excellent review ("East v. West: The First Round) by Jasper Griffin in the December 6 issue of The New York Review of Books: "Paul Cartledge, professor of ancient history at Cambridge, gives a good account of this memorable expedition and its unforgettable failure . . . Cartledge does full justice to these events, which even the most pacific or unmilitary reader must find soul-shaking."

Remember when you left your local cineplex after your third screening of the mega-blockbuster "300" promising yourself that you were gonna find out everything there is to know about the Battle of Thermopylae? Well, now while you're waiting for Netflix to deliver the dvd (releasing Tuesday 7/31) you can still get your hands on *the* definitive book on the battle, Paul Cartledge's Thermopylae. Pop some popcorn! And get ready to dive back into the gory & glory as only our esteemed and beloved Dr. Cartledge can muster. No dvd extras can stand up to the mighty Spartan coverage that only this book supplies! Enjoy! Reading, too, is glorious! You will enjoy this book! Or you'll have to answer to all those Spartan dudes.

USA TODAY runs an interview with Overlook's Paul Cartledge about the forthcoming release of "300" which brings the battle of Thermopylae once more to the big screen. Paul has written *the* book on the subject and we have had to once again go back to the printers to make more copies. See the movie, read the book. For Glory & Sparta! And read the interview... Read the rest of this post

Have you seen the trailers for the movie 300? I'll be camping out in line for opening weekend in March. In the meantime, read Paul Cartledge's Thermopylae for the skinny on the battle that saved the West from the East.

Thanks to all who rocked our publisher's house last night to celebrate the release of THERMOPYLAE by Paul Cartledge. Who knew Classicists could keep the party going late into the night? Check out the good word by partygoer Ron Hogan over at the Galleycat. Rumors that we used Overlook's first title AUFBAU as a coaster during the late hours were greatly...corrrect.

Paul Cartledge's THERMOPYLAE gets notice in The Wall Street Journal Weekend. All 300 Spartans must feel thrilled!