几百年以来，学习希腊、拉丁文化一直是西方精英教育的核心。古典文明被视作孕育有教养、有创造性人才的摇篮。作为西方文明的源头，希腊、罗马为世界贡献了较具活力的文化形态，对之后世界历史、文化的发展与变迁产生了深远的影响。内维里·莫利所著《古典学：为何重要》清晰凝练地为我们介绍了学习、了解古典文化的重要性。理解远古之事不仅为了了解过去，还能够帮我们理清我们当下所置身其中的文化、社会与政治世界缘何如此。此书篇幅虽短，但极具启发性，可以为当下对古典文化感兴趣的读者提供入门指引。

This dictionary gives the origins of some 20,000 items from the modern English vocabulary, discussing them in groups that make clear the connections between words derived by a variety of routes from originally common stock. As well as giving the answers to questions about the derivation of individual words, it is a fascinating book to browse through, since every page points out links with other entries. It is easy to pursue such trails as the longer articles are written as continuous prose clearly divided up by means of numbered paragraphs and subheadings, and there is a careful system of cross-references. In addition to the main A-Z listing, there are extensive lists of prefixes, suffixes, and elements used in the creation of new vocabulary.