John E. Stambaugh stated  "[t]he book is full of interesting digressions: travel reminiscences, a marvelously malicious account of Israelite history, a sketch history of archaeology in Iraq. Throughout, de Camp exhibits skepticism about the sincerity of much Judaeo-Christian morality, interest in the technological and linguistic aspects of the civilizations discussed, determination to combat the notion that 'during the golden age of Greece... the Greeks were the only people in the world who were really alive,' and eagerness to draw modern parallels."
John E. Stambaugh remarked that "[t]he book is full of interesting diversions: travel reminiscences, a wickedly amusing account of Israelite history, a sketch history of archaeology in Iraq. Throughout, de Camp displays skepticism about the genuineness of much Judaeo-Christian morality, interest in the technological and linguistic aspects of the civilizations discussed, determination to refute the notion that 'during the golden age of Greece... the Greeks were the only people in the world who were really alive,' and eagerness to draw modern parallels."