At an early age Barry Strauss went crazy over books - and he still is. Along the way he became passionate about history, foreign languages, and boats but books are still at the center of it all. Strauss grew up in and around New York City. He received bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in history from Cornell and Yale. He has lived and studied in Greece, Germany, and Israel and has traveled extensively in Italy, Turkey, Croatia, Cyprus, Jordan, Tunisia, and other countries with classical sites; he has also taken part in archaeological excavations. He speaks and reads seven foreign languages. Aside from a brief stint as a newspaper reporter, he has made his career as a college teacher. Back at Cornell, he is Professor of History and Classics and Chair of the Department of History. A former director of Cornell's Peace Studies Program, he is currently director as a well a founder of its Program on Freedom and Free Societies. He considers himself the luckiest person alive to be able to spend his time reading, writing, and teaching. His website is www.barrystrauss.com. He blogs at http://bstrauss.wordpress.com/.