Derived from a course Jones (classics, Montclair State U.) taught at Bryn Mawr College with another professor, this volume is an anthology of primary sources from Roman times and cultural accounts of Cleopatra from the 14th to the 20th centuries. The readings describe the Ptolemies, Cleopatra and her death, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Octavian, and the Battle of Actium. The second section, which deals with reception from modern eras, examines whether Cleopatra was good or bad, Shakespeare's representation of her, her sexuality, accounts by women such as Charlotte Brontë, Arabic and Afrocentric portrayals, modern depictions by George Bernard Shaw and Thornton Wilder, and portrayals of Egypt by Percy Bysshe Shelley and others. The book contains a genealogy and selective filmography. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)