Book Description
In 480 BC, a huge Persian army, led by the inimitable King Xerxes, entered the mountain pass of Thermopylae as it marched on Greece, intending to conquer the land with little difficulty. But the Greeks—led by King Leonidas and a small army of Spartans—took the battle to the Persians at Thermopylae, and halted their advance—almost.
It is one of history's most acclaimed battles, one of civilization's greatest last stands. And in Thermopylae, renowned classical historian Paul Cartledge looks anew this history-altering moment and, most impressively, shows how its repercussions have bearing on us even today. The invasion of Europe by Xerxes and his army redefined culture, kingdom, and class. The valiant efforts of a few thousand Greek warriors, facing a huge onrushing Persian army at the narrow pass at Thermopylae, changed the way generations to come would think about combat, courage, and death.
The battle of Thermopylae was at its broadest a clash of civilizations; one that momentously helped shape the identity of classical Greece and hence the nature of our own cultural heritage.
Customer Reviews:
Thorough in most things, lacking in others........2007-09-03
The author goes to great lenghts to accurately depict the events leading up to the battle of Thermopylae,as well as a detailed look into the spartan way of life and the overal state of the Greek civilization as well as that of the Persian Empire. A detailed look at the immediate and long term consequences of the said battle is also depicted to great extent, leading up all the way to comparisons to past and current western vs eastern conflicts.
What baffles me, very dissapointingly is the lack of content concerning the actual battle of Thermopylae itself, a mere 11 pages cover chapter 7 (the battle) I was expecting a little more on that subject. Perhaps more detailed info on the naval battle of artemisium would have been nice, (although perhaps not directly related to sparta, I find it an important piece of the battle of Thermopylae)
Although throughout the book, one will find added bits of information of the battle, I still wish more was devoted to the actual accounts of the battle, I understand that perhaps very little about is actually known to separate facts from fiction, I'll just have to look elsewhere and hope to find a literarly piece that depicts what I was hoping to learn about.
The author's extensive research is remarkable and his efforts are certainly notewhorthy, I consider it still a must read if one wishes to find out the intricacies of that time period and the way of the spartan society.
Theromopylae Review.......2007-08-19
While I thought this book was very good, with authentic, true detail, I felt the author's writing style was just a bit challenging to follow. I read the book twice, back to back, and missed some details the first time.
While I don't give it four stars, it is good enough to be someone's first purchase in beginning to learn about ancient Greek battles.
Wonderful in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. .......2007-08-10
The former reviewers imagine that you can write a book on a three-battle day in some more than 340 pages (Spanish edition). If that is indeed the case, they'd better read a novel on the topic. No source, now and ever, will tell you the feelings of Demaratus, Megistias, and all the actors of this epopeia during the three day battle.
Homer did that in the Trojan war, due to the very nature of the conflict. Aristocratic, one vs one combats, in an age six centuries earlier than the Thermopylae battle, with a quite different concept of war.
Some others tend to ignore the fact that a war is a business of a state and its allies against another one and its allies. Politics cannot be ruled out of a war, because, as "someone" put it, war is politics, by other means, as politics is war, by other means. In essence they cannot be divided.
Others suggest that he is making a direct comparision between Thermopylae and the 9/11 hijackers' suicidal massacre of innocent people. Having read the book, from the beginning to the end, I don't see where, when Paul Cartledge states in no uncertain terms his awesome aversion for such acts as 9/11 and related massacres.
Finally, many fail to see what the intent of this book is all about. That if we're to defeat terrorism in all its faces, we must show, at least, no lesser degree of 'assabiya (Wikipedia: Asabiyya) than that of our foes. And that playing to division and partisan games we are risking all the civilization we've created.
The number of times he recall Simonides quotation, should make us see that we have our laws, voted by all, and that we have elements to develop such 'assabiya.
If only for this message, I would award this book 10 stars. Being only able to award five, I award five, with honours.
look elsewhere.......2007-08-02
I agree with many reviewers who stated that this book is mostly a long and painful description leading up to the battle and seeingly a fly by with just a few words about the actual battle. The writing is terse and reminds me of my least favorite courses in college. Please consider purchasing:
The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter That Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization by Barry Strauss. I learned a lot more about Thermopylae with Strauss' book plus a TON about the naval counterpart. Extremely well written and engaging. It was hard to put Strauss' book down.
Not a good book.......2007-07-10
Carteledge seemed more impressed with his knowledge of the events leading up to the battle than the battle itself. The book should have been named differently. His connections with the Greeks and the 9/11 terrorist floored me - not to mention his interjection of modern "Bush bashing" and even a dig at this website.
I wish I had not purchased this book.
Customer Reviews:
Golen Age of the Pharaohs: offical Book of the Exhibition .......2007-09-09
Fantastic book; saved money by purchasing it through Amazon. Shows all the exibits. Very pleased with the book. A fine edition to anyones collection.
Very good book.......2007-09-09
I bought the book before seeing the tour in Philly. The book is very well done, and very good representation of the tour. Beautiful photographs, plus good rich text around the history of the 18th dynasty.
Other reviews talk about the tour, which isn't really what the book is about. The tour was rather crowded, and I was somewhat disappointed that all the objects were small, and no Tut sarcophagus. Very little explanation of the layout, so my son was complaining about the lack of Tut objects; they included many from the 18th dynasty.
I recommend the official DVD, its great; bought it at the show.
yasangel.......2007-08-31
Beautiful book, great pictures. Great to have with you if you get to see exhibit.
Gollden Age of the Pharaohs.......2007-07-16
Purchased in anticipation of the opening of the exhibition in London in November, the book is a mine of information. Not only does Zahi Hawass describe the objects on display, but he places them in context and gives a vivid picture of life in Egypt at the time of Tutankhamun and before his accession to the throne. Not only a great read, a reference for future use and up to Dr Hawass usual enthusiastic and vivid style. A must-have book for anyone interested in Egypt.
absolutly stunning....a once in a life time chance...........2007-07-04
First and formost DO NOT miss the King Tut tour.....the artifatcs are absoutely astounding and incredibly beautiful beyond words..It it truly extremely hard to wrap your mind around that every peice is wll over 3000 yers old. As for the book itself it is nithing short of amazing...caputring the exibit almost in its entirety....but NOTHING compares to seeing the absoultly stunnig tour live...a truly once in a life time experience...after the US tour concludes it it will never leave Cairo again...The book is worth its weight in gold...the awsome photography and articles by renowned archiloghits and her HRH the Queen of Egypt her self...THis tour the book by National Geographic and the Official DVD are some of the greatest gifts ever bestowed opon the world. A gift from the heart of Egypt to the world that will never be go on tour again...A humbling experience live and most interesting reading a msater work indeed...Bravo!!!
Average customer rating:
- The National Geographic of the 5th Century BC.
- not for me
- Extremely readable
- Great Book
- The Histories Revealed
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The Histories (Penguin Classics)
Herodotus
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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ASIN: 0140449086
Release Date: 2003-04-29 |
Book Description
Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt with an introduction and Notes by John M. Marincola.
Customer Reviews:
The National Geographic of the 5th Century BC........2007-08-13
Great read to get immersed in the 5th century BC world. Herodotus was a great story teller, whether of mythical or real stories. Some pages are really fun to read because of the friendly tone and plain language he uses. There are also a lot of unnecessary data -in my opinion- since he talks about all kinds of stories and gives plenty of detail, true or not that sometimes result boring.
The real interesting part comes in the last quarter of the book, where all the major battles between Persians and Greeks take place. A pity he didn't dwell a little more in the marathon and Thermopylae battles, but we get the big picture.
This is more an ethnographic study of all kinds of tribes that populated Greece and the Near East at the time. It's quite interesting to see what were the limitations as far as geography is concerned, the strange ideas they had about the far and unexplored areas of Europe, their peoples, etc. The comparison of what people thought and what really was is really amusing.
Skip the pages that you care less and enjoy the rest. There's plenty of good reading time here. Great translation, by the way.
not for me.......2007-06-07
This is a long, rambling, unfocused book. I guess the other reviewers are interested in everything covered here, but I wasn't. I tried this book after reading Thucydides. Thucydides has focus. Herodotus does not. Herodotus seems like the ancient equivalent of soap operas. I couldn't get through it.
Extremely readable.......2007-04-09
I picked a copy of the Histories mostly because i had just seen 300 and wanted to learn a bit more about the larger war. now, even though i'm quite interested in history, i was pretty apprehensive about reading a book like this one--besides the obvious length, it's dense, with many names and locations i've never seen before and that are rather obscure. however, i was very surprised by just how readable this translation is. you can tell that Selincourt spent a good deal of time making sure that the translation wasn't a direct, word for word port of the original text. the text, though still distinctly scholarly, is written in a manner not unlike any other mondern history book. beyond that, the account itself is very interesting to anyone with an interest in ancient history. this translation is highly recommended.
Great Book.......2007-03-20
This book really brings together all the essential knowledge on the subject. I have a class history book that takes excerts from books of Plutarch, Thucydides and Herodotus and i have go to say that going straight to the source made a big difference in class discussions. A definite must read for you history buffs out there.
The Histories Revealed.......2007-02-14
This history brings the ancient times to life in our modern age.
Customer Reviews:
$2.59 for an affordable dabble into Ancient Greek history.......2007-06-15
Not even Mary Renault could get me interested in digging into Greek history. What finally did it for me was the PS2 game God of War. Now I want to know everything I can about Spartans but I don't want to pay too much money in the process.
THE GREEK WAY.......2007-04-11
WE GAVE THIS BOOK TO OUR BROTHER-IN-LAW WHO WAS BORN IN GREECE. HE LOVES IT AND WANTS TO READ OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR,EDITH HAMILTON. WE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN ALL OF HER BOOKS.
A very learned view of the classical greeks.......2007-02-02
The first thing one encounters when reading Edith Hamilton's 'The Greek Way' is her love and even exuberance for her subject. Her opening remarks describe the classical greek worldview; an ability to grasp the world as it is, and still find it to be beautiful. This grasp this people had on reality would allow them to create the pictorial art, the art of the stage, here not including the dialogue and the dinner/drinking party, all still enjoyed much in the same manner today as the greeks enjoyed them in 500 b.c.e.
Plato and Socrates, and the way they experienced gentlemanly society, are highlighted as the crowning achievements of greek philosophy. It is the Ideal, Hamilton seems to say implicitly, that the greeks envisioned and carried forward philosophically, that would later influence western civilization in the way it did.
Later, comparisons are drawn between Aeschylus and Shakespeare, where the influence of the former on the latter is striking by the examples Hamilton presents. Hamilton here defines trajedy, elucidates pathos, and the differences between the two. She goes on to draw similarities between Virgil and Sophocles in their poetry and subjects, a valid comparison, she makes it seem.
Between this first and last, Herodotus is presented as a wide-eyed surprisingly objective first reporter who documents the cogitations and remarks of subjects as diverse as the delphic priestess and Cyrus the Great of Persia.
Freedom is won in the face of the Persian threat, and is the singular hallmark of the classical greeks in Hamilton's view. It affects everything the personalities Hamilton brings to light accomplish. Every work of art, every stage play, every dialectical argument can be viewed either as being in the presence of, or having the lack of freedom and democracy.
There is no question, Hamilton rightly defines the greatness of these greeks as a free, democratic people. But at the close of her book, Greece has become imperialistic and desires empire. Sophocles, the old conservative guardsman, documents poetically the zeitgeist of the former and current states of things, and a new era is dawning.
But Hamilton wisely leaves off here, having presented a wonderful picture of a wonderful people during a wonderful time.
Thoughtfully written and full of insight.......2006-02-12
The Greek Way, scholar Edith Hamilton's first book, is about the unification of body and soul-or, in Hamilton's terms, mind and spirit. Hamilton argues that this unification was achieved in a variety of areas in ancient Greek culture. Furthermore, this achievement is almost unique in world history.
Various individuals, including Socrates, Xenophon, Aeschylus, and Pindar, are discussed. Hamilton finds unexpected parallels between people, such as Aristophanes and William S. Gilbert. These parallels provide fascinating contexts. They help the reader appreciate why and how notable historical Greeks represent and transcend their time and place.
In "The Greek Way of Writing," one of the book's best chapters, Hamilton writes, "The Greek poet lifts one corner of the curtain only. A glimpse is given, no more, but by it the mind is fired to see for itself what lies behind. The writer will do no more than suggest the way to go, but he does it in such a fashion that the imagination is quickened to create for itself."
Much as it this is perhaps true of ancient Greek writers, I find it an especially accurate description of Hamilton's own method. Behind every one of the book's carefully chosen words is the assumption that our lives can be beautiful, if we will make them that way.
Hamilton is a classicist in the word's deepest sense: she believes in the continual validity and vitality of certain ideas. Whether achieved in the realms of art, politics, or philosophy, insights into the nature and meaning of human existence never loose their power. These ideas do what they have always done: they invite access, reflection, and application.
An Inspiration We All Need.......2005-10-20
" Little is left of all this wealth of great art: the sculptures, defaced and broken into bits, have crumbled away; the buildings are fallen; the paintings gone forever; of the writings, all lost but a very few. We have only the ruin of what was; the world has had no more than that for well on for two thousand years; yet these few remains of the mighty structure have been a challenge and an incitement to men ever since and they are among our possessions today which we value as most precious." A passage taken at random (page 18 of my Norton edition) which illustrates the strength of this remarkable book. Edith Hamilton writes beautiful prose which has been a joy to many since her book was first published in 1930.
She writes for an audience unfamiliar with ancient Greek culture. Her attempt to indicate the effect that Pindar achieved is perhaps bound to fail, but it is a noble attempt. She fares a little better with the dramatists, though hindered in that we are little equipped to appreciate verse drama in translation. The best sections are those dealing with prose writers: Plato, Herodotus, Thucydides. An important proviso though is that Hamilton is not primarily an analyst. She strives to pass on her own love and appreciation, not a critique. As such her work has always been welcomed by lay readers new to the subject.
This beautifully written book, both lofty and inspiring, yet inculcates a number of falsities about ancient Greece, once commonly held. It downplays Greek religion and magical and mystical beliefs, apparantly under the impression that the philosophical outlook (which survives in written form more so than religious texts) was the norm. On the contrary, one of the universal influences on all ancient Greeks (and it is suspected, on emerging Christianity, was the Eleusian mysteries. Greek oracular shrines, too, were enormously popular throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. The book also overlooks the fact that the 'rationalist' school of philosophy initiated by Thales was an outcrop of Persian philosophical thinking.
Hamilton's book contrasts Persian (tyrannical and slave based) with Greek (freedom loving) society, oblivious that Greece was a slave based society (as most ancient cultures were) and that many Persians were fanatically loyal to their 'King of Kings'. Little is said of the oligarchic governments of poleis such as Thebes, Sparta or Corinth, nor of the excesses of Athenian democracy; the list of great names who succumbed to democratic reigns of terror is a sad one: Themistokles, Aristedes, Alkibiades, Socrates...
The subjective feeling is that the Greeks were fighting something similar to Nazism in their Persian Wars. Scholarship is yet another expression of the time in which it was written.
Yet of course all this is little in comparison to the book's great virtues. Don't read it as an example of penetrating scholarship: there is plenty of more up-to-date material freely available. Read it if you need to know why the ancient Greeks are important, have been in the past, and hopefully will always be.
Book Description
Translated by Robert Graves and Revised with an Introduction by Michael Grant.
Customer Reviews:
Answers about the Roman Emperors.......2007-08-24
This is an engaging book, full of intersting facts which sometimes are hard to find. The book is written with an easy flow, that keeps your interest till the end.
For avid followers of history, in particular the good and bad of Roman emperors, this is a book for you.
THE TWELVE CAESARS - SUETONIUS.......2007-07-21
I FOUND THIS TITLE BY THE ROMAN AUTHOR SUETONIUS TO BE A FASCINATING AND IN-DEPTH [ IF ACCORDING TO SOME HISTORIANS A BIT BIASED ] OVER-VIEW OF THE FIRST TWELVE RULERS OF ROME WHO HELD OR ADOPTED THE NOMEN OF CAESAR. MY REASON FOR PURCHASING WAS THAT MY OLD PAPERBACK VERSION HAD SUFFERED FROM BEING OVER-READ AND REFERRED TO AND WAS DELAPIDATED.
GAIUS JULIUS WAS OF THE FAMILY - HIS GREAT NEPHEW OCTAVIANUS TOOK HIS NAMES AFTER ADOPTION INTO THE FAMILY AND THEREAFTER THE CAESAR TITLE CAME LESS TO BE A FAMILY TITLE THAN AN INDICATOR THAT THE EMPERORS LOOKED BACK TO THE ASSASSINATED ORIGINAL AS THEIR FOREBEAR IF NOT IN BLOODLINE THEN IN SIMPLE FACT.
IT IS A TITLE THAT SURVIVED DOWN TO THE RUSSIAN CZARS AND THE GERMAN KAISERS. KAI-SER, IN FACT, IS HOW THE NAME CAESAR WAS ORIGINALLY PRO-NOUNCED IN LATIN USEAGE.
WITH NERO THE IMMEDIATE LINE OF THE CAESARS EXTINGUISHED BUT THERE WERE MANY MORE INTERESTING, IF NOT AS DEEPLY INTERESTING, RULERS TO FOLLOW HIM. THE BOOK COVERS THE JULIO-CLAUDIANS, THE THREE INTERIM EMERORS IN 68 AND 69 [ GALBA, OTHO AND VITELLIUS ] AND THE FLAVIANS, VESPASIAN, TITUS AND DOMITIAN.
ALONGSIDE GRAVES' 'I CLAUDIUS', 'THE TWELVE CAESARS' IS A VERY GOOD INTRODUCTION FOR ANYONE SEEKING TO EXAMINE, FROM MANY CENTURIES DIVORCED , THE INTRIGUING AND LITERAL BACK STABBING THAT WENT ON IN IMPERIAL ROME'S EARLY YEARS.
ROGER DESHON - 22 QUEENSCOURT ROAD ALEXANDRA HILLS QLD 4161 AUSTRALIA
The Basis of Much Of What We know About These Guys .......2007-06-16
This is really a fascinating book on so many levels. First so much historical fiction, and drama that has been based on the lives of the Ceasars is indebted to Suetonius as the author who wrote these incredible character sketches. There's much to learn about the personal lives of the famous Roman emperors in this fine translation. This has served as source material for centuries of scholars and writers who found universal truths about human nature and political power in these lives.
Very accessible to the general reader and highly entertaining.
The Gold Standard of Ancient History.......2007-04-17
This translation of Suetonius's Twelve Ceasars translated by Robert Graves with a great introduction by Michael Grant is a history-lover's dream. This is definitely my favorite historial work in translation; it is expertly and lovingly brought to life. To me, anybody should be able to be transported in moments back to ancient Rome in the time of Augustus or Nero and have one hell of a read. Suetonius was a minor government functionary who was given the spectacular opportunity to see the early imperial archives, kind of like a blogger or National Enquirer reporter given the opportunity to look at Clinton-era video surveilance or Nixon's Watergate tapes. This work is one of the most accessible views of ancient history ever. It's filled with lurid sex, gossip, murder, palace coups, degeneracy, monumental building, war, poisonings, etc. If you're going to be a liberal arts major, it pays to know a few dirty stories about the Caesars; this is the book to read.
Rome's Tabloid Historian.......2007-03-26
Suetonius grew up in the years following Nero's reign and wrote these histories while he was the secretary of the emperor Hadrian in the early second century A.D. His book covers the successive reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.
The stories focus on the emperors themselves more than the events which took place under their reigns and, although there's certainly some truth to those emperors, many of Suetonius' facts are anecdotal stories and rumors. Suetonius has therefore been called one of the first tabloid writers. Nevertheless, his biographies are rather concise and systematic; touching upon the physical attributes of the ruler, his background, the good deeds (if any) in his reign and then, of course, the bad deeds.
Robert Graves' translation is superb and probalby one of the best ones available. It is quite faithful to the generally jovial mood of Suetonius' work and presented with a good introduction by reputed historian Michael Grant. I can't help but be amused at some of the stories Suetonius recites on Nero and Caligula as they are definitely two of the most eccentric emperors (to put it lightly)that ever ruled the Principate. For example, when Nero first inaugurated his new gigantic Golden House with a mile-long corridor and a 130' statue of himself at the entrance, he was said to have exclaimed, "At last! I can live like a human being!"
Amazon.com
British parliamentarian and soldier Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) conceived of his plan for Decline and Fall while "musing amid the ruins of the Capitol" on a visit to Rome. For the next 10 years he worked away at his great history, which traces the decadence of the late empire from the time of the Antonines and the rise of Western Christianity. "The confusion of the times, and the scarcity of authentic memorials, pose equal difficulties to the historian, who attempts to preserve a clear and unbroken thread of narration," he writes. Despite these obstacles, Decline and Fall remains a model of historical exposition, and required reading for students of European history.
Book Description
Gibbon’s masterpiece, which narrates the history of the Roman Empire from the second century a.d. to its collapse in the west in the fifth century and in the east in the fifteenth century, is widely considered the greatest work of history ever written. This abridgment retains the full scope of the original, but in a compass equivalent to a long novel. Casual readers now have access to the full sweep of Gibbon’s narrative, while instructors and students have a volume that can be read in a single term. This unique edition emphasizes elements ignored in all other abridgments—in particular the role of religion in the empire and the rise of Islam.
Download Description
"It was Rome, on the 15th of October 1764, as I sat musing amid the ruins of the Capitol, while the barefooted friars were singing vespers in the temple of Jupiter, that the idea of writing the decline and fall of the city first started to my mind," recorded Edward Gibbon with characteristic exactitude. Over a period of some twenty years, the luminous eighteenth-century historian--a precise, dapper, idiosyncratic little gentleman famous for rapping his snuff-box--devoted his considerable genius to writing an epic chronicle of the entire Roman Empire's decline. His single flash of inspiration produced what is arguably the greatest historical work in any language--and surely the most magnificent narrative history ever written in English. "Gibbon is one of those few who hold as high a place in the history of literature as in the roll of great historians," noted Professor J.B. Bury, his most celebrated editor.
Customer Reviews:
the decline and fall of the roman empire.......2007-08-26
very good detail on the history , most Caesars were killed and the army rulled.
Lots of Info.......2007-07-09
Tremendous amount of information and lots of historical data. Problem is the guy who wrote the book can speak the real english language and I often thought I was listning to a foreign language tape. I learned a lot and woud recomend this to anyone who wonders how something as great as the empire was, fell apart. Great learning experience.
Gibbon's Magnum Opus.......2007-05-12
It's a literary work of art. Gibbon's style of narration is breathtaking. On every page he comes out as the true scholar that he really is. His choice of words and his style of sentence construction is consummate on every level.
Other than that, the whole account is Gibbon's perspective of the Roman Empire on a strict level. While most will concur with him on the insanity of the likes of say, Caligula, Nero; or the politically cunning inclinations of Augustus, his treatment of Christianity is open to debate. Gibbon places Christianity at the top in his list of the factors that could possibly have accelerated the empire towards decadence and its ultimate disintegration. Though this can be true on some accounts, he offers no clear explanation on how the Eastern empire could have carried on for more centuries with the religion at its very centre. It's an unwritten edict that the Byzantines were more passionate about Jesus than Western christendom.
Also, in some pages, Gibbon argues that the Roman emperors, say Marcus Aurelius for example, never really would have had an inclination towards persecuting christians on grounds of political gains. For Gibbon argues that the political elite of Rome were well aware of the fact that some kind of religion maintained social order. But his arguments are at considerable, if not complete, loggerheads with the several accounts from other historians that Rome continued to persecute Christianity until Constantine.
Persecution of Christianity might necessarily not have completely been primary disdain for the christian concept which totally conflicts with the Roman edicts of deifying dead emperors. Christianity came in handy for rogue emperors to have this sect of minorities scapegoated for their own excesses (remember Nero's fire?) or to appease the minds of a disgruntled majority which preferred to suspect them.
Finally, his stand that the "whole" empire prospered and preferred Roman rule in the age of the five good emperors is open to debate. Pax Romana might have worked for the Italian mainland at best, but not necessarily in provinces even as close as, say, Gaul.
Gibbons Decline and fall of Rome.......2007-03-11
This is the definitive History of the Empire from the first emperor (Agustus or Octavian, if you wish). However given the time and hence style of English, it was written in it is not for the faint hearted. Stick with it though and it is a very rewarding reference book which you will have for life.
One thing I fail to understand is what Amazon sells Vols 1-3 and 4-6 as seperate items. By the lot in one go otherwise it's a bit like owning the old testement bible and not having set eyes on the New Testement.!!
Dramatic and Informative audio book version.......2007-03-09
Philip Madoc convincingly relates Gibbon's great insights into the history and significance of the final centuries of the Roman Empire in this 6 CD set. Abridged by neccesity, nevertheless Neville Jason comments between Gibbon's passage recited by Philip Madoc, and fills the gaps with a coherent narration. The whole production flows smoothly and dramatically, quite easy to follow. This is one of the most worthwhile audio book puchases I've ever made.
Book Description
Herodotus is not only known as the `father of history', as Cicero called him, but also the father of ethnography; as well as charting the historical background to the Persian Wars, his curiosity also prompts frequent digression on the cultures of the peoples he introduces. While much of the information he gives has proved to be astonishingly accurate, he also entertains us with delightful tales of one-eyed men and gold-digging ants. This readable new translation is supplemented with expansive notes that provide readers the background that they need to appreciate the book in depth. * Introduction * Textual Note *Bibliography * Chronology * Appendices * Glossary * Maps * Explanatory Notes * Textual Notes * Index of Proper Names
Customer Reviews:
Fun book.......2007-05-28
This is great, fun book to read. This is a book you can read for enjoyment. I was reluctant to read it because I assumed it would be difficult because it was written around 425 BC. I assumed because it was ancient it would be difficult to read. That was wrong. It's a very entertaining read. It's also extremely interesting. Herodotus was a very smart and learned man for his time and it is interesting to read what he thinks. And the commentaries at the back of the book are also well done. Often the commentaries will note that Herodotus is just wrong in what he says, but sometimes he's right. I find myself switching between Herodotus and the commentaries. If you're at all interested in ancient history, you will not regret buying and reading this.
Not beneficial!!! .......2007-03-21
Too intellectual! Too narrow! So cumbersome! Additionally, the translation, from Greek to English, is definitely not accurate. There exists ACCURATE translations of this wonderful work of Herodotus. These intellectuals seems to have written this book to astound their fellow literati; not to expound the truth.
Magnificent text, great translation, helpful notes, misguided organization.......2007-03-03
Herodotus's Histories are a treasure trove of wisdom, anecdotes and sheer joy. In the words of Robert D. Kaplan, "Thucydides may have been the more trustworthy historian, but Herodotus would have been more fun to share a wineskin with--and is a better guide to the god-filled geopolitics of the current era." (Kaplan's remarkable article on Herodotus, titled "A Historian for our Time", is available at [...]
I fully agree with other reviewers about the beauty of this translation, which results in a fluent and pleasant text. I am also overwhelmed at the abundance of notes and commentaries about perhaps most paragraphs in the book.
The problem is, while the translation increases our reading pleasure, the organization of this edition does not help the reader: the use of endnotes rather than footnotes means that readers have to keep moving to and fro between the text and the end of the book. Worse still, there is no footnote numbering, so readers must turn at virtually every paragraph to the end of the book, so as not to miss possible clarification. Eventually, I decided to check before reading each of the nine chapters ("Books") and mark the endnoted paragraphs myself.
Perhaps Oxford's intention was, as another reviewer put it, to ensure that notes were "unobtrusive" and the reader would have the clean text before his eyes. I beg to differ: few modern readers could do without the additional explanations provided in the notes. And, if they felt they could, or so wished, they would have a wealth of translations to choose from, much poorer in notes than this one.
I think no other edition of the "Histories" has so many maps. These are necessary and helpful. But they could have been clearer. In some of them, it is hard to tell land from sea, for example.
I do look forward to a "Landmark Herodotus" similar to the magnificent "Landmark Thucydides", with notes AND maps exactly where they are needed, so the reader never has to leave the page he is reading. This may sound shallow, but it greatly facilitates concentration. And this, after all, is supposed to be one of the main benefits of a fluent and pleasant text in the first place.
Joy to read!.......2007-02-12
Growing up in Turkey, every student had to study world history including the events covered in this book. However, our history lessons consisted of memorizing dates and names of what was in the state approved text books. The contrast of that approach, to learning history by reading the original works is huge. What a joy it is to read Herodotus' book! The book is about the Persian Empire which was huge extending from India and Central Asia to the Danube in Europe. I loved the diversions from the main events and all the stories and myths. Besides the well known Persian/Greek wars there were so many other lesser known but just as exciting events. One of them was Darius's expedition into Southern Russia to attack the nomadic Scythians. I didn't realize that Darius attacked them from the West crossing the Danube. The building of the bridge over Danube and the hardships in crossing rivers in old times was eye opening. I also loved the maps and read all the 200 pages! of historical notes and a section on ancient weights, units, and money.
If you enjoyed this book you might also enjoy the "Peloponnesian War" by Donald Kagan. Although written by a contemporary historian, it reads as if you are watching the events in person. Fantastic reading for history lovers.
Excellent edition.......2006-09-21
I'm not going to review the book itself, just point out that this is, if not the best, one of the best editions of Herodotus' Histories available in the English language. You can't go wrong with this one.
Herodotus is extremely readable no matter what translation you choose, but Robin Waterfield's translation is a delight to read and flows better than any other I've tried. The translation is not the only reason to buy this edition, though. Oxford also included lots of supplementary information. Carolyn Dewald provides us with a great introduction, going over Herodotus' style, narrative habits, themes, and the importance of the Histories as history. Dewald has also written short commentaries on each of the books, which are followed by very informative paragraph-by-paragraph notes. These notes alone make this edition worth the investment.
Short glossaries of greek and foreign terms used by Herodotus are also included, as well as 10 very useful maps, and notes on greek clothing, weights, measures, money and distances.
Amazon.com
Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War is one of the great books in the Western tradition, as well as its first true historical narrative. Editor Robert Strassler has annotated this classic text to make it more accessible to modern readers and added dozens of maps for easy reference. A helpful introduction places Thucydides in proper historical context and a series of short appendices focus on particular aspects of life and war during the period. But the bulk of the book itself, where Thucydides chronicles the long struggle between Athens and Sparta, enjoys an unexpected freshness on these pages--partly due to Strassler's magnificent editorial labors, but mostly because it's a great story resonant with heroes, villains, bravery, desperation, and tragedy. Every library should have a copy of Thucydides in it, especially libraries on military history, and The Landmark Thucydides is without question the best version available.
Book Description
Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between Athens and Sparta "a possession for all time," and indeed it is the first and still most famous work in the Western historical tradition. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, The Peloponnesian War is a mine of military, moral, political, and philosophical wisdom.
However, this classic book has long presented obstacles to the uninitiated reader. Robert Strassler's new edition removes these obstacles by providing a new coherence to the narrative overall, and by effectively reconstructing the lost cultural context that Thucydides shared with his original audience. Based on the venerable Richard Crawley translation, updated and revised for modern readers. The Landmark Thucydides includes a vast array of superbly designed and presented maps, brief informative appendices by outstanding classical scholars on subjects of special relevance to the text, explanatory marginal notes on each page, an index of unprecedented subtlety, and numerous other useful features.
In any list of the Great Books of Western Civilization, The Peloponnesian War stands near the top. This authoritative new edition will ensure that its greatness is appreciated by future generations.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Source.......2007-07-12
Looking at the rating this book gets, there really is no reason to add my 5 stars to it, but I find that writing a review increasingly means countering some other reviewer's (perceived) unfairness, rather than adding yet another redundant cheer to the meriad praises presented here.
Case-in-point: one reviewer thought that the various place names became confusing. Perhaps, but what can be done? That's the way it happened. Personally, I found this edition's many maps very helpful in increasing my overall understanding of the geography of the many greek poleis that before were just names in various confusing texts. I also highly recommend that while reading this book, one keeps on hand a copy of "A Guide to the Ancient World" by Michael Grant (available here also) to look up the various cities and islands as they are mentioned to add dimension and a sense of immediacy to the narrative.
Another reviewer thought Thucydides' prose to be dry. I disagree. His historian's straight-to-the-point narrative style actually adds power to the events he describes, I feel, precisely because he isn't trying to play things up. Reality needs no embellishments. Book 7 describing the Athenian's failed invasion of Sicily actually becomes almost harrowing at one point because of this. Take Alkibiades, for instance. He comes across as a real A-hole, but not because of any colorizing on the part of Thucydides' narrative. Thucydides just relates what the man did, rarely delving into his motivations, and the actions speak for themselves.
My only complaint is a small one: the latinized transliterations (Laurium instead of Laureion, Mycalyssus instead of Mykalyssos, etc.). I also wonder about the accuracy of the various speeches recited here. I get the impression that they all have Thukydides' style, but that is my personal feeling (about a subject which various historians far more knowledgeable than I are still arguing about) and has nothing to do with the edition which I bought after comparing it to the others on the shelf. This is truly the finest one.
I figure that if one is interested in the subject matter, then it is a fascinating read. A general reader probably wouldn't purchase a book such as this. As for someone wanting to delve deeply into ancient history, the modern historians' works are essential, but eventually he will have to delve into the primary sources and make up his own mind.
Along with this book I also highly recommend Donald Kagan's "the Peloponnesian War" and Victor Davis Hansen's "a War Like No Other". Read these three and there is nothing else of significance on the subject of the Peloponnesian war, really.
WONDERFUL EDITION.......2007-06-21
Superb edition. You cannot get confused with this edition for every single place is mapped out and essays on e.g. Athenian politics and the Persian empire are provided in appendices. A must-have. A fine translation, too, both accurate and stately.
Still have not recieved the item.......2007-03-08
Horrible delievery, why do they even offer the super saver if it takes FOREVER to recieve the order. Terrible delievery service.
Consider a less annotated edition if this is your first pass at Thucydides.......2006-12-17
If you are seeking an in-depth understanding of the Peloponnesian War and are a serious student of ancient history, this may be a great edition of the Richard Crowley translation of Thucydides. If, however, you are just beginning to delve into the Greeks and this is your first reading of the History of the Peloponnesian War, I would suggest a less annotated edition. I place myself in the second category, and while I found it helpful at first to have all of the maps and footnotes, I soon found them distracting. I am the type of reader who feels like every time I hit a note I have to read it, and there were so many on some pages that it could take ten minutes just to read one page.
I was reading for scope, more than depth, and I wanted to get a sense of Thucydides' voice. About halfway through I ended up downloading the Crowley translation from Project Gutenberg and reading it on my handheld - which worked out great since I could refer back to the book when I needed a map or had a question in the text. I found I could follow what was happening without all of the notes with very little difficulty.
The Crowley translation, which is used in the Landmark Thucydides, is very readable and shines in the various orations throughout the work.
I wouldn't want to talk anyone out of buying this edition, it truly is we'll done, but at least consider a less annotated edition if this is your first time reading Thucydides, and then consider buying both.
Robert B. Strassler's Thucydides.......2006-11-14
The definitive version of Thucydides' classic. In English, that is. This is a must have reference book, and it makes a wonderful read all on it's lonesome. This work seems to have been written specifically for fans of Donald Kagan's four volume work on the Peloponnesian War (Outbreak of P. War, Archidamian War, Peace of Nicias, and Fall of Athenian Empire.)
Thucydides' work is a classic historical analysis dedicated to how and why Sparta and Athens came to blows. It doesn't really require a review, as its modern presence, having survived the corrosion of history, seems to attest to its value. Strassler's contribution, which is largely commentary and presentation, does, however, beg for review. Fortunately, this contribution is splendid.
Strassler has set the bar for reference texts to come, as his unique blend of maps, timelines, text, and synopses serve as a wonderful set of helpers for student and historian alike.
Altogether well done.
Book Description
Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling the author's ambitious claim that the work "was done to last forever." The conflicts between the two empires over shipping, trade, and colonial expansion came to a head in 431 b.c. in Northern Greece, and the entire Greek world was plunged into 27 years of war. Thucydides applied a passion for accuracy and a contempt for myth and romance in compiling this exhaustively factual record of the disastrous conflict that eventually ended the Athenian empire.
Customer Reviews:
Translations of Thucydides.......2007-05-20
There are three main translations of Thucydides available for the English reader:
Thomas Hobbes' 1628 version. Although made over 300 years ago this translation is still considered a classic by many in the English-speaking world. His vigorous and lively Jacobean English prose will enchant those more literary minded souls, but Hobbes version has been noted for some inaccuracies due to the lack of proper understanding of the original Greek language text.
William Smith's 1754 translation. Most know of Crawley and Hobbes works but Smith's excellent 18th century version has been almost forgotten. Smith's prose is as majestic and virile as Hobbes while avoiding the sometimes vapid modernity of Crawley and Warner. While a bit hard to read for most modern readers Smith's prose is worth the effort if you stick with him. Some things were not meant to be "dumbed down".
Rex Warner's Penguin edition. This is the version offered here. Warner is excellent for those who want to avoid the archaic and more challenging prose of Hobbes, Smith, or Crawley. He is very clear and lucid in his rendition of the text. For those of you who are first embarking on your exploration of Thucydides I would recommend this edition.
A Masterpiece.......2007-05-08
A true masterpiece of historical literature. As modern today as it was when written. Any understanding of human and national behavior is incomplete without a thorough understanding of Thucydides' magnificient work. One of those works you could read every year of your life and never quite come to terms with the totality of the lessons it contains.
Great Book.......2007-03-20
I am a total history buff and this book has really expanded my knowledge. Great to use in class to gain that upper hand in the philosophical arguments. I highly suggest you pick it up.
Good version of Thucydides.......2007-03-05
This is one of the early classic "histories" written. Of course, Herodotus had written his "History" before. But his acceptance of the role of gods in history renders Thucydides' hard-headed accounts of the Greek internecine warfare a further advance in historiography. Thus, we begin to experience something like a real history in this volume (and that does not denigrate the real contributions of Herodotus).
This is a nice volume. The Introduction by M. I. Finley sets the stage; the translation by Rex Warner is (as far as I can tell) serviceable. The work of Thucydides comes through in this collaboration.
Thucydides' focus is on the origins of this bloody inter-Greek war. The forces of Athens (and her allies) against Sparta (and her allies) is the center of this work. He notes the cause (page 49): "What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta." This is, as noted earlier, a fairly hard-headed view of history. To use contemporary terms, the author was something like a "realist."
Some major parts of the work. . . . One of these is the funeral oration by Pericles, the Athenian leader. He spoke of what made Athens special. His death, according to Thucydides, was harmful to the Athenian cause. He says (page 163): "For Pericles had said that Athens would be victorious if she bided her time and took care of the navy, if she avoided trying to add to the empire during the course of the war, and if she did nothing to risk the safety of the city itself. But his successors did the exact opposite. . . ."
This work has much of interest in it. Just one example. The Melian dialogue featured a debate between the Melians and Athenians. The Melians argued that morality was on their side. The Athenians acknowledged the argument, but also noted that they had the numbers and the weapons. This is an early debate between two schools of thought in international relations--idealists versus realists. The hard-nosed attitude of the Athenians won out in this case. . . .
In some ways, Thucydides is best understood by reading Herodotus and then comparing the two, so that one can get a sense of one of the first historians and then someone who adopts a different posture as historian. This is a very good version of Thucydides (from someone who cannot read Greek, by the way). Well worth looking at if a person is interested in the devastating Peloponnesian War.
Some strategy and a lot of history.......2007-01-03
First of all, I find it close to impossible to rate such a book as this, as it is truly great as an insight into events that happened thousands of years ago, while the writing and accessibility of the work clearly could have been better. Nevertheless, in my opinion this is a 5-star book, as the detail and insight into a war that took place ~400bc is such a great read.
Thucydides shows a himself as a great analyst of the conficts he relates, and instead of just relating the facts, he guides us through the actors motivations and the reasons for what takes place. THAT is the value of this book as far as I'm concerned, the strategic approach to conflict, and the massive amount of strategy in regards to alliances and battles that we get to share through this book.
Being a student of political philosophy I read this book because of my fascination with Thomas Hobbes (Allthough not the Hobbes-translation). It will be hard for anyone to understand Hobbes through this though, and I must question the usefulness for most of such a linkage on the whole. There is also a lot of history in this book that will interest a lot of you (Those that are like me), rather little, but one gets through it, and when one is done with the book I truly feel I have gotten a great lecture in strategy and conflict!
Book Description
In the greatest work of history in the English language, Edward Gibbon compresses thirteen turbulent centuries into a gripping epic narrative. It is history in the grand eighteenth-century manner, a well-researched drama charged with insight, irony, and incisive character analysis. In elegant prose, Gibbon presents both the broad pattern of events and the significant revealing detail. He delves into religion, politics, sexuality, and social mores with equal authority and aplomb. While subsequent research revealed minor factual errors about the early Empire, Gibbon's bold vision, witty descriptions of a vast cast of characters, and readiness to display his own beliefs and prejudices result in an astonishing work of history and literature, at once powerfully intelligent and enormously entertaining.
Based on David Womersley's definitive three-volume Penguin Classics edition of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, this abridgement contains complete chapters from all three volumes, linked by extended bridging passages, vividly capture the style, the argument, and the architecture of the whole work.
Customer Reviews:
Hard to Read.......2006-11-11
Not what I was expecting. Very hard to read as it was written back in the dark ages and the english used is tough.
Understand that any civilization may fail........2006-02-24
Gibbon is one of the first historians of the Enlightenment. He does not have a favorable opinion of Christianity or the times he lived. This bias does not detract from this book. Nor is this book an effective argument against Christianity. His thesis is Christianity helped bring down Rome. The Christian mindset made it impossible to defend their empire in a way similar to how they made their empire. If you lose your basic traditions your empire will crumble. An excellent book, a must read.
MISUNDERSTANDING OF BYZANTIUM.......2005-06-29
Historians agree today that this book is responsible for the modern misunderstanding of Byzantium. Think of only what the labeling "Byzantine" means today. If you want to know more about Byzantium start with one of the books on the empire by Sir Steven Runciman.
Considered the most scholarly collection of Gibbon's work.......2005-06-06
I do not recommend buying an edition of "The Decline and Fall" based upon price alone, because for many reasons, which will become clearer to you after reading this complicated and scholarly work, the editions vary in content and price, nor does price alone guarantee quality.
For many hours prior to purchasing, I researched the numerous editions offered by different publishers and read reviews, and discovered a consensus among Gibbon fans in favor of Womersley's unabridged edition, in part because it includes a complete and unmodernized text, Gibbon's own comments and notes, and his famous Vindication, a final and thorough answer to scurrilous critics of his time. All of this is provided at a quite reasonable price, considering the length of the work (in excess of 1,300 pages), albeit in soft cover which I find makes a book easier to read, if slightly less durable.
I recommend buying this new edition from Amazon, instead of the used editions also offered here, because many of them, I discovered after investigating, are not the same as this one I am reviewing (ISBN 0-14-043393-7, which is Volume I). Like I said, there are many editions of Gibbon's masterpiece floating about, old and new, of varying quality and content. The vendors' failure to disclose the ISBN in their descriptions prohibits any purchase by the discriminating. Just pay the seventeen or so bucks for the new book, which is dirt cheap for a work of this magnitude.
There should be no need to defend Gibbon nor his work, which is simply the best I have yet read. I loved history as a boy, even while reading the simple and often stupid books offered in school. Imagine how much more I enjoyed history written by such a master of prose as Gibbon, the most thorough, meticulous and honest historian I have yet encountered.
We owe a debt of gratitude to a historian who has perused enormous quantities of ancient texts in Latin and Greek and other languages, such as would confound the vast majority of readers today, and with his formidable powers of intellect, analyzed their veracity, by comparing one against the other, and judged keenly of their worth. Gibbon had for his time a vast encyclopedic knowledge, for by his own admission, he devoted his life to reading. Gibbon's love was not among humans, but among books. He possessed an excellent understanding of government, which is the more understandable when you discover he served as a Member of Parliament for a number of years. His grasp of military science is explained in part by his service in the militia as an officer. To all these things, we must add an innate, profound understanding of human nature.
Why bother with Gibbon? Why not read the original, the ancient and medieval writers, from whom Gibbon based his work? That is a good question that I asked myself. Here is the answer. We cannot trust the ancient writers to be truthful or accurate in every event. For one thing, they sometimes contradict each other, which means one or both are lying. Also, they leave out important details, which can be pieced together by circumstantial evidence, if you have found it by exhaustive research.
This is where Gibbon comes in. He has performed exhaustive research that consumed a large portion of his scholarly and reflective lifetime. Gibbon is no fool, and never succumbs to the usual vices of enthusiasm or its opposite, cynicism. He is calm, rational, penetrative; just the guide and the mentor you want. He never takes an ancient historian at face value without considering their motives, prejudices, passions, and even their personal histories. Gibbon has studied not just the history, but the historians, and the history of the historian's countries. Not only has Gibbon accumulated and summarized the ancient and medieval texts, but interpreted and analyzed with his considerable deductive powers, to form a whole that is greater than the parts. Thus a novice does better with Gibbon than with the original. Gibbon's copious notes explain where has made interpretations, leaving you free to form different conclusions, should you desire.
Some reviewers are peeved that Gibbon suffers an opinion that disagrees with their own, and for this reason alone, they degrade his work. I experience the same treatment by those who are alarmed that my reviews have an actual opinion instead of being a rubber stamp marked "PERFECTION". If this intolerant philosophy were carried on, then no-one should dare express an unseasonable opinion of anything at all, and we should all become a tribe of dullards. Of course Gibbon expresses many opinions, some the inevitable product of his country, class and times; and this is the mark of intellectual honesty. You should never read without a critical mind, and should be prepared to disagree with an author on some issues, as I do with Gibbon, while agreeing with him on others. I especially favor his ideas concerning the causes and effects of the rise of Christianity, many of which can be observed today.
Look to find a better history than this, in any language, written during any time since the advent of letters. Look far and wide, as long as you like... and then revisit Gibbon, and see whether you have yet found an equal.
Overrated.......2004-07-16
I enjoyed this book, but some of the praise for it ("the best history book ever written in the English language!!") is over the top. It is no coincidence that intellectuals have embraced this history of the Roman empire above all others - the author is openly skeptical of Christianity and sympathetic to barbarians.
Gibbon's writing skills are also overrated in my opinion. Using 20 words to express a point that could be expressed in 10 words is, in my book, bad writing. For example, instead of writing "XYZ is true", Gibbon will write "It would not be incorrect for an observer to note that XYZ is true". This gets exhausting after a few hundred pages. He also overuses certain words, such as 'insensibly'.
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