Genealogy Books - The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics)

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Summary: More required reading
Comment: If Herodotus is the Father of History, Thucydides is the first truly great historian. Building upon
the foundation laid by his predecessor, Thucydides refines and sharpens the art of history into what
it should have been all along. He is one of a few ancient historians whose reputation has almost
never suffered among subsequent generations of historians.

Thucydides begins his
history with the causes of The Peloponnesian War, a 27-year struggle between imperialist, democratic
Athens, oligarchic Sparta, and the scores of constantly shifting allies that fought along with them.
Though left incomplete at the time of his death, Thucydides's history spans the years 433-411 BC,
encompassing the beginning of the war and its escalation through battle and political machination,
Athens's ill-fated Sicilian expedition, and the interference of the Persians in Asia Minor. />
This translation by Rex Warner is excellent--highly readable and lucid. The introduction
and appendices offer lots of helpful information and can be read either before or after the History
itself, depending on the reader's prior knowledge or preference. If I have any complaint about this
edition, it is that the maps are too small and too few, leaving some important locations
unmarked.

Full of real-life drama and moving tales of wartime desperation, Thucydides
is just as relevant today as he was when he first perfected the art of history. Reading Thucydides
is well worth your time.

Highly recommended.

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Summary: One of the most important books ever written.
Comment: Thucidydes' History of the Peloponnesian War was one of the most important books ever written in the
history of Western civilation and world history.

In opposition to Herodotus who wrote
earlier, to whom Thucidydes was a student and reader of, Thucidydes was a realist and discussed the
interests, positions, and power politics that occurred between the Athens and Sparta and their
respective leagues (allies; combined military operations by treaty). As opposed to Herodotus, who
is sometimes known as the father of history as Herodotus was arguably the first person to write
history in the sense that we know it today, and who still utilized unseen forces, gods, spirits,
etc., as guiding world history, Thucidydes focused more on the human aspect and what he could gleem
from his travels and research. Thus, many historians point to Thucidydes as being the true
progenitor of history as we know it today.

The political intrigue, the military and
political strategic considerations, the actual boots-on-the-ground description of the battles, etc.
are vivid, detailed, and make for compelling reading. I especially like the stories concerning
Athens and Sparta's fighting on the island of Sicily.

All students of rhetoric will
also find some of the finest examples of it within its pages (i.e., Pericles' funerary oration,
etc.). The descriptions of the debates within the assemblies shows the considerations that both the
Athenian and Spartan led leagues and their populations had to consider.

This is the
first book on international relations known and is the first work to utilize a realist
interpretation of international politics. It is studied at the war colleges and by all scholars of
international relations, and by all serious students of grand strategy.

This book is
excellent, in the Greek sense, that is Arete.

Customer Rating:

Summary: They don't call them the Classics for Nothing
Comment: The reason books become classics is they convey wisdom pertanent to all ages. This history is one
such classic example of Rhetoric, RealPolitik, Politics of Personality, as well as the higher themes
of Honor, Loyalty, Duty, Courage. etc.
I'd give the book five stars but this translation is
only adequate. I loved having the greek on the page opposite the english translation, as well as
the convenient, carry-anywhere size of the text.
A must read if you wish to be considered
truely educated.

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Summary: Translations of Thucydides
Comment: There are four 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. Hobbes is best known for writing "Leviathan" that
classic work on Politics that all College students in the Western world for the past 200 years had
to read. Do you like Shakespeare? If so give this edition a try. Hobbes vigorous and lively Jacobean
English prose will enchant those more literary minded souls - however, Hobbes version has been noted
for some inaccuracies due to his 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. I think you can only get it in a
used edition on abebooks dot com. Smith's prose is as majestic as you you expect for a 18th century
translation. 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". I compare reading Smith's
Thucydides to plowing through Whiston's translation of Josephus.

The mid-Victorian
(1874) Richard Crawley version is the one that most English speaking people were familiar with until
the Penguin Books edition came out. This is a much easier version to understand than the Hobbes and
Smith translations. While still retaining a very formal prose style it captures the Greek much more
accurately than any previous version. This translation has the best balance between literary style
and accuracy to the original text. This is the edition that many of our Grandparents and Great
Grandparents read in school or College. Modern Library puts out a very affordable edition. />
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. This edition is more suitable for modern readers
who want an easy to read prose that maintains accuracy. I think that Warner's translation is the
only serious rival to Richard Crawley's version. For those of you who are first embarking on your
exploration of Thucydides I would recommend this edition.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Masterpiece
Comment: 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.

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