Next time I want to read one of the classics, I'll go immediately to Loeb. It's
worth the extra cash. Anyone want my Penguin copy?

F.W. Walbank's long-winded
introduction told me much more than I ever needed to know about this second-tier historian. What
makes Polybius valuable is that he actually played a part in some of the events he described and
seems to have prized first-hand sources, interviewing people involved and consulting contemporary
documents, especially in the Roman Senate. As a Greek who had spent time in Rome, he wrote the
history primarily for his fellow Greeks, to explain how a nothing civilization (Rome) on the edge of
the Hellenistic World rose to power so quickly.

The account of Rome's Wars with Carthage is very
even-handed and compelling. In other passages, his Greek prejudices often show through. Especially
when he is talking about rival historians like Timaeus. He devotes a whole chapter, in fact, to
insulting Timaeus. The chapter shows you something of Polybius' character that he would stop his
history of the world to engage in academic fisticuffs.

This book functions well as an explanation
of Rome to a non-Roman. I learned a great deal about the character of Rome and the Romans as well as
all the Hellenistic kingdoms. At 541 pages, no one can accuse this of being a reader's digest
version. The appendix includes nice maps and all the sections are titled so that one can easily flip
through and find the portion in the chapter "Affairs in Greece" on "The Character of Philip." I
guess what you have to ask yourself is whether you are already an expert on the history of the
Mediterranean World from 200 to 146 BCE. If so, you are probably beyond Penguin editions like this
one.

"The Roman Republic Compared
with Others" (Chapter 43-56) is also an interesting discussion. Polybius notes that a socialistic
government like Sparta's promotes internal harmony and civil discord which provides formidable
defensive strength. However, Polybius explains how such a society does not have the economic
foundations necessary to support a large empire--which accounted for Sparta's failure when it tried
to expand. What is very eerie, however, is Polybius's opinion circa 120 BC that Rome and her
Constitution might last for a long time --whereas in reality, Rome collapsed into civil war shortly
thereafter and the Republic was replaced by the military dictatorships of Julius and Augustus Caesar
about 70 years later. Polybius gave us a hint of why this occurred. Polybius noted that Rome's
strength was the strong virtue of her citizens -- that it was rare to find a Roman official who
would accept a bribe. That changed in the succeeding decades of course -- Sallust noted how
corruption arose within the patricians and spread like wildfire throughout the Roman government in
the period of 100-35 BC. One could argue that this was the root cause of the Republic's collapse --
Something for the US Congress to remember with it's bland acceptance of today's corrupt campaign
finance system.

The Penguin edition includes a useful INTRODUCTION written by FW
Walbank in
which he provides interesting background material on Polybius --section 11 of Walbank's Introduction
has a rough outline of what's been included in the Abridgement. While an even fuller book would
have been nice, maybe Walbank wanted us to buy his A Historical Commentary on Polybius :Commentary
on Books Vii-XVIII -- by F. W. Walbank