Product 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

A Must-Read for Persons in Power!
I first read Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War" in the sixties, when the Cold War was fast simmering towards a boiling point. Reading Thucydides at that moment, which (thankfully) passed into modern history with a whimper rather than a bang, was a revelation. The 5th-century BC historian writes a riveting account of how two major powers--Sparta and Athens--became embroiled in a twenty-seven-year war because of self-interest, mutual distrust, and buildup of arms. He then notes that he is writing his history as a lesson for mankind so that such wars will never occur again. With chilling cynicism, however, he notes that since human nature is essentially rotten, the same wars will break out over and over for exactly the same reasons.

Rex Warner's translation from the Greek is both enlightening and readable. The headings at the top of every other page allow the reader to 'skim' easily to particular topics. I shall note only two passages, which speed by despite their length, as examples: the Plague of 430 BC (Thuc. II. 47-55), and the Corcyrean Revolt of 427 BC (Thuc. III. 69-95; esp. 82-83). The first demonstrates Thucydides' brilliance as what we today would call a journalist. His account of the plague is based on keen observation of the disease, which he both caught and survived. Originating at Athens' harbour, it swept through the confines of the city, partly as a result of Pericles' disastrous policy of moving the population into an already-crowded city (Thucydides does not know about rats and lice, but he does note that all domestic animals and birds of prey, which came into contact with the stricken, died). The historian, whose narrative is considered the first epidemiology, describes the disease from its symptoms, through its crisis, to its devastating end, sometimes in recovery, most often in death. As riveting as his narrative is, Thucydides transcends straight reportage as he describes the psychological toll on the populace, who not only became demoralised, but also sank into committing normally unthinkable acts, such as sneaking out at night and dumping their dead relatives onto someone else's funeral pyre, or allowing the sick to die of neglect.

The other not-to-be-missed passage is Thucydides' narration of the Corcyrean Revolt, which is far more than an account of a mere rebellion. It is an account of propaganda, and how the very language undergoes transmogrifications of meanings during times of stress. For example, what in peacetime might be considered "a thoughtless act of agression," in wartime becomes "courage"; what in peacetime is a consider-all-sides-of-an-issue policy, in wartime, becomes cowardice; Thucydides writes: "Fanatical enthusiasm was the mark of a real man, and to plot against an enemy behind his back was a perfectly legitimate self-defence" [Thuc. III. 82]. The passage seems especially relevant in this commercial age of mass media, when language becomes so easily distorted and misinterpreted.

Thucydides' history breaks off in 411 and thus does not cover the end of the war in 404.). Even so, its themes are so universal that they convey an immediate ring of truth that bridges the gap of the millennia.

Incidentally (and anyone, who thinks this is a spoiler, ought to avert his eyes), the war ended with what might be described as mutually-assured-destruction of both Sparta and Athens, with Macedon filling in the power vacuum.

More required reading
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.

One of the most important books ever written.
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.

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

Translations of Thucydides
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.
... Read more

Product Description
This stimulating new study provides a narrative of the monumental conflict of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, and examines the realities of the war and its effects on the average Athenian.

• A penetrating new study of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta by an established scholar
• Offers an original interpretation of how and why the war began
• Weaves in the contemporary evidence of Aristophanes in order to give readers a new sense of how the war affected the individual
• Discusses the practicalities and realities of the war
• Examines the blossoming of culture and intellectual achievement in Athens despite the war
• Challenges the approach of Thucydides in his account of the war

Product Description
The History of the Peloponnesian War is a wonderful work, which is an eyewitness report of the war between Athens and Sparta, during the 5th century B.C. This work is very important to Historians even today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Bare bones edition
Other reviewers have commented extensively on the significance of Thucydides' History and its place in the pantheon of historical literature.Given a choice of translators and publishers, my focus is on some of the characteristics of this particular edition to aid in making a purchasing decision.

This version of the History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides appears to be a reprint excerpted from an older work -- "Thucydides, translated into English, to which is prefixed an essay on inscriptions and a note on the geography of Thucydides", by Benjamin Jowett. Second edition. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1900.Jowett was a prolific translator of Greek texts.A search on his name on the Amazon site will yield a huge number of hits.The 1960 Bantam Classics edition of the History claimed Jowett's translation as definitive.

The key point I want to make is that there are neither translator notes nor historical commentary in this reprint.There is also no publisher information anywhere in this book, making it difficult to track down the sources for this edition. Furthermore, all of the editorial comments on the Amazon page for this book refer to **other** editions, not the one you are purchasing from this page, and which might erroneously lead one to believe that there is historical background included in this particular book.

Finally, this book is available as an e-book for free under Creative Commons License, according to the terms of which, I believe, this reprint should have included the original attribution that I've given here.

In summary, this book is a complete translation of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War by a well-regarded translator.It is however, a bare-bones edition without additional historical background on either the author or the content of this work.

They don't call them the Classics for Nothing
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.

The Beginnings of True History
Thucydides earned an honored spot among ancient writers by being one of the first to break with the old ways. Up to his time natural disasters, national defeat and personal tragedies were blamed on the "gods".This remained true even when the writers themselves doubted the existence of those beings.

Thucydides took part in the famous war between Athens and Sparta and somehow made the decision to- for the first time - write a factual historical record of the events instead of using legends and tales.He conducted interviews, traveled for first-hand investigation and laid out not only the war but the political and social conditions that surrounded the event.
If one were to judge the work based on the literary quality of the content it would be difficult to award the five stars.But the translator has made the best of an old style of writing that is detailed, pedantic and remorseless with the facts and consequences of mistakes.It is a miracle - and a blessing -that some anonymous scribe in a small room with candle and quill undertook the task of replicating his words for us almost 2,500 years later.

Read one the reviews below
I'm sorry to do this but this is just too funny to pass up.One of the guys below I believe his name is Kulp titled his review "bound to be a classic."Yeah maybe we can give it a couple more thousand years and it will become a classic, Bub.

bound to become a classic
Athens has Sparta by the throat, suing for peace. As protector of democracy Athens can expand her empire ad infinitum.Athens blows it.Driven by demagoguery, the Athenians reject Sparta's offer and lose it all in war against Syracuse.Thucydides weaves a very modern tale of democratic hubris and overreach. I read it two times. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Thucydides's classic chronicle of the war between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 404 B.C. persists as one of the most brilliant histories of all time. This watershed event concerns not only military prowess, but also perennial conflicts between might and right, between imperial powers and subject peoples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Review of the Barnes & Noble Edition
I'm very much in agreement with the other reviewers in term of Thucydides' great writing and the timeless lessons about human nature.I will instead review this Barnes & Noble edition.B&N Classics is known for publishing old translations which are now public property or commissioning relatively unknown translators (sometimes those who have only a Master's in the field they are translating) and then having some well known specialist in the field to either edit or write the introduction to lend some credential to the work.The translating quality might or might not be of high caliber.

This particular edition of The History of the Peloponnesian is translated by Richard Crawley. Crawley's translation is a master work.The language flows easily and fluidly. It's easy to comprehend and a joy to read.It's a modern translation so no Victorian words to stump you.You can really jump right in and read without any problem.One problem with this translation, as with most translations, is that it does not contain enough maps.Thucydides meticulously details and records each location that major or minor events took place.It's extremely necessary to have maps of these locations in order to understand their strategic significance, not only their military significance, but also what these places mean for the people who are fighting over it.It would be like studying the Nazi invasion of Russia without knowing the where Russia is, what its geographical layout looks like, and what kind of climate it has. Richard Crawley is also the translator for the "Landmark Thucydides" which is two times more expensive than this edition.That particular edition contains extensive notes and maps that will make non-experts have a true experience of Thucydides.Overall, the B&N is an excellent bare bone edition to just read.

And finally, the paper quality is quite good for such an inexpensive edition.It's much better quality than Penguin or some of the other publishers out there.It will last on your shelf a lot longer than some other editions.

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

Cannot recommend Thucydides too highly

Who should read Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War ?

* Anyone who wants to understand how free societies can descend into tyranny:

* Anyone who does not realise that merely holding free elections is not enough to preserve a society worth living in, especially if you don't combine democracy with the rule of law:

* Anyone who needs to understand how two or more nations can stumble into a war devastating to both:

* Anyone who imagines that genocide and ethnic cleansing were limited to our own era:

* Anyone interested in reading one of the first works of true history ever written.

In other words this history of a terrible war nearly two and half thousand years ago is as relevant in the first decade of the third millenium as it was when it was written, four centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ.

If I had to nominate one historical work for my son and daughter to read, I would think carefully between this volume, Suetonius's "The 12 Caesars", and Herodotus's "Histories", but Thucydides "History of the Poloponnesian war" would edge it.

You cannot take every word in this book for granted, but Herodotus and Thucydides came closer to an objective search for truth than any writer whose works survive and was writing before them or for centuries afterwards.

The story of the tragic wars, initially between Athens and Sparta, which decimated Greek civilisation between 431BC and 404 BC is absolutely gripping, and Thucydides brings the story to life for me.

The translation by Richard Crawley was written more than 130 years ago, and in some versions, slightly revised by R.C. Feetham in 1903. Despite being more than a century old, I found the translation to be accessible and easy to understand. I understand from those who know more about history than I do that Crawley's translation is now preferred by current experts to the rival Victorian translation by Benjamin Jowett which provides more of a general sense of Thucydides' writing but is less good at conveying the detail.

The most irritating thing about Thucydides book is that it stops suddently in the middle of a sentence in 411 BC, shortly after the overthrow of democracy in Athens and the Athenian naval victory at the Dardanelles. E.g. well before the actual resolution of the conflict between Athens and Sparta, let alone the subsequent struggle between both cities and Thebes.

If, like me, this leaves you wanting to learn more about what happened next, your best bet is to read Xenophon's "A history of my times" which was deliberately written to follow on from Thucydides, to such an extent that it actually starts with the words "And after this."

The reputation of Xenophon among historians as a reliable source has fallen dramatically over the past few decades, and he is undoubtedly not in the same class as Thucydides as a historian, but he certainly is in the same class as a storyteller and he does complete the story of the war. ... Read more

Product Description

Thucydides of Athens, one of the greatest of historians, was born about 471 BCE. He saw the rise of Athens to greatness under the inspired leadership of Pericles. In 430, the second year of the Peloponnesian War, he caught and survived the horrible plague which he described so graphically. Later, as general in 423 he failed to save Amphipolis from the enemy and was disgraced. He tells about this, not in volumes of self-justification, but in one sentence of his history of the war—that it befell him to be an exile for twenty years. He then lived probably on his property in Thrace, but was able to observe both sides in certain campaigns of the war, and returned to Athens after her defeat in 404. He had been composing his famous history, with its hopes and horrors, triumphs and disasters, in full detail from first-hand knowledge of his own and others.

The war was really three conflicts with one uncertain peace after the first; and Thucydides had not unified them into one account when death came sometime before 396. His history of the first conflict, 431–421, was nearly complete; Thucydides was still at work on this when the war spread to Sicily and into a conflict (415–413) likewise complete in his awful and brilliant record, though not fitted into the whole. His story of the final conflict of 413–404 breaks off (in the middle of a sentence) when dealing with the year 411. So his work was left unfinished and as a whole unrevised. Yet in brilliance of description and depth of insight this history has no superior.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Thucydides is in four volumes.

Customer Reviews (1)

It's Greek ...
... and not just to me. Translating Thucydides is notoriously difficult, so if you're serious about understanding him, this book (and the other volumes) are indispensible -- evenif, like me, you don't read Greek.

Just one complaint: it's durn expensive.
... Read more

Product Description
The History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens). It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who served in the war. It is widely considered a classic and regarded as one of the earliest scholarly works of history. ... Read more

Product Description

Thucydides of Athens, one of the greatest of historians, was born about 471 BCE. He saw the rise of Athens to greatness under the inspired leadership of Pericles. In 430, the second year of the Peloponnesian War, he caught and survived the horrible plague which he described so graphically. Later, as general in 423 he failed to save Amphipolis from the enemy and was disgraced. He tells about this, not in volumes of self-justification, but in one sentence of his history of the war—that it befell him to be an exile for twenty years. He then lived probably on his property in Thrace, but was able to observe both sides in certain campaigns of the war, and returned to Athens after her defeat in 404. He had been composing his famous history, with its hopes and horrors, triumphs and disasters, in full detail from first-hand knowledge of his own and others.

The war was really three conflicts with one uncertain peace after the first; and Thucydides had not unified them into one account when death came sometime before 396. His history of the first conflict, 431–421, was nearly complete; Thucydides was still at work on this when the war spread to Sicily and into a conflict (415–413) likewise complete in his awful and brilliant record, though not fitted into the whole. His story of the final conflict of 413–404 breaks off (in the middle of a sentence) when dealing with the year 411. So his work was left unfinished and as a whole unrevised. Yet in brilliance of description and depth of insight this history has no superior.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Thucydides is in four volumes.

Customer Reviews (1)

Greatest Of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history. This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master story teller doesn't just cover the battle scenes, he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

I recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides.
... Read more

Product Description

This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features the table of contents linked to every chapter. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the Kindle, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display.

Product Description
Originally published in 1852.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
The struggle between Athens and Sparta lasted for over 20 years. Two completely different Greek states only one would emerge the victor. (Sparta is located on the Peloponnesian peninsula thus the name). “The History of the Peloponnesian War” was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general. Thucydides not only commanded part of the Athenian army during the war but was present at the many strategic planning sessions. The History of the Peloponnesian War t is widely considered a classic and regarded as one of the earliest truthful works of history.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Poorly formatted
I would recommend against buying this version of Thucydides because it is poorly formatted. There are newlines throughout the text that make it very difficult to read at any font size. There is another Kindle-formatted Thucydides (also the Richard Crawley translation) for $0.99 that I bought and was much happier with: The Peloponnesian War . ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1914Original Publisher: J.M. Dent ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

... Read more

Product Description
Translated by Richard Crawley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Greatest of All Greek Historians
The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.).Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history.This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire.Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen.He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records.This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times.President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans.Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

... Read more