The History of the Peloponnesian War [Paperback]

Thucydides (Author), Sir R. W. Livingstone (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1960

Thucydides wrote the story of the first democracy in history, and of the fortunes and fall of its empire, but his pages contain the modern world-scene in miniature. The tale is told by a great political thinker, whose penetrating insight and dramatic power caused Macaulay to call him the 'greatest historian that ever lived.' His work, slightly abridged, is here presented in translation with an introduction and notes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An old standard that I myself used as a student. Well edited to preserve the "essence" of Thucydides."--Martin Arbagi, Wright State University

"A splendid old translation in a quality paperback format."--E.H. McKinley, Asbury College

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 31, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195002180
• ISBN-13: 978-0195002188
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,794,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contrary to the first reviewer, I found it AMAZINGLY honest., February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: History of the Peloponnesian War (Great Minds Series) (Paperback)

As I began to read this book, and the insightful remark that people tend to find the past grander than the present was made, I thought I was reading an introduction by a modern author. Thucydides is not only a good author, but an admirably resourceful and analytical philosopher. For instance, when tidal waves were destroying towns, he was keen enough to realize that they were the result of earthquakes, instead of mindlessly writng it off to the wrath of the gods. But this history is by know means dry. His account of the plague in Athens, and the speeches and battles he recorded were all very interesting and at times extroardinarily dramatic. I think this book is the lost treasure of the library, exiled to some remote shelf, not having been checked out since 1985, binding shredded and falling off, but as they say, never judge a book by it's cover.

P.S. I'm not flaming any one, but when I read the top review on this page, I was offended. The fact that they (he, she, it)condemned this book without basis, and most likely, without reading it, probably made someone decide not to read this masterpiece.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bare bones edition, December 27, 2008

By 

An A.I. Guy (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The History Of The Peloponnesian War (Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and well-written history, March 4, 2000

By 

Esquire (Hagia Sophia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of the Peloponnesian War (Everyman Paperback Classics) (Paperback)

This is the most objective and readable contemporary history ever written. Only in classical Greece could a work at once so sympathetic and objective be created. Thucydides was an Athenian and served as a general in their army, but first and foremost he was a Greek. Because of this he did not slander Athens' enemies or feel the need cast the Athenians' actions in a glorious, righteous light. Every chapter shines with brilliance and humanity, particularly the section on the plague which hit Athens when it was already in a crisis. I'm actually tempted to call this 2,000 year old history a page-turner.