The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories [Paperback]

Robert B. Strassler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2009

From the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides, a new Landmark Edition of The Histories by Herodotus.Cicero called Herodotus "the father of history," and his only work, The Histories, is considered the first true piece of historical writing in Western literature. With lucid prose, Herodotus's account of the rise of the Persian Empire and its dramatic war with the Greek city sates set a standard for narrative nonfiction that continues to this day. Illustrated, annotated, and filled with maps—with an introduction by Rosalind Thomas, twenty-one appendices written by scholars at the top of their fields, and a new translation by Andrea L. Purvis—The Landmark Herodotus is a stunning edition of the greatest classical work of history ever written.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The most densely annotated, richly illustrated, and user friendly edition of his Histories ever to appear.”—Daniel Mendelsohn, The New Yorker“A first-rate achievement. Nothing is missing.... Like a Global Positioning System for Herodotus's world. Strassler has made it simply impossible to get lost.”—The New York Sun“Stunning.... Bears the same superb production and scholarly qualities of his earlier The Landmark Thucydides.... Andrea Purvis' new translation is taut and lucid.”—Houston Chronicle“A real service. . . .Considerably improves accessibility by integrating hundreds of maps and extensive timelines, amplifies the first historian's own epic accomplishment.”—Forbes


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Bob Strassler, a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, is the president of Riverside Capital Management Corp., and an unaffiliated scholar whose articles have appeared in the Journal of Hellenic Studies. He received an honorary degree as Doctor of Humanities and Letters from Bard College in 1996. A viola da gamba musician, he is the chairman of the Aston Magna Foundation for Music and the Humanities.Andrea L. Purvis received her Ph.D. in Classical Studies from Duke University in 1998 and teaches in Duke University's Department of Classical Studies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1024 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400031141
• ISBN-13: 978-1400031146
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 1.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, August 20, 2009

By 

Michael Booker (Arnold, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Paperback)

It's possible to find public domain translations of Herodotus online...so why pay for this book?

If you have ANY interest in the ancient world, you need to have this book on your bookshelf. The translation is easy to read, but the supporting materials push this volume way over the top. The maps support the text brilliantly, and copious footnotes and appendices answer pretty much any question you might have about the text. I also appreciate the photographs and illustrations; they are well-chosen to add dimension to the words on the page.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Edition of the Histories, December 9, 2009

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cognate4accusative (WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Paperback)

I'm nuts about this edition and translation of Herodotus' Histories, with a couple caveats.

***What I most liked about it:

The maps are unimaginably helpful: the first time I read the Histories I used a different edition, and kept getting lost in some of the geography (especially in the Northern regions, like Thrace). The maps, almost always with multiple insets, allowed me a more nuanced understanding of military movements, among other things. This is a great boon.

The translation, of course, is great. I have read much of the Histories in Greek, and when I've had trouble with a construction, I've sometimes look to see how Andrea Purvis handled it. It's a really smooth english translation, which doesn't compromise too many of the charming qualities of the Greek. When there's an awkward Greek construction, Purvis' english translation is smooth and pretty, while still conveying what Herodotus said.

The extensive index is a great tool which I use frequently.


***The (very slight) caveats:

Around Book 8, there are quite a few typographical errors. Nothing impacts the reading too much, of course, but I like to see a book polished and type-edited well! What *does* impact the reading however, are several printing errors. On too many occasions, the footnotes in Book 8 are cut off. Yikes!

I personally didn't find the appendices helpful. They might be written more as introductions for the novice-classicist, and I can appreciate this. Maybe this isn't even a caveat?


***In Summary:

Although there are some minor imperfections in this edition of the Histories, which show some sloppy type-editing at worst, this is the edition I would most recommend to others, and which I prefer to use above other (also very good) translations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Herodotus is amazing, November 29, 2010

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Ron - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Paperback)

Herodotus ("The Father of History") tells the story of the Persian War with several tangents going into places like Egypt and India. Although he doesn't always do the best job at examining causality in his writings, he is still a very entertaining read. Herodotus provides the best insight into how the Greeks would have thought of themselves up to and during the Persian Wars. The Landmark Edition of Herodotus not only has an amazing translation from the Greek, but several maps and footnotes as study aides. Also, alongside each section is a summary of what is going on in that section, helping one find a topic very quickly. Casual readers, to high school students, to undergrads in the ancient history and Classics fields (like me) will find The Landmark Herodotus one sweet investment. From gold-digging ants to the rest of the "backwards" world, Herodotus is a very entertaining read and The Landmark will certainly help everyone wanting to pick up a copy and read.