Customer Reviews

The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Great translation- excellent maps and notes- don't hesitate to select this over other versions or editions. You will be rewarded. The Histories is a lavish book to sink into and transport yourself to another time and place. This is the one to buy in my estimation.

I've never been able to read this stuff in the usual dull editions. Scholars of the ancient Greek world (actually the Mediterranean world) seem to get their kicks from providing their readers the least possible information in the most boring formats. This edition really works - Strassler has made it fun and accessible with his extensive, easy-to-reference maps and notes. I read it cover to cover, and when I finished it I went out and bought The Landmark Thucydides. The ancient Mediterranean world has come alive for me.

OK, I admit that Herodotus is not something that most people would read just for fun. Unless you have a serious interest in Classical History, then reading _The Histories_ will be a chore. Also, if you are a general reader looking for a basic narrative history, then this is NOT what you want. Much by Herodotus is demonstrably incorrect. These points aside, I still give it five stars. Why? Because, if you are going to read Herodotus (for whatever reason), then this is the edition you want to have. I read _The Histories_ some time before this edition and found myself confused much of the time. Re-reading it with the Landmark edition (as well as better general knowledge about the time period) has made a great deal of difference. The maps and the footnotes are absolutely invaluable. Reading this book without them is like sailing without a compass.

While I wouldn't recommend that everyone run out at read Herodotus, I would recommend this edition if you have made the decision to do so.

Highly recommended.

I bought this book for the maps of ancient locations. The excellent Herodotus is a bonus, but I already have other versions (that turn out to be not quite as good as this one) and I probably would have passed this book up except for the maps.

Having an historic text that actually includes excellent maps that identify all known places mentioned in the text is a dream come true for me. An overview map and one or two "closeup/zoom-in" maps to go with it make finding locations mentioned in the text a snap.

Google searches for ancient locations in the past has been a total frustration for me. Wading through scores of bad sites with no maps at all or very poor maps they are trying to sell has driven me crazy. All books about the ancient world should use this wonderful map system. It solves my problems and ends my frustration.

Fun. Herodotus was fun, entertaining, fascinating, wise, occasionally full of prunes, but he knew it and tells you. No one today can claim a better mind or more honest mind, and we are surely more often duped by our "media" than Herodotus was by the priests of Egypt and the storytellers of the places he visited. Anyone who likes to read fun and fascinating facts written 500 years before Jesus was born, needs this book more than visit their television sets or their golf clubs, especially if they like FUN. Herodotus is fun, and this wonderful edition with all the clearly labeled maps and footnotes correcting occasional mistakes is the ultimate edition. This book is a necessity, not a consumer option. Trust me.

Readers are living in a great age. Classical history through primary sources has never been so accessible, with the success of Robert Fagles' translations of The Odyssey, The Iliad, and The Aeneid; Robert B. Strassler, editor of The Landmark Thucydides, now brings us The Landmark Herodotus. Translated by Andrea L. Purvis, with a introduction by Rosalind Thomas, The Landmark Herodotus is a hefty tome that will delight any historian or fan of Herodotus and the classical Greek period.

Called "the father of history" by Cicero, Herodotus was an Ionian Greek historian who lived in the fifth century BCE. In his Histories, he recounts the rise of the Persian Empire and its tumultuous war with the Greek city-states. Filled with insights into the unique geography and anthropology of the time, Herodotus also delves into the human psyche, exploring the importance of religion, the costs of war, the sacrifice of life, and what it meant to be a free and independent state.

What makes The Landmark Herodotus unique over any other translation of The Histories, is its encyclopedia of knowledge. The book begins with a comprehensive introduction of Herodotus and the period, leading to the editor's preface, and seven pages listing the dates outlined in the text, where they take place, and a brief sentence on what is happening. Then The Histories begins in an almost conversational meter, making it very inviting and compelling to any reader whose background may be well versed in the period, or not at all. Split into "books," each page is filled with footnotes and constant side notes that serve as reference points, as well as numerous maps detailing the events taking place, and where possible, photos showing the modern day reality of these renowned historical locations. As one completes The Histories, the book is not finished, as the appendices begin, twenty-one of them written by renowned scholars, informing the reader on topics such as Egypt, Persian Arms and Tactics, Scythia, the Spartan State, and Trireme Warfare, to name a few. Then there is a comprehensive glossary to help the reader with any terminology. Finally there is a hundred-page index that will bring any specific term, person, place or event immediately to their fingertips.

The Landmark Herodotus is not just a book; it's a journey, a voyage into the history of ancient Greece and its war with the Persian Empire, as told by someone who, while not there at the time, lived in a period much closer to it than you or I. Questions will be answered, thoughts made, and wonders discovered. Upon completing the book, the reader will feel compelled to travel to Greece to see these ancient sites with their own eyes, and in their hands will be The Landmark Herodotus, as the invaluable reference that it is.

If you liked this review and are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Originally written on December 29th 2007 ©Alex C. Telander.

For over 500 book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to [...].

After reading 40 pages of this magnificent book, I was absolutely engrossed. I've always been fascinated by ancient Greece, the Persian empire, and the Greco-Persian wars, and decided to give this version a try. The translation is very readable, and the numerous maps, footnotes, and illustrations are extremely helpful for the modern everyday reader who may not be familiar with that ancient world. It's refreshing to be able to look at maps and pictures of ancient artifacts while reading about them. This version of Herodotus is a great one to get lost in, whether you are reading The Histories for the first time or if you are a seasoned expert. And as usual, excellent price and service from Amazon.