The Peloponnesian War [Paperback]

Thucydides (Author), Thomas Hobbes (Translator), David Grene (Commentary)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226801063 | ISBN-13: 978-0226801063 | Publication Date: October 15, 1989 | Edition: Univ. of Chicago Press Ed 1989

"Thomas Hobbes's translation of Thucydides brings together the magisterial prose of one of the greatest writers of the English language and the depth of mind and experience of one of the greatest writers of history in any language. . . . For every reason, the current availability of this great work is a boon."—Joseph Cropsey, University of Chicago

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Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

Product Details

• Paperback: 668 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; Univ. of Chicago Press Ed 1989 edition (October 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226801063
• ISBN-13: 978-0226801063
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hobbes, Of Course!, February 4, 2011

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Vicer-eal "Wang" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Peloponnesian War (Paperback)

I have extensively studied Thucydides over the past few months, and have read four different translations: Hobbes twice and three other translations once each. No other translation captures the justice and fluidity of Ancient Greek eloquence as naturally as Hobbes. I thank Grene for such an honest gift to scholarship. The Hobbes version is the best translation you will find in english, accept it. If you cannot get past the now esoteric 17th contrary prose, I recommend the Walter Blanco translation. The Blanco translation is superb, but i will warn you of the concrete dust dryness embedded in each and every sentence, it makes you cough and turn your head from the page.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first serious Western history, February 19, 2004

By 

Guillermo Maynez (Mexico, Distrito Federal Mexico) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Peloponnesian War (Paperback)

For all we know, Thucydides was the first real historian in the Western world, and possibly the first in the world, period. Unlike Homer (a poet, not a historian) and Herodotus, who mixed folk tales and myths with factual reports, Thucydides sticks to facts, with the advantage of having been a contemporary and even a participant himself in the Peloponnesian War. So it makes for a credible reading. But this book is also important for other reasons. This war terminated the glory of Athens and in fact precluded its development as an empire. The war between only two "superpowers" and their allies has also served to illustrate bipolar conflict, such as the Cold War, and there are even whole courses about this book to illuminate a bipolar situation.

This translation by master political thinker Thomas Hobbes ("Leviathan") is not an easy read, yet it conveys the power of Thucydides's prose. Famous episodes of the war include, of course, Pericles's funeral oration, one of the best speeches ever recorded (if T. made it up, then he was one of the best speechwriters); the plague in Athens, a most unfortunate development for their side; rebellion in Corcyra; and the disastrous and worth-learning-from invasion of Sicily. One of the best history and politics books you can read.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Greek World War, September 16, 2001

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D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Peloponnesian War (Paperback)

Homer filled his pages mostly with myth, with some general facts which remotely relate to history. Herodotus wrote mostly history, with a few myths and prophecies interspersed here & there.

With Thucydides, we get the first book in western culture that is 100% purely devoted to history. The historian expresses his disinterest in speculation about the will of the gods while turning his attention solely to factual accounts of the Peloponnesian War.

The present text discloses T's history, all dressed up in the eloquent, occasionally verbose prose of the 17th century philosopher, John Hobbes. David Grene of the university of Chicago does a credible job of auditing Hobbes' translation, pointing out errors, mis-interpretations & omissions in the text.

This work contains all of the most salient episodes of the war, from the funeral oration of Pericles (Book II), the unsteady truce between Athens & Sparta (Book V) and the disastrous Sicilian expedition (VI & VII). The latter proved to be the crippling blow which sealed the defeat of Athens. Less known, but equally poignant, is what Princeton's Michael Sugrue would call the "Big Fish Eat Little Fish" oration which the Athenians deliver to the Melians (Book V) before wiping them out.

Hobbes metes out ample attention to each major event, carefully crafting his diction with the efficacy of delivering the desired effect. However, there are times when his sentences get a bit syrupy & are a bit long. It does not help matters that Thucydides constantly skips around to diverse engagements, both major & minor, not always making it clear whom or what he is referring to. While it is fairly simple to keep track of the major players in the war (i.e.: Athens, Sparta, Argos, Syracuse, Corinth, Thebes, etc) it becomes increasingly difficult to follow all of the minor provinces involved as the war goes on. Of course, the people in T's day were already familiar with whom was aligned with whom, so detailed explanations of Greek alliances are omitted. This can be a obstacle for the modern reader.

All in all, tho, this is a credible translation to one of the most monumental works of history ever composed. Within these pages we discover the nobility and wisdom of Pericles, the treachery of Alcibiades, the violence and short-sightedness of Cleon and the effective generalship of Nicias. The most poignant aspects of the period all surface without any ambiguity; the arrogant hubris of the Athenians, the resilience of the Lacedaemonians and the determination of the Syracusians. Hobbes should be applauded for pulling off one of the best English translations of Greek history ever recorded.