The Landmark Thucydides: An In-Depth Exploration of the Peloponnesian War

Gabriel: Came within the stated timeframe in perfect condition. I'm excited to start reading it.

United States on Oct 23, 2023

Andrey Morozov: Wonderful,
The book is very easy to use and contains all the maps and explanations for understanding the text.
The printing is excellent, accurate and spatially arranged in a comfortable way to read. It seems to me that the publishers have done everything to provide a book that will be fascinating, and at the same time convenient for the reader.

United States on Sep 08, 2023

Jurusz: Although the translation lacks the brilliance and gravity of Benjamin Jowett's rendition (this edition is based on Crawley's of 1874) it is more than adequate (so long as the reader does not hanker after Crawley's Victorianisms) ; but what sets this edition aside is the wonderful reference maps, footnotes, and explanatory material which enable the reader to follow the twists and turns of this epic story. It is understood that the whole of this work was perhaps still work-in-progress when Thucidides left it, his growing appreciation of the machinations of the Persians shows through at times. The account breaks off in the awful year of 411; Athens, tragically, was finally destroyed as a power in 405.

Those readers who are familiar with Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" may wish to reflect on the portrayals of Pericles through his speeches and those of Oedipus; and Thucidides' description of the plague in Bk. 2.47 et seq. in 430. Pericles died in 429, the year in which the play was first performed, and the character of Oedipus and the memory of the plague would have been vivid in the minds of the audience.

United Kingdom on Feb 24, 2023

ochiBan: The Landmark Edition is an excellent idea to enjoy calssical texts. (I own The [Herodotus, Thucydides, Appian, Caesar] The Classics, as here Thucydides, are reprinted with annotations and small commentaries accompanying the text. Apendices discuss special historical topics, which facilitate interpretation of the classical texts. Maps and illustrations are added. Definetely a good buy.

Germany on Sep 10, 2022

John Withnall: It's a heavy read, but if you want a raw glimpse into the sophisticated might-makes-right world of early civilization this is it. This book demonstrates glaringly that our ancestors were highly intelligent, pragmatic, self-aware, and ruthless. The politicians were cunning and eloquent. This is a true Epic: The All Powerful Athens vs The Relentless Spartans - lots of great naval battles, sieges, alliances, betrayals, heroes, and political speeches described in amazing detail (sometimes too much detail!). One of my favourite books of all time, but also hard to read: this was a truly nasty war.

Canada on May 06, 2021

Anders: The Landmark editions of various classics--including Herodotus, Xenophon, more recently Caesar’s writings, as well as, I presume, the upcoming Polybius (I'm particularly looking forward to this one)--are fantastic editions of each respective text, perfect for readers who may need help keeping track of the chronology, geography and personages mentioned in these extensive, millennia-old works. They come complete with copious footnotes and appendices rich with additional information and context written by an assortment of scholars, some of whom I'm not particularly fond of, but that's a digression for another day. They really are great. However, I really can’t recommend The Landmark Thucydides due to the translation, which in this case dates form 1876 and will likely seem very opaque, if not downright difficult, to the 21st Century reader. The at times ambiguous phrasing of Crawley, the translator, compounds Thucydides’s own knack for dense, difficult prose, making for quite a slog. Because of this I’d recommend attempting a more modern translation supplemented by Google/Wikipedia searches for when you get lot regarding where a particular city is.

To illustrate my...

United States on Oct 09, 2020

Juan Huarte: El libro consta de dos partes esencialmente: Una traducción de la monumental obra de Tucídides (al Inglés, naturalmente) y una serie de estudios relacionados. Al principio me decepcionó porque no contaba con la primera (tengo ya varias traducciones). Pero lo cierto es que esta es la mejor edición que tengo. Está plagada de notas al pie y al margen del texto. Las entradas al margen resumen cada párrafo (es típico de las buenas ediciones) y las notas a pie de página hacen referencia generalmente a otros puntos de la misma obra o a mapas. La colección de mapas que presenta es otra gran contribución de esta edición. Son muy abundantes y realmente representan un apoyo muy valioso a la lectura.
Mención aparte merecen los estudios que acompañan el texto. Se trata una introducción, un epílogo y 11 apéndices escritos por especialistas y cuyos títulos finalizan todos con "... in Thucydides". Cubren los temas más variados: el Gobierno y el Imperio de Atenas, Esparta, Persia, las trirremes, los dialectos, las festividades religiosas, la moneda y el sistema de calendario.
El magnífico colofón de todo el libro son unas 70 páginas de índice analítico sobre los...

Spain on Feb 09, 2016

P. Troutman: There are so many reviews of this that I want to only add a few points that I don't think get the attention that they deserve.

Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War is undoubtedly one of the great classics of literature. By setting a standard for others to follow, it has contributed to our understanding of ourselves far in excess to its military and political account of a particular war. As such, it's hardly a wonder that it continues to generate such enthusiasm millennia later. And as an American, I find it not only brilliant but -- in a good way -- incredibly painful to read.

Very few books make me physical ill to read, but this is one. It's hard not to identify with the Athenians for their democratic ideals, in a way that I can't identify with anyone else before the British colonization of North America, but man, does it hurt to read about their brutality and horrific mistakes. The Syracuse campaign is an agonizing read, very similar to the first book you read on the Holocaust.

But it also therapeutic, as my own political engagement is often at the mercy of the kinds of `ailments of democracy' that Thucydides describes. It helps me keep a balanced...

United States on Oct 01, 2011

Kirialax: As per usual, I am not reviewing Thucydides as an historian, merely this edition of the text. 'The Landmark Thucydides' is a great introductory translation of the text due to its contextualizing materials. Whereas the  Penguin Classics History Of The Peloponnesian War  has quite limited support material, such things overflow in the Landmark. Eleven appendices are placed in the rear of the book, dealing with topics such as trireme warfare, dating systems, and classical Greek currency. These papers are all written by experts in their respected fields. Most of the names are recognizable to those who study the Greek world, and the papers themselves are simply quite good for being one or two pages in length. The actual text in this edition is clear and easy to read. I did not check any particular passages against the Greek, but I'm trusting the translation based upon how widely read Thucydides is and how Strassler seems to be familiar with a great volume of scholarship. One area where this book does fall short is in the notes. Most references at the bottom of each page refer to the omnipresent maps which define the Landmark series (and these maps are very good and helpful...

Canada on Sep 28, 2011