Histories

by Herodotus, James Romm, Pamela Mensch (Translator)

Overview

'No one is fool enough to choose war instead of peace – in peace sons bury fathers, but in war fathers bury sons’

One of the masterpieces of classical literature, the Histories describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. But while this epic struggle forms the core of his work, Herodotus’ natural curiosity frequently gives rise to colourful digressions – a description of the natural wonders of Egypt; an account of European lake-dwellers; and far-fetched accounts of dog-headed men and gold-digging ants. With its kaleidoscopic blend of fact and legend, the Histories offers a compelling Greek view of the world of the fifth century BC.

This celebrated translation of The Histories has been extensively revised and includes an updated bibliography, chronology, glossary and additional notes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781624661686
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/15/2014
Series:	Hackett Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	584
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Pamela Mensch's translation of Diogenes Laertius' Lives and Doctrines of Eminent Philosophers is forthcoming from Harvard Universtiy Press.

James Romm is the James H. Ottaway, Jr. Professor of Classics at Bard College and author of Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire and Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero, both from Knopf.

Read an Excerpt

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Table of Contents

The HistoriesPreface
Introduction
1. Herodotus' Life and Work
2. The Subject-Matter of The Histories
3. Herodotus' sources and Metho Histories
4. Structure and Themes in The Histories
5. Herodotus' Later Reputation

Further Reading
A Note on the Text
Maps

Herodotus The Histories
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Book Four
Book Five
Book Six
Book Seven
Book Eight
Book Nine

Glossary
Structural Outline
Chronology
Abbreviations
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“De Sélincourt’s pacy, natural-sounding, rendering, as superbly revised and annotated by John Marincola…was a game-changer…still reads freshly and is a bestseller six decades after its first publication.”
—Edith Hall,  Times Literary Supplement

Editorial Reviews

This edition reproduces the fluent pace and readability of Herodotus' world-encompassing work. Mensch has produced a close translation of Herodotus' Greek that is also an engrossing read in English. As an old-time Herodotean, I found myself drawn into Herodotus' universe of history and story all over again. Combined with Romm's elegant introduction, which conveys the lure of Herodotus' work, the lucid maps and tables, and the pertinent, uncluttered notes, this is an edition to read for pleasure and for education. I recommend it to future students of Herodotus and their instructors, and to any reader who wants to discover and rediscover Herodotus in a vibrant new translation. -—Emily Greenwood, Yale University

Unadorned, readable, reliable. . . . If you want your Herodotus straight, but with no forfeiture of readability, I suggest Mensch. -—Simon Hornblower, in The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

David Timson’s performance makes the Greek historian Herodotus a character, not just the narrator of his histories. He sounds like an amiable, garrulous uncle—worldly, cheerful, by turns credulous and skeptical. That character fits the audiobook and helps keep it entertaining. But Timson also shows respect for Herodotus as a historian—rather than just a tall-tale spinner—by not overacting. His reading is spirited, expressive, and well paced. He’s unfailingly skillful in getting the intonation and emphasis just right for the sense of the text. Listeners unfamiliar with the book or with ancient history may find a periodic abundance of names and places off-putting, which even Timson’s skill and talent can’t help, but his delivery of the anecdotes and history is thoroughly engaging and enjoyable. W.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2017 - AudioFile

★ 2014-04-08
A delightful new translation of what is widely considered the first work of history and nonfiction.Herodotus has a wonderful, gossipy style that makes reading these histories more fun than studying the rise of the Persian Empire and its clash with Greece—however, that's exactly what readers will do in this engaging history, which is full of interesting digressions and asides. Holland (In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire, 2012, etc.), whose lifelong devotion to Herodotus, Thucydides and other classical writers is unquestionable, provides an engaging modern translation. As Holland writes, Herodotus' "great work is many things—the first example of nonfiction, the text that underlies the entire discipline of history, the most important source of information we have for a vital episode in human affairs—but it is above all a treasure-trove of wonders." Those just being introduced to the Father of History will agree with the translator's note that this is "the greatest shaggy-dog story ever written." Herodotus set out to explore the causes of the Greco-Persian Wars and to explore the inability of East and West to live together. This is as much a world geography and ethnic history as anything else, and Herodotus enumerates social, religious and cultural habits of the vast (known) world, right down to the three mummification options available to Egyptians. This ancient Greek historian could easily be called the father of humor, as well; he irreverently describes events, players and their countless harebrained schemes. Especially enjoyable are his descriptions of the Persians making significant decisions under the influence and then waiting to vote again when sober. The gifts Herodotus gave history are the importance of identifying multiple sources and examining differing views.A feast for students of ancient history and budding historians of any period.

Kirkus Reviews