The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide To The Peloponnesian War

This revised edition of Richard Crawley's classic 1874 translation is enhanced with more than 100 maps, extensive annotations, brief biographies of important figures, and invaluable historical, political, and cultural background.

Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between Athens and Sparta "a possession for all time," and indeed it is the first and still most famous work in the Western historical tradition. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, "The Peloponnesian War" is a mine of military, moral, political, and philosophical wisdom.

However, this classic book has long presented obstacles to the uninitiated reader. Robert Strassler's new edition removes these obstacles by providing a new coherence to the narrative overall, and by effectively reconstructing the lost cultural context that Thucydides shared with his original audience. Based on the venerable Richard Crawley translation, updated and revised for modern readers. "The Landmark Thucydides" includes a vast array of superbly designed and presented maps, brief informative appendices by outstanding classical scholars on subjects of special relevance to the text, explanatory marginal notes on each page, an index of unprecedented subtlety, and numerous other useful features.

In any list of the Great Books of Western Civilization, "The Peloponnesian War" stands near the top. This authoritative new edition will ensure that its greatness is appreciated by future generations.