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Thucydides: The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) 1st Edition

by Thucydides (Author), Jeremy Mynott (Translator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 87 ratings
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Thucydides' classic work is a foundational text in the history of Western political thought. His narrative of the great war between Athens and Sparta in the fifth century BC is now seen as a highly sophisticated study of the nature of political power itself: its exercise and effects, its agents and victims, and the arguments through which it is defended and deployed. It is therefore increasingly read as a text in politics, international relations and political theory, whose students will find in Thucydides many striking contemporary resonances. This edition seeks to present the author and the text in their proper historical context. The new translation is particularly sensitive to the risks of anachronism, and the notes and extensive reference material provide students with all the necessary historical, cultural and linguistic background they need to engage with the text on its own terms.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0521847745
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0521847742
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Cambridge University Press
  5. Publication date
    May 20, 2013
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.75 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  8. Print length
    762 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Altogether, this edition in a crowded field offers many unique annotations complementing its fresh and accurate translation."
Donald Lateiner, Ancient History Bulletin

"… an extremely useful edition for its re-situation of Thucydides in his own context, especially for the large numbers of readers of Thucydides in disciplines outside the classics. It is no small achievement to convey in modern English the literary qualities of this most political of ancient historians."
Liz Sawyer, Oxonian Review

"…a fine addition to the Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought series … its excellent footnotes will make it a worthy [addition] to any reading list."
Benjamin Earley, The Classical Review

Book Description

A new translation of Thucydides, a foundational text in the history of Western political thought, with extensive student reference material.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (May 20, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 762 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0521847745
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521847742
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.47 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 87 ratings

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Thucydides

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
87 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R. Decker
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent new translation makes events of 2500 years ago feel like they happened yesterday
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2016
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My book club decided to read The Peloponnesian War for its January 2016 meeting, and I selected this edition of Thucydides since I wanted to have the most modern version available. Since this is the only translation of Thucydides that I've read, I can't say how it compares to the others. All I know is that it was very easy to read and did such a good job of bringing to life the events and people of this ancient conflict that it was like reading about something that took place a couple of years ago. This is thanks in part to the magnificent job of translation, thanks in part to a great introductory section that does a very good job of explaining what the book is about and why it's significant, and thanks in part to a book that was highly innovative to begin with. This is not some dry treatise about one battle after another. It's the original clash of democracy versus oligarchy, empire versus empire, Greek versus Greek, and the complicated people who brought it about and fought it on battlefields from Asia Minor to Sicily. For me, it was one of the great reading experiences of my life.
24 people found this helpful
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Usha
5.0 out of 5 stars Forget Landmark – Get this Cambridge Edition
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016
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I read Thucydides for two different classes at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. One professor assigned the classic Landmark translation while the other assigned this newer, Cambridge version.

As someone who read both versions, I recommend newcomers to Thucydides start with THIS version by Cambridge. It was translated by Jeremy Mynott and released in 2013, while the Landmark version was translated by Richard Crawley in 1874. Now, I love Victorian literature as much as the next guy, but Crawley’s phrasing is dense and at times impenetrable. Sentences drag on for line after line; single paragraphs span pages.

Here's an example from the famous “Melian Dialogue.” In this scene, Athenian emissaries confront representatives from the small island of Melos, insisting they join Athens as allies (and taxpayers) or suffer the consequences. The Melians resist these strong-arm tactics, declaring that justice is on their side, and that they will not abandon hope.

Landmark’s rendition of the Athenian response:

"Hope, danger’s comforter, may be indulged in by those who have abundant resources, if not without loss, at all events without ruin; but its nature is to be extravagant, and those who go so far as to stake their all upon the venture see it in its true colors only when they are ruined."

Cambridge version:

"Well, hope is certainly an encouragement in time of danger, and those who rely on hope when they have other resources may be damaged but are not destroyed by it. Hope, however, is prodigal by nature, and those who stake everything they have on it see the truth only at the moment of disaster."

As you can see, the Cambridge version is easier to read.

That said, the Cambridge version sometimes loses some of Landmark’s oratory power, as in this translation of one of Thucydides’s most famous lines (also from the Melian Dialogue):

“…the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” -- Landmark

“…the possibilities are defined by what the strong do and the weak accept.” -- Cambridge

It’s sad to lose out on lyricism, but the Cambridge version makes up for any losses with plain old readability. Besides, the Cambridge version still achieves plenty of drama, whether describing the final tragedy at Melos, the breakdown of civil order in Corcyra, or the complete destruction of the Athenian army in Sicily. Frankly, I would have zoned out through many riveting battles and speeches had I been trudging through the Landmark version.

A few other pros and cons:

The Cambridge editor and translator, Jeremy Mynott, helps out the reader with abundant footnotes. His asides are interesting and even funny (in a restrained, British way, of course). His maps are less numerous than Landmark’s, but do the job. The font is sharp enough for those who refuse to buy reading glasses. Landmark wins on cover design and paper texture, but who cares about cosmetics?

In the end, I have Dr. Mynott and Cambridge to thank for enriching my life with Thucydides’s history and insights. Spend a few hours in 400 B.C. with this Greek soldier, and the way you see the world will change forever.
162 people found this helpful
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Jindrich Zapletal
5.0 out of 5 stars A great translation and commentary
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
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I looked at a couple of translations available for free or nearly free in various corners of the internet. You get what you pay for and much more with Mynott's translation. I would have never gotten anywhere in this book if it were not for the lucid prose and helpful commentary of Mynott's. Now I can appreciate the timelessness of Thucydides' achievement, and I am a better man for it.
4 people found this helpful
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Roberto Torretti
5.0 out of 5 stars Best modern translation I know of
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
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I think this is BY FAR the best translation of Thucydides into a modern language that I know of. I am acquainted with several English, French and Spanish translations, plus one German one (Landmann) and one Italian one (Piccolo). I've had to compare them in specific places, as I prepare my own Spanish translation of the Melian dialogue. Mynott is faithful, concise, agile and writes in today's English.
32 people found this helpful
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Mickey
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for serious history buffs
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2018
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Haven't read many translations from ancient Greek, but this is among the best of what I have read. The Landmark edition seems to be the standard in college classics courses, so I compared a few pages. I found this Cambridge edition very readable, with helpful footnotes and maps that clarify ambiguities, geography and other anomalies in this impressive history. Lots of names, places, battles, speeches, tactics, strategies and attitudes. It's one of the earliest recorded histories and it's fairly comprehensive. Sometimes hard to follow all the detail and names but it's the primary source historians have used for charting that tumultuous period.
2 people found this helpful
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The Cox’s
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick Rating
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2018
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This is a foundational text to Western Civilization. Although the book can be dense in many areas (not always intellectual complexity), the book has been incredibly helpful for seeing the beginnings of political, international relations, and warfare thoughts put into text. Although, it must be said, I’m not expert on any of these matters or of classic. I’m just a man who loves to read.
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely readable
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2015
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Extremely readable, contributed greatly to my understanding of the Peloponnesian War.
5 people found this helpful
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Thomas M. Carpenter
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent background for anyone who really wishes to watch the ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2017
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Excellent background for anyone who really wishes to watch the development of political writing, and the history of political science.
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Top reviews from other countries

Adam Woodbridge
1.0 out of 5 stars Bait and Switch
Reviewed in Canada on October 24, 2022
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According to the Cambridge University Press, this book ought to be printed in the United Kingdom by MPG Books Group. The copy I received, however, does not list the printer on the copyright page but instead says "made by Amazon.ca in Ontario" on the very last page of the book.
One person found this helpful
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L. D. Otter
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best on the Market!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2023
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Menotti gives extensive maps and context that are vital understanding the original work. This is the best there is right now.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid history
Reviewed in Germany on November 6, 2019
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Great book for people who love to read the primary sources.
Speeches are the most fampus part. However, I found the general description of warfare a very good lecture. Sometimes I wish some field commanders in light infantry would reach such things.
Translation is vivid, lots of background info. High quality paper and print.

Took me 4 weeks to chew the brick with reading before sleep...
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Rick Dorland
5.0 out of 5 stars The best maps ever
Reviewed in Australia on March 8, 2022
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It's not easy to stay engaged with Thucydides without understanding where he's talking about. This book has great maps, and lots of them, so the continuously changing venues of war are located very clearly. For the first time I've managed to read it all, because I could see the relevance of where the conflict was occurring. I wish I'd had this book 40 years ago so my geographical knowledge of the ancient Greek world wouldn't have been so ill defined and laboriously obtained. Many of the footnotes seemed, to me, to be directed to staving off criticism by other academics of the translator's choice of words.
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