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GOOD SHAPE! Cover, binding & pages are tight. NO highlighting. Has a small ding in the lower left corver, a small coffee stain on the lower right corner of the first 8 or 10 pages, a signature on the first page and some pencil markings. Shows signs of normal wear. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. GOOD SHAPE! Cover, binding & pages are tight. NO highlighting. Has a small ding in the lower left corver, a small coffee stain on the lower right corner of the first 8 or 10 pages, a signature on the first page and some pencil markings. Shows signs of normal wear. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. See less
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The Histories: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) Paperback – Deckle Edge, May 19, 2015

by Herodotus (Author), Paul Cartledge (Editor, Introduction), Tom Holland (Translator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 611 ratings
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“Unquestionably the best English translation of Herodotus to have appeared in the past half-century.” —The Times Literary Supplement

In Tom Holland’s vibrant translation, one of the great masterpieces of Western history springs to life. Herodotus of Halicarnassus—hailed by Cicero as the “Father of History”—composed his histories around 440 BC. The earliest surviving work of nonfiction, The Histories works its way from the Trojan War through an epic account of the war between the Persian empire and the Greek city-states in the fifth century BC, recording landmark events that ensured the development of Western culture and still capture our modern imagination. Beautifully packaged in a Penguin Classics Deluxe edition with a comprehensive array of tools to guide first-time readers and experts alike, this accessible translation makes Herodotus fresh and irresistible once more.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    880 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    May 19, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    5.6 x 1.4 x 8.4 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0143107542
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0143107545
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Unquestionably the best English translation of Herodotus to have appeared in the past half-century…I am in awe of Tom Holland’s achievement, and have no doubt it will bear rich fruit in bringing Herodotus to public attention”
–Edith Hall, Times Literary Supplement

“Lively, engaging version of the Histories…[an] admirable translation”
–The Economist

"Holland makes Herodotus lively, garrulous [and] bold."
–Wall Street Journal

"An engaging modern translation...A feast for students of ancient history and budding historians of any period."
–Kirkus (starred review)

"Tom Holland’s vivid, vigorous new translation [is] an accomplishment that makes Herodotus sound like a contemporary bending our ear, celebrating great and wondrous deeds of the past to prevent their memory from fading.”
–Wichita Eagle

"Holland’s book is a performance of its own, full of gusto and flair, and in that way it beats its predecessors: this is Herodotus the pubman, taking your elbow to tell you stories about the dastardly yet fascinating tyrants of the Near East and the miraculous fables attending them."
–Quarterly Conversation

"Brisk, modern and idiomatic, gives greater weight to accuracy, with only an occasional loss of fluency...Holland and Cartledge deserve high praise for bringing a bristling new Herodotus to a new generation."
–The Spectator

"[Holland], like Herodotus, is a storyteller par excellence...The maps and glossary index are excellent and the introduction and accompanying historical notes to the translation [are] admirably to the point."
–The New Statesman

About the Author

HERODOTUS was born around 480 bc in Halicarnassus, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor. Few facts are known about his life but he remains known through his life’s work, The Histories.

TOM HOLLAND is the award-winning author of Rubicon, Persian Fire, and most recently In the Shadow of the Sword. He lives in London.

PAUL CARTLEDGE is the author of Sparta and Lakonia and The Greeks. He is A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (May 19, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 880 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143107542
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143107545
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.98 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 1.4 x 8.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 611 ratings

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Herodotus

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
611 global ratings
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What's going on with the quality of the paper? Atrocious damage, hard to believe this is from Penguin.Hope it reads better than it looks.
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Top reviews from the United States

Judith C. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Histories or 'Enquiries'
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
I am really enjoying this book. It is written in clear, sometimes ironic, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, always exciting prose. Also has some English spelling(!) which I enjoy.

My brother got me interested in Ancient Greece. Started me off with the 'Battle of Salamis', which was great, then I found 'Song of Wrath', and now Herodotus. I have just got to the Battle of Thermopylae. After that will come Salamis, and then Xerxes will go home in defeat after one final battle. It seemed a life of perpetual choices: at any time My enemy is my enemy, My Friend is my enemy, My Family is my enemy. Trust no one, or very few.

The way the various Greek cities lived, their constant conflicts, the quite amazing brutality of the time. The "time" is interesting too, having to keep it in perspective as one has to count backwards towards AD. Keeping all the kings straight is a bit difficult as their offspring were named after their fathers, with no I, II, III, etc. following the name. I must admit to skipping occasional paragraphs that contained just names.

The maps (13 of them) are great. It was easy to trace Xerxes path of his military and his navy from beginning to end, a very long campaign to exterminate Athens. The list of maps helped a lot as it listed the map on which the individual cities appear. The first map on The 'World According to Herodotus' is fascinating. I compared it to a current atlas and it shows how much was known up to a point, then became just ocean. The Introduction is very interesting and useful as are all the other notes that make up the 834 pages.

It reads like sitting down for story-telling time with an elderly relative. I recommend it highly.
20 people found this helpful
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S. M.Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good translation and a fascinating read
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
I first read "The Histories" while in grad school, somewhere close to the half century ago. This is a superior version for several reasons. First, the translation is smoothly done and results in easy reading with no awkward phrasing. Second, the footnotes (located in the back in the paperback version) are a useful commentary and provide some clarity. I was spurred to re-read this because of the discovery of a ship described by Herodotus heretofore not seen before and the footnotes pointed at other research that corroborated, sometimes only mildly, some of what he wrote. You do not have to be an historian to enjoy this - anyone interested in the early history of the Mediterranean peoples or a picture of the Persians a bit more objective than the movie "300" will find this a very good translation and an excellent read.
24 people found this helpful
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Geoffrey R. Balme
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful new translation of some of the most important cultural tales of the west
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
I've meant to tackle this beast since High school and have avoided doing so until this version. Tom Holland is a master, and brought this work to life for me.
It's an important view of the world, many views of the world, from an ancient source, but always fresh and relevant.
In so many ways so little has changed. From our love of tall tales to the causes of pointless warfare.
Herodotus was not just the first historian he was also devotedly anthropological. And while he swallows a great many goofball ideas -- Cows that feed walking backwards because their horns are too large to allow them to walk forward! -- he is nonetheless a necessary study for any student of humanity or culture.
Grab this copy even just for it's excellent cover art and how it will look on your shelf!
19 people found this helpful
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Sherry Snyder
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best history book ever written.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book was written with the "greatest Historian of All Time", Herodotus in the 5th Century BC. Yes that old, but so rich in the greatest detail it is amazing. I would agree that he WAS the greatest Historian that ever wrote. I will NOT give away the content, but if you want to read what really happened in the days of the great Kings with as said the most unimaginable detail then this is for you. It is not recent history for those who did not read what I wrote above then get another History book! I urge everyone to read this book. I was sitting in a doctor's lounge talking to a young teenager about this tome and a man sitting near us said "I am an Archaeologist and found elephant dung on the peaks of the Swiss Alps" which could only have come from Hannibal's trek to annihilate the Greeks! His accounts are true, other Historians have born this out. Buy it and you might even be amazed at man's early quest to dominate with ancient wars and other stories that have amazed me!
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Elle Vogel
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, in decent shape
Reviewed in Canada on June 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
Great book and translation. The copy we received had a small crease in the cover and some very light wear on the corner of the spine, but overall was in very good shape.
One person found this helpful
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James Sheridan
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books Ever Written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
I have started reading "The Histories" a second time. I was entertained and awe-struck the first time I read it, and this second time, I am relishing every word.
This Tom Holland translation is much better than the first (free) version I read. Language is great and helps the narrative a lot.
"The Histories" contains really amazing stories that Herodotus presents as true. And they probably were as making up stuff like that would require a genius that in my opinion no human possesses. Historians have on many occasions doubted what Herodotus describes as facts but archeological discoveries prove him correct in 95 of 100 cases.
That such unbelievable stories have indeed happened never ceases to amaze me. With the exception of the New Testament, this must be the greatest book ever written. Don't take my word for it.
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Fortunata
5.0 out of 5 stars No se la pierdan, muy amena.
Reviewed in Spain on August 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
Esta traducción de Tom Holland es genial, muy fácil de leer para cualquiera. La obra en sí es una maravilla, amena, divertida, y muy informativa, no se la pierdan.
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jean jolley
5.0 out of 5 stars Its a long story but worth reading
Reviewed in Australia on November 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
The Histories of Herodotus explains the ancient world and their gods - ideas - warfare etc which has shaped the present world we live in.
One person found this helpful
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Paulo Leite
5.0 out of 5 stars Heródoto, ao transformar nossa visão, torna-se prazeroso, lúcido e difuso
Reviewed in Brazil on December 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
O autor declarou, ao escrever o livro, que era seu propósito “preservar da decadência a lembrança do que os homens fizeram”, e “prevenir as grandes ações dos Gregos e Bárbaros de perderem a sua merecida glória”. A parte final de seu livro cumpriu o propósito; ela nos dá um relato completo e objetivo da luta titânica entre a Pérsia e a Grécia como foi possível para este historiador pioneiro. Com relação a parte inicial, ainda que nos proporcione um grande clímax, é na realidade uma história universal cultural, misturando fatos, anedotas, e mitos, de todo o mundo conhecido durante o período imediato precedente e contemporâneo ao próprio período de Heródoto. De maneira, às vezes, confusa ou encantadora, ele mistura nesta parte jornalismo, geografia, antropologia, fábulas, contos de viajantes, “filosofias e moralização de mercado”. Embora escreva em prosa e sobre eventos reais, em vez de lendas, ele está mais próximo de Homero e da arte, em vez da narrativa histórica moderna também chamada de história científica. Um antigo crítico romano – Quintiliano – disse que Heródoto era “prazeroso, lúcido, difuso”; três adjetivos precisos. Assim posto, o leitor iniciante não deve procurar nele uma clara narrativa histórica das Guerras entre gregos e persas; pelo contrário, o leitor deve ler o livro em longas “goladas”, sem estar muito atento aos fatos históricos. O livro deve ser lido pelas estórias, pelas digressões, pelas descrições dos personagens, e pelas estranhas e fantásticas informações sobre os hábitos e costumes de dúzias de povos antigos. Também deve ser lido pelo prazer de encontrar o próprio Heródoto – algumas vezes crédulo, outras cético, mas sempre humano, bem-humorado, curioso e civilizado. Não se preocupe muito sobre quem é quem e o que está lá. A absorção de fatos específicos é menos importante que a sua ampla imersão no largo, cheio e “flutuante” rio heródoteano da narrativa
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