Rating: 
Summary: Great presentation
Review: I have to say this is a fantastic presentation of Thucydides although I have not read him in the original Greek and therefore am not qualified to pass judgement on the translation. But I also notice that Victor Hanson provided the bibliography rather than the author and no sources are quoted for the essays at the back and the bibliography is mostly secondary sources. Yes, this book is meant for the masses, but I would prefer an approach more similar to the Penguin Herodotus. Nevertheless, the maps are useful and the book is well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: The place to start studying the Peloponnesian War
Review: I read this edition along with the Hobbes translation (Green, ed.) and despite having read through Thucydides several times before, Thucydides, despite claiming to write a completely objective history, the composition of the work shows through quite a bit. The narrative is not linear, with digressions, flashbacks, and other tropes which makes the book hard to follow at times. In any case, the events of the war are so complex, covering such a long time, and in so many theaters of operation, that there is no single way to give a coherent recounting of the events.All the maps are very clean, freshly rendered and easy to read. In addition to a few omnibus maps in the back matter, there are many smaller maps throughout the book, each having only as many landmarks as are necessary to illuminate the particular passage. This turns out to be particularly helpful. One can find a place like Naupactus, (not obscured by too many dots and words and unclear print) and understand why it was so important for Athens to hold onto. The other editorial matter are also very helpful. Using the index and the notes, the reader can follow the stories of the people, places, and themes invovled. If you are at all concerned about Ancient Greece, or history, this book is worth it, for the maps alone even if for nothing else.
Rating:
Summary: A Good First Thucydides
Review: I read this edition along with the Hobbes translation (Green, ed.) and despite having read through Thucydides several times before, Thucydides, despite claiming to write a completely objective history, the composition of the work shows through quite a bit. The narrative is not linear, with digressions, flashbacks, and other tropes which makes the book hard to follow at times. In any case, the events of the war are so complex, covering such a long time, and in so many theaters of operation, that there is no single way to give a coherent recounting of the events. All the maps are very clean, freshly rendered and easy to read. In addition to a few omnibus maps in the back matter, there are many smaller maps throughout the book, each having only as many landmarks as are necessary to illuminate the particular passage. This turns out to be particularly helpful. One can find a place like Naupactus, (not obscured by too many dots and words and unclear print) and understand why it was so important for Athens to hold onto. The other editorial matter are also very helpful. Using the index and the notes, the reader can follow the stories of the people, places, and themes invovled. If you are at all concerned about Ancient Greece, or history, this book is worth it, for the maps alone even if for nothing else.
Rating:
Summary: excellent!!!!!
Review: I WAS TAUGHT ANCIENT GREEK IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN I LIVED IN GREECE AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE SUBJECTS I LOVED TO TRANSLATE WAS THUCYDIDES. IT HAS BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THEN, AND RECENTLY I DECIDED TO PURCHACE THIS BOOK TO REFRESH MY MEMORY ON THE SUBJECT. I HAVE TO ADMIT THIS: IT IS A WONDERFUL EDITION WITH A VERY GOOD ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE GREEK TEXT SUPPLEMENTED WITH MAPS,FOOTNOTES,MARGINAL SUMMARIES ON EACH PAGE OF THE TEXT,A CHRONOLOGICAL OUTLINE OF EVENTS,CLOSSARY AND SEVERAL APPENDICES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommended: But Only For Peloponnesian War Buffs
Review: I'll admit that I would never have chosen this book on my own. Never in a million years. I was assigned this book for my international relations class, and when I picked it up at the bookstore, I was horrified! However, it wasn't really as bad as I'd expected. Unless someone is EXTREMELY interested in ancient Greek history, I don't think that this would be an enjoyable book. However, I did learn a lot from it. Thucydides gives very good descriptions of leaders of different regions and how they came to power. I also liked the fact that there were "authentic" speeches throughout the text. These are probably more interesting, if they never really happened, because they show Thucydides' own thoughts on the war and on the Athenians and the Peloponnesians. I found the maps throughout the text distracting as it was very hard to locate places on them. Perhaps if the maps had been simpler, it would have taken less time to locate places. This book is very detailed, and I personally don't think that all the details are that interesting. I would have been much happier with a more concise book of "highlights"
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, easily readable with the help of notes, maps
Review: In spite of its daunting appearance, I have derived unique enjoyment from reading this edition. There is always a footnote appearing as soon as you feel the need for one; the frequent maps make it a joy to follow the military action; the appendices are a source of referral time and again; and, generally, the attention to detail is simply outstanding. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A Classic made clear
Review: It is hard to imagine, no, I cannot imagine, a clearer, more lucid setting out of a great classic work. Strassler's abundant maps, well-thought-out appendices and helpful footnotes clear the path for the reader through an absolutely gripping, but not always transparent, work. First credit must go, of course, to Thucydides for his monumental effort, his mastery of an enormously complex chronicle of events and his profound insights into the personalities and the political interests which impelled the events of the war. But Strassler has provided the means for any interested amateur reader of history to enjoy fully and at first reading this marvelous epic. This is perhaps the best presentation of a classic work I have ever encountered. Well done!
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive to the nth Degree
Review: Robert B. Strassler's edition of the famous Richard Crawley translation of Thucydides is a remarkable work, not only because of its intrinsic merit but also because it is quite simply unique. Mr. Strassler has provided the ultimate in critical apparatus, an exhaustive series of tools with which to understand and appreciate one of the great books of world civilisation. I have never seen anything like it. First of all, there is the index; if an index can be said to be a work of art, the Strassler index is a work of art in the way it organises and informs the text. Next there are the maps - dozens of them - not clumped together in the middle of the book or hidden away at the end, but strategically placed throughout the appropriate points in the text, right at the reader's fingertips when he or she needs them. The footnotes (yes footnotes, not those pesky and inconvenient endnotes!) would fill a small volume of their own and add immeasurably to one's understanding. And as if this were not enough, there are 11 appendices - short essays by prominent classical scholars on different aspects of the Greek world in the time of Thucydides, from "Athenian Government" and "Trireme Warfare" to "Religious Festivals" and "Classical Greek Currency." As far as I am concerned, the only problem with Mr. Strassler's edition is that is has made me greedy for more of the same - a similar edition of the Mahabharata, say, or Gibbon! Any takers?
Rating:
Summary: Would Strassler only edit more.......
Review: Robert Strassler has done a remarkable editing job with Thucydides' Peloponnesian War. He has included three key features which provide the reader much luxury: One, he has provided maps throughout the text, to the extent of repetition, to ensure that textual geographic references are always accompanied, in close proximity, cartographically. Two, he has provided paragraph summaries on the margin throughout the work so that a reader, who has put the edition down for any length of time, may refresh their memories quickly by reading as many of these one to two sentence summaries as necessary. Three, as Thucydides provides his narrative in chronological order, he must often leave one narrative to begin another. Strassler has provided a thread to follow each narrative through to its' end by way of footnotes. These editorial enhancements greatly enrich the reading experience and would be a welcome addition to any historical text. Thucydides, himself, presents the reader with a narrative unromanticized, strictly adhering to the events of the Peloponnesian War. His work possesses many passages that rivet the reader, but also contains areas where the sheer and voluminous recitation of fact can render one foggy. This is not a book for the light-hearted, though Strassler's editorial enhancements make for a pleasurable experience. It is, in short, a classic which has been classically edited.
Rating:
Summary: More Like This Please!
Review: Strassler's work is just as fascinating and elucidating as that of Thucydides himself. The vast collection of maps and the wonderful annotations make even the most esoteric details of the Peloponnesian War seem obvios and make the entire history accessible. This is a perfect edition of a great history for anyone who isn't intimately familiar with every nuance of Greek history and ancient geography. I'd like to see more scholars follow Strassler's lead and produce similiarly annotated editions of classical histories. I'd suggest Livy, Tacitus and even Herodotus' works could all be made more accessible and richer for such treatment.
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