Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding edition of a classic - 4.5 stars
Review: Thucydides is yet another classic work that should be required reading. Its depiction of the Peloponnesian war and life in the ancient world is reason enough to read it. This was an important time when the Greek poleis city-states, fresh from their victory over Persia, destroyed any hope of a Greek/Athenian empire and laid the ground for Alexander's conquest. However, even for those uninterested in Greek history, Thucydides is a remarkable read, given its profund insight into war and democracy. The decline and fall of the Athenian Empire is a story rife with lessons for the modern world -- we can see many of our own modern troubles mirrored in ancient Athens. One can see how a democracy fails when its leader follows the mob, as Nicias did, rather than leads the mob, as Pericles did.Thucydides style is sometimes complicated, but reaches wonderful heights in the Pericle's funeral oration and the disaster in Sicily. The only real flaw in the book is that he never finished it. It cuts off abruptly in the 21st year of the war. Thucydides clearly was writing after the war was over, given some of his ominous references to the eventual fate of Hellas. One can only speculate why he never finished his history. The natural contrast to this work is the History of Herodotus, who wrote shortly before Thucydides on the Persian Wars. Thucydides style is a lot drier but more objective. He is very detailed, sometimes too much so (the book is very long). To his credit, he is far more discriminating than Herodotus in finding truthful accounts and leaving out colorful myths. He has an astounding 100+ speeches transcribed. However, he occasionally assumes that the reader understand his frame of reference and spend little time describing the culture and lands of Hellas -- a shortcoming compared to Herodotus. This edition is outstanding. It is THE edition you should buy (I wish they had one of the Histories). There are informative appendices written by various scholars, the translation is lively and clear, there are copious footnotes and, most importantly, tons of maps. I was never confused as to what was going on. I have to deduct half a star for the incompleteness of the work and the somewhat incomplete description of the Hellenic world. But this book comes with an unqualified recommendation. Note: Since the Persian wars preceeded the Pelopennesian, I would recommend reading Herodotus first.
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive but not Compact!
Review: Thucydides' "The Peloponnesian War" is one of the most important pieces of literature of the West. It's a book that gets less credit than it deserves, most likely because it's boring. But it's important. Anyway, I digress. I highly recommend that you get the Robert Strassler version of this book if you need to get this work, or have a good heart and just want to read it for deeper understanding of the Greeks. Why? I'll tell you why. Strassler and crew made this book very easy to interact with through a few routes. First of all, they nicely divided the book up by its natural, authorial sections, providing white space between paragraphs to make reading come more easily. They used a nice large font so that your eyes don't get too tired as you pour over this work. If you get lazy or just need some help with a passage, Strassler includes a synopsis of every paragraph right next to it in the margin. There is a comprehensive index, too. Finally, lots of visuals are provided to help you get what's going on. This is a BIG book. This monolith is easily 5 pounds, and very wide and large. It's about the size of a typical college textbook. However, all the stuff crammed into it really makes it worth its weight in paper, at the very least. If you're going to get "The Peloponnesian War," go all out and get this version.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive but not Compact!
Review: Thucydides' "The Peloponnesian War" is one of the most important pieces of literature of the West. It's a book that gets less credit than it deserves, most likely because it's boring. But it's important. Anyway, I digress. I highly recommend that you get the Robert Strassler version of this book if you need to get this work, or have a good heart and just want to read it for deeper understanding of the Greeks. Why? I'll tell you why. Strassler and crew made this book very easy to interact with through a few routes. First of all, they nicely divided the book up by its natural, authorial sections, providing white space between paragraphs to make reading come more easily. They used a nice large font so that your eyes don't get too tired as you pour over this work. If you get lazy or just need some help with a passage, Strassler includes a synopsis of every paragraph right next to it in the margin. There is a comprehensive index, too. Finally, lots of visuals are provided to help you get what's going on. This is a BIG book. This monolith is easily 5 pounds, and very wide and large. It's about the size of a typical college textbook. However, all the stuff crammed into it really makes it worth its weight in paper, at the very least. If you're going to get "The Peloponnesian War," go all out and get this version.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Edition of a Great Book
Review: Thuycidides claimed to write for posterity and intended to produce "a possession for all time". He succeeded. This edition is a combination of an excellent translation, excellent maps, excellent commentary, and excellent background essays. It will be the standard in English for decades to come.
Rating:
Summary: Classic history and fine editing
Review: What a magnificent job the editor did on this already great work. In addition to Thucydide's classic history, the editor added numerous maps, notes and other explainations to help the modern reader in following the Peloponnesian War narrative.
Thucydides is of course necessary reading for any historian whether at an undergraduate or graduate level. He established a standard of verification of facts and actions, unlike Herodotus whose great work included much myth and commonly accepted incorrect information. Thucydides had the admittedly added advantage of being an observer to a vast amount of the goings on in during this period being himself a soldier and then a general in the Athenian army.
Fine reading and, again, an excellent editing of the original work.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent rendition of an ancient classic of history
Review: What a magnificent job the editor did on this already great work. In addition to Thucydides classic history, the editor added numerous maps, notes and other explainations to help the modern reader in following the drama of the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides is must reading for any historian, whether at an undergraduate or graduate level. He is in fact must reading for any follower of history or political science. He established the original standard of verification of facts and actions, unlike Herodotus whose great work included much myth and commonly accepted incorrect information. Thucydides had the admittedly added advantage of being an observer to a vast amount of the goings on in during this period being himself a soldier and general in the Athenian army. A great edition of a classic history.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic!!
Review: What can one say about a new comprehensive edition of Thucydides' masterpiece, except good job! THe footnotes maps and appendicies are all comprehensive and detailed and esspecially useful to the novice reader. THe translation is excellent. Thucydides was notorius even in antiquity for being difficult. This translation is definitly superior to others I have read in the past. Thucydides, who was probably the greatest historian of the Greco-Roman world is well served by this translation which also pays due and deserved homage to Thucydides inovations. Such as his dating system and his relentless search for truth. If this new edition gets people who wouldn't look at the Penguin edition reading Thucydides than a great service weill have been performed.
Rating:
Summary: The Translation for the Layman
Review: When I first bought this book I was a little frightened. After all, Thucydides did not write for the common man. I mean a translation of a book from Ancient Greek seemed scary to me. But once I started reading this book the pages whizzed by.The introduction is not hard to read at all and that sets the setting for the book. Strassler excellently summarizes each chapter and makes even the toughest chapters easy to understand. The appendices make the book even easier to understand and comprehend. Thucydides was actually enjoyable. The footnotes were an extra help. Even if you do not get to read everyday, Strassler's book is fun to read. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ancient history, military history, or any other type of history. Do not be intimidated.
Rating:
Summary: Give it another try
Review: When I was supposed to read Thucydides in high school, I found it shear torture for the monumental effort required to keep all the names, places, and incidents in order. Without that effort (which was a bit much to ask of a high schooler, and thus not provided, and entirely too much of a hard working full timer and father) the work became an incomprehensible mass of names that appeared to have only cadence in common and events that seemed recalled by T. as if regaling us with a disjointed story at the bar.
This book solves that problem by providing detailed, comprehensive, and eminently coherent footnotes, maps, and appendices that explain everything you need to know (and then some) to understand the story T. is telling. It is a tremendous translation, making the nigh incomprehensible crystal clear even to one of the least motivation. And as such, it has revealed to me a work that is relevant, important, and meaningful for all times and especially at these times.
This work should be read by everyone, and especially by us heirs of Western Civilization. Now there is a medium that conveys that work clearly and coherently.
Give it another try.
Also see National Review Online for more articles by Victor Davis Hanson. They usually are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect frame for Thucydides' timeless portrait .
Review: While this book is probably targeted to the college history major just embarking on the study of Thucydides' classic, it serves equally well for that dying breed, the general reader looking for serious but lively narrative history. The introduction, notes, backround information, and maps are all helpful in getting one over one's trepidation in the face of such a daunltess classic. The book is handsomely presented, the print size is thankfully generous (no squinting) and Thucydides is just as profound and eloquent as he was 24 centuries ago. I too hope with a previous reviewer that he is now working on Herodotus.
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