AnyBook4Less.com
Find the Best Price on the Web
Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Developed by Fintix
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |  
 
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money

The Peloponnesian War

Please fill out form in order to compare prices
Title: The Peloponnesian War
by Donald Kagan
ISBN: 0-670-03211-5
Publisher: Viking Press
Pub. Date: 08 May, 2003
Format: Hardcover
Volumes: 1
List Price(USD): $29.95
Your Country
Currency
Delivery
Include Used Books
Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble
Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.22 (23 reviews)

Customer Reviews

Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent intro and overview; lacks drama
Comment: The Peloponnesian War is one of the most tragic events in the history of Western civilization. Classical Greece made contributions to science and art and thought that have been unsurpassed to this day. However, their inability to unify or cooperate politically put an end to any future achievements. "The Peloponnesian War" is the story of the war which was their downfall. While it was covered in-depth by contemporary historians, primarily Thucydides, Kagan pulls all the ancient sources together and adds the perspective of modern scholarship to tell the complete story. Thucydides can also be a difficult read and Kagan's book is an excellent primer.

My only complaint is that Kagan's writing style is somewhat bland and he fails to inject any sense of "drama" to the events as they unfold. He is often guilty of giving away the outcomes of battles before he describes them to us.

Overall, however, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this war, Classical Greece, or the history of warfare in general.

Rating: 3
Summary: Pro-Athenian View
Comment: Thank the gods! Finally, Thucydides is speaking english. For those who repeatedly hear about the wonders of Thucydides' prose yet can't make it through the entire work, this book is a welcome reprieve. The chronological history of the war and all its precious nuances are delivered to the reader with a true historian's understanding. As a reader who devours Herodotus like candy but can't connect with Thucydides at any point in his work, I found this book to be a valuable resource for the pusuit of information on the Peloponnesian War.

However, I have always been at odds with some of Kagan's points of view. For one, I tend to form my opinions of Alcibiades through my own research. It is apparent that Kagan tends to belittle many of Alcibiades' accomplishments and possibly considers him a bit of a "rogue". And anyone who is familiar with Kagan can attest to his narratives having somewhat of an anti-spartan slant. (Case in point: his palpable dislike for Sparta in his comments during the History Channel's "Rise and Fall of Sparta"). But, just as with any historian, one must read with discretion. Nevertheless, Kagan's effort is greatly appreciated!

Rating: 5
Summary: Remarkable.
Comment: A remarkable book in that it is set in ancient times, yet we know so much not only about what happened, but the political background. Kagan speculates on the actual thinking of the main actors, and his arguments are well reasoned. For the novice, such as myself, I would have appreciated more information on the political parties and military capabilities: Athen's supported the democrats on many islands, but what did that word really mean; a force of over 100,000 Thracians is mentioned - then how come an Alexander the Great didn't arise earlier; archers seemed very successful, what preserved the dominance of the hoplites? I read about half the book, not being sufficiently interested in the details of the war for themselves, but at no time was it dull, and I would recommend it (or part of it) even for readers who are not that interested in this kind of history.

Similar Books:

Title: The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece, from Utopia to Crisis and Collapse
by Paul Cartledge
ISBN: 1585674028
Publisher: Overlook Press
Pub. Date: 15 May, 2003
List Price(USD): $27.95
Title: Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy
by Donald Kagan
ISBN: 0684863952
Publisher: Free Press
Pub. Date: 01 October, 1998
List Price(USD): $18.75
Title: Ripples of Battle : How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think
by Victor Hanson
ISBN: 0385504004
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003
List Price(USD): $27.50
Title: Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
by Robert K. Massie
ISBN: 0679456716
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003
List Price(USD): $35.00
Title: Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda
by John Keegan
ISBN: 0375400532
Publisher: Knopf
Pub. Date: 21 October, 2003
List Price(USD): $30.00

Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!

Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments

Powered by Apache