10-19-2011, 09:14 AM
I am a 26-year-old with no formal background in history, but a passion for reading about the past ever since childhood. Today I am an editor by trade, so these are not from the perspective of a historian or scholar, just someone who enjoys a good read.
About two-thirds of these were Penguin paperbacks.
Herodotus - The Histories
A very long work that remains readable and exciting throughout. Herodotus obviously would have been an extremely interesting person to meet. His enthusiasm and good humor show in his writing. He also had traveled widely and had far-ranging eastern contacts, and his description of the Persians was more objective than I expected. There are lots of great descriptions of small Thracian and Scythian tribes too.
Herodotus also had a flair for narrative and brings his story to climax toward the end. Very much worth reading... try taking it to the beach and reading the chapter on Egypt.
Thucydides - History of the Peloponnesian War
A better historian than Herodotus but also a tougher read. You're also going to want a map with as many Greek cities as possible. There's very thought-provoking stuff about assassinations, political upheaval, war crimes, disease and extortion, but it's not the most pleasant thing to read. Thucydides did have access to many first-hand accounts, and he lived in a very crucial period of Greek history.
Polybius - The Histories
Polybius also lived in a very crucial period of history, and traveled to many of the sites he wrote about. But he also brags about traveling to those sites he wrote about, and his incessant criticism of Timaeus is a bit over-the-top at times, making him seem small and petty. He should have taken a cue from the classier Thucydides, who took a subtle shot at Herodotus in his preface without being overly judgmental or conceited. That said, he covered the period of Rome's ascendancy over Carthage and Macedon better than any other historian whose work is extant.
Plutarch - Parallel Lives
These little vignettes are almost like long magazine articles and make for excellent reading. Plutarch was a thoughtful and engaging writer who will draw comparisons to other ancient figures as asides. And perhaps the best thing about Plutarch is that so much of his work survives.
Julius Caesar - The Gallic War
Everybody should read this book so they can see how sharp Caesar's prose was. The man was as brilliant a writer as he was a general and statesman. He also gives some interesting, if not 100% factual, ethnographies of British and German tribes. I don't want to give much of the story away, but events of the war naturally make for compelling reading too.
More to come.
About two-thirds of these were Penguin paperbacks.
Herodotus - The Histories
A very long work that remains readable and exciting throughout. Herodotus obviously would have been an extremely interesting person to meet. His enthusiasm and good humor show in his writing. He also had traveled widely and had far-ranging eastern contacts, and his description of the Persians was more objective than I expected. There are lots of great descriptions of small Thracian and Scythian tribes too.
Herodotus also had a flair for narrative and brings his story to climax toward the end. Very much worth reading... try taking it to the beach and reading the chapter on Egypt.
Thucydides - History of the Peloponnesian War
A better historian than Herodotus but also a tougher read. You're also going to want a map with as many Greek cities as possible. There's very thought-provoking stuff about assassinations, political upheaval, war crimes, disease and extortion, but it's not the most pleasant thing to read. Thucydides did have access to many first-hand accounts, and he lived in a very crucial period of Greek history.
Polybius - The Histories
Polybius also lived in a very crucial period of history, and traveled to many of the sites he wrote about. But he also brags about traveling to those sites he wrote about, and his incessant criticism of Timaeus is a bit over-the-top at times, making him seem small and petty. He should have taken a cue from the classier Thucydides, who took a subtle shot at Herodotus in his preface without being overly judgmental or conceited. That said, he covered the period of Rome's ascendancy over Carthage and Macedon better than any other historian whose work is extant.
Plutarch - Parallel Lives
These little vignettes are almost like long magazine articles and make for excellent reading. Plutarch was a thoughtful and engaging writer who will draw comparisons to other ancient figures as asides. And perhaps the best thing about Plutarch is that so much of his work survives.
Julius Caesar - The Gallic War
Everybody should read this book so they can see how sharp Caesar's prose was. The man was as brilliant a writer as he was a general and statesman. He also gives some interesting, if not 100% factual, ethnographies of British and German tribes. I don't want to give much of the story away, but events of the war naturally make for compelling reading too.
More to come.
