Book description
'The first example of non-fiction, the text that underlies the entire discipline of history ... it is above all a treasure trove' Tom Holland
One of the masterpieces of classical literature, The Histories describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Histories as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I first encountered Herodotus—the “Father of History”—when studying Ancient Greek for the UK A-level exams. I read the Greek text laboriously, with help from Aubrey de Selincourt’s translation. My teacher and fellow students could hardly believe that I didn’t find Book Two, which covers the customs of the Egyptians, boring. They were also surprised that I wasn’t contemptuous of Herodotus’s willingness to record what he was told without judgment.
The myth Herodotus created—of a Western world devoted to the rule of law and the freedom of individuals under that law, in opposition to a “despotic” East—has…
From Stephen's list on understanding ancient Mediterranean thought.
If you love The Histories...
The High House
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
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