John's review of The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition
The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition by Thucydides
This is the story of the tragic self-destruction of ancient Greece. Though the book itself was probably written for political purposes (an "internal" brief, written to help guide policy-making) it has been read for generations as the moving, human story of the destruction of fragile goodness through ignorance and hubris. In this story of the 30-years-long civil war between Sparta and Athens, the reader witnesses great--and real--events that involve tyranny, freedom, nobility, ruthlessness, beauty, disgrace, wisdom, foolishness, and also great political events, including invasion, war, revolution, and more. The book weaves together Thucydides own narrative with many (memorable) speeches by the great figures of the day. This is surely one of the dozen most worthwhile books for anyone to read and reread.
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