Donald Kagan’s Followers (234)

Donald Kagan

Born

in Kuršėnai, Lithuania

May 01, 1932

Died

August 06, 2021

Genre

History

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Donald Kagan (May 1, 1932 – August 6, 2021) was a Lithuanian-born American historian and classicist at Yale University specializing in ancient Greece. He formerly taught in the Department of History at Cornell University. Kagan was considered among the foremost American scholars of Greek history and is notable for his four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War.

Combine Editions
Donald Kagan’s books

Average rating: 4.02 · 9,138 ratings · 537 reviews · 128 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Peloponnesian War 4.13 avg rating — 5,260 ratings — published 2003 — 35 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace 4.04 avg rating — 725 ratings — published 1994 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Archidamian War 3.77 avg rating — 706 ratings — published 1974 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War 3.94 avg rating — 446 ratings — published 1969 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thucydides: The Reinvention of History 3.88 avg rating — 428 ratings — published 2009 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy 3.94 avg rating — 297 ratings — published 1990 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fall of the Athenian Empire 4.09 avg rating — 282 ratings — published 1987 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition 4.26 avg rating — 190 ratings — published 1981 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Western Heritage Since 1300 by Donald Kagan, Steven E. Ozment, Frank M. Turner 3.47 avg rating — 229 ratings — published 1983 — 103 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece by Donald Kagan (editor), Gregory F. Viggiano (Editor) 3.83 avg rating — 89 ratings — published 2013 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Donald Kagan…

Series by Donald Kagan

The Peloponnesian War (5 books)
by

Donald Kagan

3.94 avg rating — 1,667 ratings

Quotes by Donald Kagan (?)

“These georgoi in turn shaped the ideals, institutions, and culture that gave rise to the polis. Unlike any prior civilization, the culture of the Greek polis combined citizen militias with the rule of law. That involved having a broad middle class of independent small landowners that met in assemblies where the votes of these nonelite determined laws, and foreign and domestic policy. These smallholders gained in status as population growth in the ninth and eighth centuries forced an agricultural revolution. Labor-intensive farming of marginal lands came to replace the Dark Age pastoral economy. This required a growth in private landownership, which motivated georgoi to assume the risks involved in cultivating land that was unproductive using traditional farming techniques. These farmers created the ritual of hoplite warfare to decide disputes in a manner that did not contradict their agrarian agenda. The georgoi and their agrarian ideology became the driving force behind the hoplite revolution during the early seventh century.”
― Donald Kagan, Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece

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“Philolaus of Corinth (about 730 B.C.?) had supposedly enacted regulations ensuring that the farms at Thebes might remain the same number in perpetuity. The Corinthian Pheidon, “one of the most ancient of the lawgivers,” purportedly argued that the population and the number of plots ought always to remain roughly equal. An even more shadowy figure, Phaleas the Chalcedonian, advanced the concept that all citizens of the polis ought to hold equal amounts of property.148”
― Donald Kagan, Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece

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“The hoplites drove the tyrants from power and created broad oligarchies in their place.”
― Donald Kagan, Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece

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Polls

Spotlighted Book Discussion Poll I - October 26, 2011

This is a poll that adds other books to our listing of potential non fiction books to discuss and also helps the moderators determine which one or ones are the most popular. Since we have many more group members than when we first started; voting in the polls is very important. There will be a series of polls. Many of these books have been recommended by group members but were either not selected before nor voted upon before.

Vote for the book that you would most like to read and/or is the book that you believe that would appeal to the most group members.

Note:

We have added some of the books nominated thus far but we have more to add to other polls. However, this poll was getting quite large.

However, if you do not see your favorite book on this list; then just comment or pop me a note and I will immediately add it to this poll.

You can always change your vote at any time; so nothing is lost. There are some books which have been nominated by the same author; however, skip over those if the particular author does not suit you and vote for your favorite or for one you or others might want to read.

Before making your selection, please try to look up your choice and make sure it really is a book you are interested in or you think others would be; do not be lured in by the title. Also, check out the author and what others have said about the book before you (reviewers who you trust). Then of course, make your selection.

And if you do not see your favorite, just contact me and I will add it to the poll.

Stacy Schiff

Cleopatra: A Life

18 votes, 10.7%

Hero The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda

by Michael Korda

Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia

13 votes, 7.7%

A Country of Vast Designs James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent by Robert W. Merry

by Robert W. Merry

A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent

12 votes, 7.1%

by Philip Freeman

Alexander the Great

12 votes, 7.1%

The Storm of War A New History of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts

by Andrew Roberts

The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War

12 votes, 7.1%

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett

Allison Hoover Bartlett

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession

10 votes, 5.9%

Laura Hillenbrand

9 votes, 5.3%

Horse Soldiers The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton

by Doug Stanton

Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers

7 votes, 4.1%

The Clockwork Universe Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World by Edward Dolnick

by Edward Dolnick

The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society and the Birth of the Modern World

6 votes, 3.6%

Newton and the Counterfeiter The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist by Thomas Levenson

by Thomas Levenson

Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist

5 votes, 3.0%

A History of God The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong

A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

5 votes, 3.0%

The Idea of America Reflections on the Birth of the United States by Gordon S. Wood

Gordon S. Wood

The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States

4 votes, 2.4%

The Ascent of Money A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

4 votes, 2.4%

The Painter's Chair George Washington and the Making of American Art by Hugh Howard

by Hugh Howard

The Painter's Chair: George Washington and the Making of American Art

4 votes, 2.4%

Paul Johnson

Churchill

3 votes, 1.8%

A History of the American People by Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

A History of the American People

3 votes, 1.8%

The Birth of Modern Politics Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828 (Pivotal Moments in American History) by Lynn Hudson Parsons

by Lynn Hudson Parsons

The Birth of Modern Politics: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams and the Election of 1828

3 votes, 1.8%

Winston's War Churchill, 1940-1945 by Max Hastings

Max Hastings

Winston's War: Churchill, 1940-1945

3 votes, 1.8%

U. S. Grant American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh

Joan Waugh

U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth

3 votes, 1.8%

Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy by Donald Kagan

by Donald Kagan

Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy

3 votes, 1.8%

Letters from America by Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville

Letters from America

3 votes, 1.8%

Destiny Disrupted A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary

by Tamim Ansary

Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes

3 votes, 1.8%

Modern Times The World from the 20s to the 90s by Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

Modern Times: The World from the 20s to the 90s

2 votes, 1.2%

George W. Bush

Decision Points

2 votes, 1.2%

Tony Blair

The Journey

2 votes, 1.2%

The Age of Wonder How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes

Richard Holmes

The Age of Wonder

2 votes, 1.2%

The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments by George B. Johnson

by George B. Johnson

The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments

2 votes, 1.2%

Thucydides The Reinvention of History by Donald Kagan

Donald Kagan

Thucydides: The Reinvention of History

2 votes, 1.2%

by Gary W. Gallagher

The Union War

2 votes, 1.2%

Civilization The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson

Civilization: The West and the Rest

2 votes, 1.2%

God's Battalions The Case for the Crusades by Rodney Stark

Rodney Stark

God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades

2 votes, 1.2%

Adam Smith

The Wealth of Nations

2 votes, 1.2%

Courage and Consequence My Life as a Conservative in the Fight by Karl Rove

Karl Rove

Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight

1 vote, 0.6%

Party over Section The Rough and Ready Presidential Election of 1848 (American Presidential Elections) by Joel H. Silbey

by Joel H. Silbey

Party Over Section: The Rough and Ready Presidential Election of 1848

1 vote, 0.6%

Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Living History

1 vote, 0.6%

Madam Secretary A Memoir by Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright

Madam Secretary: A Memoir

1 vote, 0.6%

Jesus A Biography, from a Believer by Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

Jesus: A Biography from a Believer

0 votes, 0.0%

A History of the Jews (Perennial Library) by Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

A History of the Jews

0 votes, 0.0%

A History of Christianity by Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

A History of Christianity

0 votes, 0.0%

Stephen R. Bown

Merchant Kings

0 votes, 0.0%

The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith

Adam Smith

The Theory of Moral Sentiments

0 votes, 0.0%

169 total votes

16 comments

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Donald Kagan’s Followers (234)

Donald Kagan

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Donald Kagan’s books