Herodotus's history is the earliest continuous prose narrative in
Western literature. His long narrative--longer than either of the
Homeric epics--continues to hold us spellbound because of the author's
storytelling powers and intelligent curiosity.
The perfect introduction to Herodotus, this Norton Critical Edition
includes the complete text of The Histories. The translation is fully
annotated and is accompanied by an introduction, a chronology of events,
and a note on the Persian Wars. Seven maps--all new to the Second
Edition--give readers a visual understanding of events and places,
490-479 B.C.E.
"Backgrounds" includes a rich collection of historical works by
Aeschylus, Bacchylides, Thucydides, Aristotle, and Plutarch. New to the
Second Edition are contrasting accounts, by Diodorus of Sicily and
Strabo, of the Amazons who were believed to be living in the mountainous
regions.
"Commentaries" is divided into two sections. Early modern
interpretations are represented by Isaac Taylor, John Stuart Mill, and
Thomas Babington Macaulay. Seventeen modern assessments--three of them
new to the Second Edition--focus on historical origins and backgrounds,
Herodotus's place in history, and central issues concerning both the
Persian Wars and Herodotus's reckoning of them. The new contributors are
François Hartog, James Redfield, and Siep Stuurman.
A Glossary, Selected Bibliography, and Index are also included.
