The History of Herodotus (International Collectors Library)

[vi], 544 pp. Brown leatherette boards, gilt titles and decorations, top edge gilt, ribbon marker bound in, illustrated endpapers. Translated by George Rawlinson, edited by Manuel Komroff. Includes: Clio; Euterpe; Thalia; Melpomne; Terpsichore; Erato; Polymnia; Urania; Calliope; Index. "The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. Written about 440 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories tells the story of the war between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. Herodotus travelled extensively around the ancient world, conducting interviews and collecting stories for his book. The Histories is divided into nine books, each named after one of the Muses. The rise of the Persian Empire is chronicled, and the causes for the conflict with Greece. Herodotus treats the conflict as an ideological one, frequently contrasting the absolute power of the Persian king with the democratic government of the Greeks. The Histories contains a famous account of the Battle of Marathon. Herodotus' Histories in popular culture: In the movie The English Patient, Herodotus' work is a favorite of the main character, whose life journeys are similar to those of Herodotus. The work is continually referenced throughout, particularly in the campfire scene. Many films have dramatised the battle of Thermopylae where king Leonidas of Sparta with his 300 bodyguards along with a few thousand militiamen from other Greek cities hold the pass from the Persian army. This was done most recently (and least accurately) in the film 300. In Neil Gaiman's American Gods, the main character, Shadow, is introduced to Herodotus's Histories by his cellmate, and the work is referrenced throughout the novel."