Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War
This two-volume edition of The History of the Peloponnesian War by ancient Greek historian Thucydides (c. 460–c. 400 BCE) was published in 1974 by the Limited Editions Club in an edition of 2000 copies signed by the illustrator A. Tassos (1914-1985). The books are bound in cloth with gold-stamped title and author’s name and opposing color schemes on each. The translation was done in the nineteenth century by Welsh writer and academic Richard Crawley (1840-1893) and was revised for this edition by R. C. Feetham. The illustrations by Greek artist Anastasios Alevizos, known professionally as Tassos, were printed in Athens by Aspioti Elka Graphic Arts.
The era of the Peloponnesian Wars (First War 431 BCE - 421 BCE; Second War 413 BCE - 404 BCE) was one of the most pivotal in Greek history, and it would prove to be one of the most monumental events in the Hellenistic world. Thucydides’ account is considered by many scholars and historians to be one of the most comprehensive and thorough telling of the conflict. The two powerheads on either side of the war were Sparta, of the Peloponnesian League, and Athens, of the Delian League, and their conflict would grow to include many of their respective allies and span generations and decades. Thucydides' chronology and narration of the events is something of a rarity in the ancient world, yet his account ends abruptly some years before the end of the War.
The publishing date of this special edition is no coincidental thing; in the late 1960s to early 1970s, there was a surge of interest in the ancient world and history as a whole, especially in Greece where this work was created. After the fall of the dictatorship in 1974, the Greek population as a whole scrambled to reclaim their ancient history and freedom. With the reemergence of Greek art and poetry, the new era of Greece was born.
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-- Gabby, Special Collections Undergraduate Classics Intern.
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