The Peloponnesian War - by Donald Kagan (Paperback)

About the Book

One of the world's foremost historians presents a fresh look at the greatest war of ancient Greece and a pivotal moment in Western civilization that still resonates today.

Book Synopsis

A chronicle of the rise and fall of a great empire, and an examination of the dark times that still resonate today

For three decades in the fifth century b.c., the ancient world was torn apart by a conflict that was as dramatic, divisive, and destructive as the world wars of the twentieth century: the Peloponnesian War. Donald Kagan, one of the world's most respected classical, political, and military historians, presents a new account of this vicious war of Greek against Greek, Athenian against Spartan.

The Peloponnesian War is a magisterial work of history written for general readers, offering a fresh examination of a pivotal moment in Western civilization. This lively, readable narrative conveys a richly detailed portrait of a vanished world while honoring its timeless relevance.

Review Quotes

"The best account [of the Peloponnesian War] now available." --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A fresh, clear and fast-moving account... for general readers." --The New York Times Book Review

"Drawing on incomparable knowledge as a classicist, international relations theorist and military historian, Donald Kagan... has devoted a single volume to guiding us through that epic of miscalculation, hubris and strategic overreach, supplyingsupplemental observations and correctives to Thucydides' classic History of the Peloponnesian War." --The Washington Post

About the Author

Donald Kagan is Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale University. His four-volume History of the Peloponnesian War is the leading scholarly work on the subject. He is also the author of many books on ancient and modern topics.