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Hermes Books Series
Herodotus
Herodotus, widely known as the father of history, was also described by Aristotle as a mythologos , or "tale-teller." In this stylish and insightful book, intended for both general readers and students, James Romm argues that the author of the Histories was both a historian―in the original sense of "one who inquires"―and a master storyteller.
Although most ancient historians wrote only about events they themselves had lived through, Herodotus explored an era well before his own time―from the rise of the Persian Empire to the Persian invasions of Greece in 490 and 480 B.C., the heroic fight of the Greeks against the invaders, and the final Greek victory. Working without the aid of written sources, Herodotus traveled widely and wove into his chronology descriptions of people and countries he visited and anecdotes that shed light on their lives and customs. Romm discusses the historical background of Herodotus`s life and work, his moralistic approach to history, his insatiable fascination with people and places, his literary powers, and the question of the historical "truth" behind the stories he relates. He gives general readers a fresh appreciation of the Histories as a work encompassing fiction and nonfiction, myth and history, and poetry and prose. Herodotus becomes not simply a source of historical data but a masterful and artistic author who created a radically new literary genre.
Hermes Books
John Herington, Founding Editor
Although most ancient historians wrote only about events they themselves had lived through, Herodotus explored an era well before his own time―from the rise of the Persian Empire to the Persian invasions of Greece in 490 and 480 B.C., the heroic fight of the Greeks against the invaders, and the final Greek victory. Working without the aid of written sources, Herodotus traveled widely and wove into his chronology descriptions of people and countries he visited and anecdotes that shed light on their lives and customs. Romm discusses the historical background of Herodotus`s life and work, his moralistic approach to history, his insatiable fascination with people and places, his literary powers, and the question of the historical "truth" behind the stories he relates. He gives general readers a fresh appreciation of the Histories as a work encompassing fiction and nonfiction, myth and history, and poetry and prose. Herodotus becomes not simply a source of historical data but a masterful and artistic author who created a radically new literary genre.
Hermes Books
John Herington, Founding Editor
232 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 18, 2013
What a pleasure it is to be in such company: James Romm, a classicist at Bard College, who thinks and writes about classical Greece with such clarity and beauty, and his subject, the incomparable Herodotus. The book is part of a series of studies of ancient Greeks and Romans whose intended audience is the literate but non-specialist reader. The eloquent, witty, and insightful Romm is an excellent choice for Herodotus. You certainly wouldn't want to be reading stuffy academic prose about someone as fresh and curious, original, open, and modern as Herodotus, who developed an entirely new literary genre, encompassing fiction and non-fiction, myth, history, ethnography, and even poetry. Romm's book is a great introduction to Herodotus's great epic tale, the so-called Histories, which charts the rise of the Persian Empire and its ultimate defeat at the hands of the Greeks, as well as everything else that caught Herodotus's interest as he traveled extensively collecting stories and observing local cultures and customs. Makes me want to read the Histories again.
April 22, 2015
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Romm does not give short-shrift to any of the types of interpretation of the text, while at the same time telling you exactly what he thinks one should draw from it.
November 30, 2019
I’ve made half-hearted stabs at Herodotus over the years, but I am now getting ready to tackle him in earnest. This book by James Romm is often recommended as a useful introduction. It’s the first of the Hermes series that I’ve read. This series is aimed at the nonspecialist adult or the “intelligent but uninstructed beginning student,” according to John Herington’s introduction. This book lived up to that aim.
In thirteen brief, well-organized chapters, Romm deals with a variety of topics from the political background of the sixth century BCE to Herodotus as a storyteller. He expects that most who pick up this book will go on to read Herodotus in translation (a bibliographic note in the book discusses some of the notable translations published in the last half of the twentieth century — at least two notable ones have appeared since). Yet Romm explains key Greek terms. An English-speaking reader will find it helpful to know what “history” or “myth” meant to Greek-speakers twenty-five hundred years ago.
Romm only gives an inkling of current scholarly debates, such as whether Herodotus actually traveled to the lands he claims to have visited (Romm sees no inherent difficulty in this assertion). The author who emerges is more of a storyteller than historian in the modern sense of the word. Yet, Romm clearly admires the curiosity and ability of Herodotus. I’m eager to tackle The Histories.
In thirteen brief, well-organized chapters, Romm deals with a variety of topics from the political background of the sixth century BCE to Herodotus as a storyteller. He expects that most who pick up this book will go on to read Herodotus in translation (a bibliographic note in the book discusses some of the notable translations published in the last half of the twentieth century — at least two notable ones have appeared since). Yet Romm explains key Greek terms. An English-speaking reader will find it helpful to know what “history” or “myth” meant to Greek-speakers twenty-five hundred years ago.
Romm only gives an inkling of current scholarly debates, such as whether Herodotus actually traveled to the lands he claims to have visited (Romm sees no inherent difficulty in this assertion). The author who emerges is more of a storyteller than historian in the modern sense of the word. Yet, Romm clearly admires the curiosity and ability of Herodotus. I’m eager to tackle The Histories.
January 6, 2023
让人惊喜的作品，全书以“习俗”为主线，按照历史中的诸民族和主要人物面对“习俗”的态度，对希罗多德笔下的历史进行了逻辑性极强的分析。作者以非常轻松和清晰且完全不媚俗的笔调，将希罗多德笔下的众多历史事件和诸多国家人物，都还原到了其本身的历史环境中，在阅读过程中不断感到恍然大悟。
March 24, 2012
A very neatly written introduction to the Herodotean studies. It poses some extremely interesting questions and answers some others. No description of the Persian Wars is intended but rather an all-encompassing description of the first historian and his epic work.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews