The Persian War: From The Histories

“As near to the horse’s mouth, historically, as you’re likely to get to this epic conflict between Greece and Persia circa 480 BC. Herodotus’ Histories (this is a tiny extract) have been regularly plundered over twenty-five centuries by historians from Thucydides to Tom Holland. Forget 300, Hollywood’s take on Thermopylae. Listen to the way Herodotus sets the scene: ‘West of Thermopylae rises a lofty and precipitous hill, impossible to climb, which runs up into the chain of Oeta, while to the east the road is shut in by the sea and by marshes. In this place are the warm springs which the natives call the Cauldrons, and above them stands an altar sacred to Heracles…’ Pithy, informative, entertaining—the real McCoy.” —Guardian (London)

“A conscientious and energetic rendering of an uncredited eighteenth or nineteenth-century translation of this masterpiece by the father of modern historians. With never-flagging artistry, Marsden does everything an actor can do to hide how difficult this book is to read aloud. Who’d have thought that such a raspy voice could be so pleasant and expressive?…[A] fine production.” —AudioFile