Thucydides - Book II

Thucydides – Book II (1961) by E. C. Marchant – Macmillan

ISBN: None
Condition: Good
Published: 1961
Provenance: Ex-school copy from Old Palace School, Croydon
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when international disputes were settled through diplomacy, military alliances, political manoeuvring and, when all else failed, the enthusiastic slaughter of enormous numbers of people. Unfortunately, that time appears to have lasted approximately two and a half thousand years and shows remarkably little sign of ending.

Welcome to Thucydides – Book II, presented in this 1961 Macmillan edition by E. C. Marchant, a scholarly excursion into one of history’s most celebrated accounts of warfare, political ambition and humanity’s extraordinary capacity for making everything considerably worse.

Thucydides was an Athenian historian and military commander whose account of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta established him as one of the founding figures of historical inquiry.

Unlike earlier historians, he showed comparatively little enthusiasm for attributing disasters to quarrelsome gods, preferring instead to investigate strategic miscalculations, political rivalries, human weakness and the unfortunate consequences of everybody believing themselves to be entirely reasonable.

Book II covers the early years of the conflict, including the outbreak of hostilities, the celebrated Funeral Oration of Pericles and the devastating plague that struck Athens.

Pericles delivers a magnificent defence of Athenian democracy, civic responsibility and national greatness, although the circumstances rather undermine the celebratory atmosphere. The plague subsequently demonstrates that military supremacy offers remarkably little protection against disease, social collapse or administrative confusion.

Some historical lessons, it seems, require rather frequent repetition.

This particular copy has an additional attraction: it is an ex-school book from Old Palace School in Croydon.

One can imagine generations of pupils confronting Thucydides’ formidable Greek prose, wrestling with unfamiliar grammatical constructions while discovering that ancient politicians were apparently just as argumentative, ambitious and occasionally incompetent as their modern counterparts.

The pupils were presumably expected to admire the intellectual achievements of classical Athens while simultaneously learning that its inhabitants spent a remarkable amount of time making war upon their neighbours.

An excellent preparation for understanding international relations, if not necessarily for passing a Greek examination.

Condition: Good. A respectable 1961 Macmillan edition showing the expected signs of age, handling and previous institutional ownership. Its school provenance adds an appealing historical dimension, recalling an era when classical Greek formed part of a serious education and pupils were expected to translate ancient accounts of catastrophe without electronic assistance.

Naturally, there is no ISBN. The Athenians managed democracy, philosophy and warfare without international book-numbering systems, although they would doubtless have established a committee to consider introducing one.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where classical scholarship is welcomed, institutional survivors are appreciated, and nobody is required to translate a funeral oration before completing a purchase.

A fascinating addition to any collection of ancient history, classical Greek literature, educational memorabilia or vintage academic books.

Proof that military technology changes, empires rise and fall, but human folly remains magnificently consistent.

Keep browsing: See more Ancient Classics books Other books by EC Marchant