Michelle in AL Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I'm on my third try of attempting to read this book. I've never got past the 1st book. I don't know if it's this particular translation, but I can't keep anything (cities or characters) straight in my head. Does it have a great literary or historical value we'll miss if we skip it? We're using this in Omnibus. The only other book we'll probably skip so far is 12 Cesaers. Thanks for your opinion, Michelle in AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Fingers in ears. Don't say that! I've been reading it to prepare for OI and I can't keep the people/places straight either. This is *only* my first attempt, though; 522 pages to go :tongue_smilie: ... I keep telling myself it's of the utmost importance and I did enjoy the part where he explained how horses are afraid of camels and that's how some group defeated some other group. My most pressing question is how "Herodotus" is pronounced. I feel quite certain that if I was confident in my pronunciation, the whole book will just fall into place. :glare: Surely some crazy historian has made a movie? PBS? The BBC? I'm sorry that I am of absolutely no help to you, but I *can* sympathize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 And still found it hard to chew. I hope to finish it someday. I'm a good way through the "adult" translation of the book. My son, however, has been spared. No Herodotus for him...and there are a few other books we are skipping. If, however, you want an easier version of Last Days of Socrates, let me know. My dd read it in college philosophy class, and they used a version rewritten by a couple of profs that is much easier to read--modern English! LOL! I'll dig up the address where it can be purchased for anyone who wants it. We are going to skip a few at the end of Omnibus. Yeah! J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 OK Susan, I'm laughing with you :lol: Let me know how it turns out, because I think I'm moving on to the next one. I can just picture the girls and I reading this and they rolling on the floor in pain. The only bad thing is I have nothing to read tonight (unless someone else can convince me of the Histories worth). Jean, I'd love to know the recommendation for the Last Days of Socrates. Thanks, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I tried to read the "other" editions. Grrrrrrrr!!!!! Check to see if your library has this one. WONDERFUL explanations in the side-bars and footnotes at the bottom of almost EVERY page, pictures, and maps, maps, maps! Well Done!!!! Check out the praise on Amazon. It really is MUCH better than the other editions! ISBN 0375421092 The Landmark Herodotus http://www.amazon.com/Landmark-Herodotus-Histories/dp/0375421092/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208342005&sr=8-1 Peace, Janice in NJ Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I didn't even attempt to read it straight through. Even the old Penguin Classic )small print, no pictures) is OK if you read about an event (say Thermopylae) in a history book or story (or movie) look at a map, then read about the same event in Herodotus. The main problem is that "we" have no (real) idea who and where the histories take place, so it's like reading meaningless babble. (I know we all know its about the area around the Mediteranean, but that's not detailed enough to make it interesting.) The Landmark edition sounds neat. Now I'll have to go look for it.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 None of my kids have read the book cover to cover. We referenced it a couple of times this year. (Working through the ancients - grades 5, 7, and 9) I had WAY different goals this year for my 9th grader than I "thought" I would have. Isn't life grand - plans never seem to completely intersect with reality around here! :001_smile: The new edition is on the shelf. Someday *I* hope to have the time to read it cover to cover myself. (I really LIKE the physical book. It's appealing.) But I do want to let you know that if I WAS going to attempt to use this title with a 9th grader, there is NO WAY I would make him plow through one of those other editions. Even a student with a SOLID grasp of geography is going to have a hard go of it. Many of the names of people and places have changed. Can you say flip, flip, flip to the footnotes AND still feel bewildered!!!!! (I tried. I really did. And then I dubbed myself a dolt and slid it back onto the shelf. :D) I suspect that if Herodotus had possessed the technology to add maps to his "book," he would have! IMHO they are SO important when trying to convey history! Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Oh - P.S. There is an edition of Thucydides too! http://www.amazon.com/Landmark-Thucydides-Comprehensive-Guide-Peloponnesian/dp/0684827905/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208348622&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbiec Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 We skipped 12 Caesars too, but Herodotus was my ds's favorite book of the lot :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Elizabeth Vandiver has a Teaching Company Course to go with this book. Herodotus: The Father of History She is EXCELLENT. A Terrific Teacher! See if your library has it. You could watch a lecture and then read from the text. (The course notes will give you the correct book numbers for each lecture.) It might REALLY help you over the rough spots. Maybe check your library. http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=2353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda in NM Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Well, I was sort of a classics major in college (English/German/Latin/French), and I've never read it--I'm old, and I enjoy my life :-)...I'm not going to have my son read it, either...FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in PA Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I agree about the Landmark version. My husband loves it. He asked for it as an anniversary gift. I know we are quite boring.:) He asked Veritas Press to add it to their new catalog and I believe they did. It is his all-time favorite book to read and teach through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks Janice, our library doesn't have this version, but I did see it at Amazon. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who had a hard time with this. Blessings, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 She took the Omnibus I course online, and they read Herodotus cover to cover. As I asked her about it this morning, her eyes just lit up!:001_huh: She says that in places it is very dry, but that the key to understanding Herodotus is embracing his "wandering" style. The gems, she says, are contained in his fascinating observations about different cultures. I have seen Herodotus referenced in many other books, articles, etc., so even though I have never read this book (I know my time limitations) I thoroughly admire all you Moms (and Dads) out there who are making the attempt. Stay with it! Apparently it's worth it;). Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 gossipy in others, and sometimes just odd. My son loved it. Will your intellectual life be forever stunted if you skip it? No. Is there any value in reading it? Yes. I have to admit that I learned to appreciate Herodotus only after reading Thucydides, Euseubius, Gregory of Tours, Bede, and so on. Also, I seem to remember that there are a few short passages that some folks may find less than edifying. I do remember my son laughing over a couple of references to "breaking wind" in both Herodotus and History of the Franks. I hope that he remembers more than just those parts. FWIW,I went so far as to, gasp, remove some explicit pages from one of the English annalists. [i was sure that the book police would arrest me for that one.] We waited to read The Twelve Caesars until I felt ds was ready and did so only after discussing some of the social background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I tried to read the "other" editions. Grrrrrrrr!!!!! Check to see if your library has this one. WONDERFUL explanations in the side-bars and footnotes at the bottom of almost EVERY page, pictures, and maps, maps, maps! Well Done!!!! Check out the praise on Amazon. It really is MUCH better than the other editions! ISBN 0375421092 The Landmark Herodotus http://www.amazon.com/Landmark-Herodotus-Histories/dp/0375421092/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208342005&sr=8-1 Peace, Janice in NJ Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Teaching Company lecture(s?) on Herodotus by Elizabeth Vandiver. I had no idea there was a version that was easier to digest. We did read and finish Herodotus last year, per Omnibus, and my girls and I thought parts of it were rather hilarious. I don't mean to be unkind to poor Herodotus (after all, he's not here to defend himself), but we thought of him as the "gossip columnist" of the Greeks---at least the first part of the book. The latter part, detailing the wars with Persia, was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 As I've been reading, I've thought constantly how much easier it would be if I had some ancient maps! Since I'm entering the "curriculum purchasing" phase, I may just buy this one (library doesn't carry this one.) Julie, you just never can tell what your dh will read for fun...my dh is reading my "$2 used curriculum sale" copy of Lial's Intermediate Algebra before bed. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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