Herodotus and the Question Why

Reviews / Votes

[An] excellent new book...Herodotus and the Question Why offers a comprehensive, rigorous and engaging introduction not only to Herodotus, but to many other Greek authors too: for this reason alone, it is highly recommended reading not only for scholars...In a time when we risk getting caught in narrow, fatalistic modes of explanation, Christopher Pelling celebrates open-minded, multiform and sometimes uncertain approaches to the question 'why.' (Times Literary Supplement) [An] epic tome...There are not many scholars alive who could match the depth and breadth of Pelling's understanding of Herodotus; this work lays it all on the table. Every page shows his careful thought, meticulous attention to detail, and desire to push the envelope in our reassessment of the much-maligned historian. The work is a monument to Pelling's enduring fascination with Herodotus, and it shows that there is always more to be learned. (Ancient World Magazine) [Readers] interested in Herodotus's approach to recording history and his mode of historical explanation will find Pelling's book an engaging work of consummate scholarship...Essential. (CHOICE) [Pelling] works his way through the Herodotean narrative sedulously and with meticulous attention to detail...In a short review it is impossible to illustrate adequately the mass of material in this book, the subtlety of argument and interpretation, and the complex balance of perspectives...[Herodotus and the Question Why] is complex and demanding, but compellingly readable. Pelling deploys an amazingly wide range of material, ancient and modern, with remarkable lucidity. (Greece & Rome) There is much that is excellent in Pelling's book. It is comprehensive in scope, treating an impressive number of Herodotean passages. At the same time it is well-structured and argued, with each chapter flowing easily into the next...Pelling has produced a book that has a definite Herodotean feel to it: sweeping, rich, and thought-provoking. Readers will come away with renewed respect for Herodotus' overall historiographic achievement and especially for the dogged nature of Herodotus' attempts to get at the reason why things happened. (Bryn Mawr Classical Review) Erudite and wide-ranging. (Polis)