Herodotus’s history is the earliest continuous prose narrative in Western literature. His long narrative—longer than either of the Homeric epics—continues to hold us spellbound because of the author’s storytelling powers and intelligent curiosity.

The perfect introduction to Herodotus, this Norton Critical Edition includes the complete text of The Histories. The translation is fully annotated and is accompanied by an introduction, a chronology of events, and a note on the Persian Wars. Seven maps—all new to the Second Edition—give readers a visual understanding of events and places, 490–479 B.C.E.

“Backgrounds” includes a rich collection of historical works by Aeschylus, Bacchylides, Thucydides, Aristotle, and Plutarch. New to the Second Edition are contrasting accounts, by Diodorus of Sicily and Strabo, of the Amazons who were believed to be living in the mountainous regions.

“Commentaries” is divided into two sections. Early modern interpretations are represented by Isaac Taylor, John Stuart Mill, and Thomas Babington Macaulay. Seventeen modern assessments—three of them new to the Second Edition—focus on historical origins and backgrounds, Herodotus’s place in history, and central issues concerning both the Persian Wars and Herodotus’s reckoning of them. The new contributors are François Hartog, James Redfield, and Siep Stuurman.

A Glossary, Selected Bibliography, and Index are also included.