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Thermopylae: The Battle for the West
Thermopylae The Battle for the West
Author: Ernle Bradford
"A gripping story." --Economist An impressively accessible narrative depicting the three-day battle for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates)--a critical contest in Xerxes's massive invasion of Greece. The bloody stand made there by Leonidas and his small Spartan army in 480 B.C. has been hailed ever since as an outstanding example of p...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780306805318
ISBN-10: 0306805316
Publication Date: 9/1993
Pages: 254
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 6

3.9 stars, based on 6 ratings
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

buzzby avatar reviewed Thermopylae: The Battle for the West on + 6062 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
It's actually a history of the entire Greco-Persian war of 480BC, and some of the history surrounding it. This was written by a WW2 military man, not a historian, and given his comments on ancient bureaucracy, didn't make it up into the top echelons of the military. Very readable and interesting. He throws in several rather dated perspectives, such as Greek culture being superior to Persian culture, and talking about the hot-tempered Greek personality several times. However, he takes pains to show the Persians in a favorable light, and explains how if conditions had been a little different, the Persians may have been successful.
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hopplegirl avatar reviewed Thermopylae: The Battle for the West on + 25 more book reviews
Very good book.
buzzby avatar reviewed Thermopylae: The Battle for the West on + 6062 more book reviews
Written in 1980 by an ex-naval person, it actually covers all 5 battles (including Salamis and Sicily) fought during the Persian invasion of 480-479. (there probably isn't enough historical evidence to write about any one battle) I was pretty captivated by his writing, although he obviously isn't a professional historian, and probably didn't have a very forceful editor going over his manuscript. He did a pretty good job of trying to get into the heads of all the parties involved. Also, every place he mentioned you could find on a map that was in the book.
reviewed Thermopylae: The Battle for the West on + 3 more book reviews
Purchased this book after seeing the movie, 300, to learn more of the actual facts of the event. Enjoyed the quick, historical account based on Herodutus's writings. About 3/4 of the way through it, I got a little tired of the subject matter, but the book itself was great.


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