Song of Wrath: The Peloponnesian War Begins

New York: Basic Books; Perseus, 2010. vii, 566 pages, illustrations, maps; 25 cm. Near fine. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Light shelfwear to boards, age toning. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by arrangement. "Song of Wrath tells the story of Classical Athens' victorious Ten Years' War (431-421 BC) against grim Sparta -- the first decade of the terrible Peloponnesian War that turned the Golden Age of Greece to lead. Historian J.E. Lendon presents a sweeping tale of pitched battles by land and sea, sieges, sacks, raids, and deeds of cruelty and guile -- along with courageous acts of mercy, surprising charity, austere restraint, and arrogant resistance. Recounting the rise of democratic Athens to great-power status, and the resulting fury of authoritarian Sparta, Greece's traditional leader, Lendon portrays the causes and strategy of the war as a duel over national honor, a series of acts of revenge. A story of new pride challenging old, Song of Wrath is the first work of Ancient Greek history for the post-cold-war generation." - Publisher. CONTENTS: Athens and Sparta: the birth of a rivalry; The coming of the Ten Years' War; The war of revenge, 431-430 BC; Odysseus' war, 429-428 BC; The dying of the brave, 427 BC; The new spear, 426 BC; As honorable as circumstances permit, 425 BC; The bronze dream, 424 BC; The bloody march of peace, 424-420 BC; Epilogue; Chronology of events; Glossaries of people, things, and places.. 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. 8vo.