Howl's Moving Castle Limited Edition |

Non-Fiction

The Histories

Herodotus

The Histories

Name: The Histories
SKU: HHR
Price: 120 GBP
Availability: InStock
Author: Herodotus

£120

Illustrated By Nick Hayes

Introduced By Peter Frankopan

Translated By Robin Waterfield

Part epic, part travelogue, part tall tale – Herodotus' The Histories is the original great history. With bold illustrations by Nick Hayes and a specially commissioned introduction by Peter Frankopan, this is a vibrant retelling of the world’s first work of history.

Perfect Additions

Homer

The Homeric Epics

£230

Cicero

Cicero: Selected Letters & Speeches

£120

Peter Frankopan

The Silk Roads

£165

Tom Holland

Pax

£70

The Histories

£120

Book Details

Production DetailsThree-quarter bound in blocked cloth with a printed paper front board
Blocked slipcase
Printed endpapers
Text, frontispiece, illustrations and maps printed in blue and black inks throughout
Gilded top edge
Ribbon marker

Dimensions10 × 6¾ inches (25.4 × 17.1 cm)

FontTypeset in Haarlemmer

Pages824

AuthorHerodotus

Illustrated ByNick Hayes

IllustrationFrontispiece, 9 integrated double-page spread illustrations and 2 maps

Publication Date05/05/2026

PrintingFirst Printing

Editor's Notes

In the middle of the 5th century BC, Herodotus travelled the ancient world to investigate its history, its people and its marvels and wonders – and he reported his findings in his great masterpiece, The Histories. The epic drama of the Persian wars forms the heart of the book, but Herodotus's curious and gossipy digressions provide us with the most fabulous entertainment. Whether he was excited by the pyramids of Egypt, the winged snakes of Arabia, the reason why Persians were so good at delivering mail or scurrilous tales of sex, intrigue and murder, he tells all with exuberance and great relish. Never has a two-and-a-half-thousand-year book been this much fun. Nick Hayes's fresh and energetic linocuts are the perfect complement, Peter Frankopan's introduction pays homage to the ‘father of history’, and Robin Waterfield's acclaimed and engaging translation retains all the energy of the original.

Synopsis

In the 5th century BC an adventurous Ionian Greek, Herodotus of Halicarnassus, journeyed extensively through the lands of the eastern Mediterranean, from Egypt to Asia Minor, collecting tales of the upheavals that had afflicted the region in the earlier part of the century. The fruits of his wanderings were The Histories, in which he used his narrative gifts not only to chronicle the rise of the Persian Empire and its war with the Greek city states, but also to recount his experiences with the varied peoples and cultures he had encountered during his journey.

Herodotus earned the nickname ‘the father of history’ for this, the first authentic work of historical writing in the Western literary canon. In it he explored such universal themes as the nature of freedom, the role of religion, the human costs of war, and the dangers of absolute power. But in addition to his narrative of the Greek-Persian conflict, he included in The Histories rich seams of anthropology, ethnography, geology and geography, pioneering these fields of study.

About the Illustrator

Nick Hayes

Nick Hayes is a freelance illustrator and author from the UK who specialises in a traditional art style that is both emotional and expressive in its content. His digital linocut print art style imitates the traditional woodblock and linocut practices.

Nick's two highly acclaimed books, The Book Of Trespass (2021) & The Trespasser's Companion (2022) highlight his deep passion for the conservation of natural areas and incorporate his bold and thoughtful art style. His illustrations celebrate his love for the outdoors and environmentalism, illustrating natural spaces and sustainability.

Nick is a co-founder of the Right to Roam Movement, a campaign that seeks to gain equality for access in the UK, making green spaces and nature accessible and inclusive for all. Nick travels across the UK in his canal boat home, to support a variety of areas in their environmental advocation.

1 of 5

About the Illustrator

Nick Hayes

2 of 5

About the Illustrator

Nick Hayes

3 of 5

About the Illustrator

Nick Hayes

4 of 5

About the Illustrator

Nick Hayes

5 of 5

Few facts are known about the life of Herodotus. He was born around 490 BC in Halicarnassus, on the south-west coast of Asia Minor. He seems to have travelled widely throughout the Mediterranean world, including Egypt, Africa, the area around the Black Sea and throughout many Greek city-states, of both the mainland and the islands. A sojourn in Athens is part of the traditional biography, and there he is said to have given public readings of his work and been friends with the playwright Sophocles. He is said also to have taken part in the founding of the colony of Thurii in Italy in 443 BC. He probably died at some time between 425 and 420 BC. His reputation has varied greatly, but for the ancients and many moderns he well deserves the title (first given to him by Cicero) of ‘the Father of History’.

Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and UNESCO Professor of Silk Roads Studies at King's College, Cambridge. His books include The First Crusade: The Call from the East (2012); The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (2015; Folio 2023), The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World (2018) and The Earth Transformed: An Untold History (2023). He is President of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Geographic Society, the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Anthropological Institute. He works on global geopolitics, on trade and exchange networks in the past and present, on climate and the environment and on the militarisation of space.

How can we help?

Trending

The Histories