jaredwsaltz 's review for:

Thucydides: The Reinvention of History by Donald Kagan

5.0

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Kagan's popular-level introduction to Thucydides and historiography in general should be mandated reading for all students of history. This is a popular-level book that nonetheless introduces extremely nuanced issues in an accessible way. Kagan refutes the modern concept that "good history is unbiased history," and instead recognizes and lauds the integral role of the historian in history. It's only by recognizing and appreciating the authorial presentation that we can truly value the information provided. This maximalistic anti-modernistic interpretation is much needed in a world that asks "What is truth?" and very much doubts the value of text as useful in discerning historicity or fact.