One of the great things about history, literature, and philosophy is that these subjects have the ability to take us down dark rabbit-holes every now and then.  I think H.P. Lovecraft once said something like “seekers after knowledge haunt strange and dark places.”  I can’t remember the exact quote, but it was along these lines.  I was reminded of just how dark these can be last night as I was going through Procopius’s History of the Wars (a regular companion of mine for some months now).  Anthony Kaldellis’s wonderful edition of this neglected work proves once again that the right translation of a work can make all the difference in whether a book blossoms into life or falls flat.

Continue reading →