By Ernle Bradford.
This book is a fairly straight forward account of the failed invasion of Greece by the grand army of the Persian king Xerxes I. It is not a historians book, but designed for the historically curious pedestrian which means it is easy to read and quite engaging. Just my sort of thing. Bradford himself has a military background and offers plenty of personal interpretations and observations, but these do not detract from his central theme.
The title of the book is slightly misleading since it refers to a famous battle where 300 Spartans (and a few thousand allies) held the Persians in check at the pass of Thermopylae. This sacrifice of 300 Spartans is believed to be one of the factors which united the remaining Greek states behind Athens and Sparta, but in truth it is but one chapter in a long and bloody campaign, though a chapter filled with potent symbolism.
On the whole an excellent book.
4/5
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