Looking for Arrian's Ars Tactica

[RichT]

Well OK, though what would you call a comparable book, since this (a translation of Arrian) is unique? For books that are OOP and unavailable except at silly second hand prices then it's fair enough, but I'm not hugely in favour of taking scans of existing books that are readily available at reasonable prices from reputable sellers who depend on this sort of thing. But I'm not your conscience and don't want to lecture.

Incidentally you will find DeVoto's translation weird as Duncan says - it's almost like what anyone could produce with a dictionary (or a Perseus word lookup) and a bit of grammar knowledge - but it is intended to be very literal and alongside the Greek it is useful for that.

[Justin Swanton]

Well OK, though what would you call a comparable book, since this (a translation of Arrian) is unique? For books that are OOP and unavailable except at silly second hand prices then it's fair enough, but I'm not hugely in favour of taking scans of existing books that are readily available at reasonable prices from reputable sellers who depend on this sort of thing. But I'm not your conscience and don't want to lecture.

A take-home salary of less than £900 p/m (£10 800 p/a) - can I bleat from that?

[Erpingham]

 Rich and I did our best to find you are rare second hand copy.  £25 is a bit expensive for a 120 page book but given its rarity, that's quite a good price.  There seem to be few other copies about to compare.  I'm sorry this is too much.

[Justin Swanton]

Rich and I did our best to find you are rare second hand copy.  £25 is a bit expensive for a 120 page book but given its rarity, that's quite a good price.  There seem to be few other copies about to compare.  I'm sorry this is too much.

I appreciate the trouble.

[Erpingham]

Rich and I did our best to find you are rare second hand copy.  £25 is a bit expensive for a 120 page book but given its rarity, that's quite a good price.  There seem to be few other copies about to compare.  I'm sorry this is too much.

I appreciate the trouble.

No trouble - happy to try and help.

[willb]

If I pleaded and begged and promised to be your best friend, would anyone be willing to scan and email me their copy? 

Please see http://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=3.0  Having someone scan a copy for you is a violation of copyright law.

[Duncan Head]

£25 when converted to S.A. Rands is more than double the price of a comparable book sold locally. And the price doesn't include shipping. A bit ouchy.

From http://www.arespublishers.com/PriceList.html it appears that the book is not out of print or stock at the publisher, though whether that list is entirely up to date I know not; and costs $15 USD direct from them, which is considerably cheaper than any price cited so far. Don't know what the postage might be.

[Erpingham]

According to the reviews from 1990s online $15 was the original purchase price.  Remarkable if it was still available at that price a quarter century later.  Lets hope so for Justin's sake.

[Duncan Head]

Yes, it may just be that Ares haven't updated their price list, or even their entire website, for twenty years - they've always been a strange sort of a publisher. If I were Justin(*) then I'd drop them an email and see what happens.

(*)Which of course I'm not (**)
(**) Though no-one's ever seen us in the same room at the same time ...

[Erpingham]

(**) Though no-one's ever seen us in the same room at the same time ...

Yes, but according to your profile pictures you look like a member of the LRDG while Justin looks like a Roman.  I suggest, members of the jury, that these are two different people.

[Justin Swanton]

Yes, it may just be that Ares haven't updated their price list, or even their entire website, for twenty years - they've always been a strange sort of a publisher. If I were Justin(*) then I'd drop them an email and see what happens.

I sent an email to Dan Powers. Also checked their website and no activity there for at least three years. They were also dormant for about ten years before 2012. I have a vision of a mummy-like figure periodically rising from the tomb, doing some online work on a cobwebby PC and posting off some musty books, then subsiding back into hibernation for another decade or so.

(*)Which of course I'm not (**)
(**) Though no-one's ever seen us in the same room at the same time ...

Dr Who regularly reinvented himself as did David Bowie. Just sayin'. 

[Justin Swanton]

(**) Though no-one's ever seen us in the same room at the same time ...

Yes, but according to your profile pictures you look like a member of the LRDG while Justin looks like a Roman.  I suggest, members of the jury, that these are two different people.

Try to visualise Duncan without the beard. Yes...yes...see it?

[Duncan Head]

No-one's seen me without a beard since about 1980 

[Dangun]

Isn't Aelian's Tactics a close parallel to Arrians...?

I've never looked at the origins, but something is echoing in my mind about one following the other, or common antecedent, or something?

[RichT]

Yes, Arrian's Tactics is very similar to Aelian's, though Arrian throws in a few more Roman examples, and has an extended section on Roman cavalry exercises.

Both are in turn similar to Asclepiodotus. It is commonly supposed that they share a common source, and this common source may be Poseidonius (now lost) - which might possibly in turn be based on a Tactics by Polybius (now lost), though the levels of speculation mount the further back you go.

Discussion of these possiilities here, among other places: