Preparing Convicts for Law-Abiding Lives The Pioneering Penology of Richard A. McGee Book

As usual, I am reviewing the edition, not Leo the Deacon as a historian.

There is just not much to say about this book. Once again, Dumbarton Oaks has published an excellent Byzantine translation, this time of Leo the Deacon, a historian who recorded the events of the lives of Nikephoros II Phokas, John I Tzimiskes as well as the early reign and civil wars of Basil II Bulgaroktonos. The translation is very good, and the editors do not attempt to make any sort of connection to modern language where it simply cannot be done. They tend to render difficult Byzantine terms in a Greek transliteration, and then explain them in the notes. The notes are excellent, and although they are not exhaustive, they reference a lot of good academic literature and thus provide a better starting point for understanding the text. The appendices include some genealogies and maps. Nothing too special, but they are all directly relevant to understanding the text. It has John Haldon's map of the Battle of Dorostolon, which is of the highest quality and very helpful for understanding that event, which occupies a significant portion of Book VIII. The indices are also pretty standard, but there is an Index Locorum and a nice index of notable Greek words, both of which are useful for understanding Leo the Deacon.

The translation is good; the notes are good, as are the appendices and indices. It is inexpensive and easily accessable, something that many Byzantine primary sources cannot claim. There is no reason not to award this book the full five stars.