By the way, the new OCT by Nigel Wilson is now available–at a price:
However, it’s cheaper than the competition, which no one seems to like anyway:
I share your reserves to a point - but in all fairness, we should remember that the final Ameis-Hentze-Cauer commentary is the result of decades of work by three different scholars. Steadman is a single prolific individual with probably little or no financial backing and who doesn’t even have copy editor (so he says in the preface to his series). His effort are laudable, and I think the results are good despite some mistakes, although the scope of his books is clearly more limited.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Amy Barbour’s Selections from Herodotus, which is aimed at those who have a Homeric background.
Of course. I would not like to appear ungrateful. I have made use of Steadman’s editions quite extensively in the past and obviously he’s doing a great job and for free as well. Yay for him! But his modus operandi has its limits. Also, I have the impression that the needs of the intermediate student of Greek are in some respects beter served by older school commentaries than by his editions.
The OP’s aim is to read the entire Histories (correct me if I’m wrong, Paul), so selections from that text won’t do. Nevertheless, good suggestion.
Yes, Steadman’s approach is more elementary, I agree. And yes, I plan to read the whole histories, although I’ve been a bit slowed down these times!
I’m about to spend a good two weeks around Asia Minor and so in preparation I’m re-reading a lot of stuff. Admittedly, because I’ll spend a good amount of time in The City, I’m reading through the Patria, Laonikos Chalkokondyles and other late writers but obviously Herodotus is on there. Well I accidentally re-read the Iliad like an idiot and now I’m worried I won’t have enough time.
With Herodotus I basically have:
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OCT text - not the new one, alas, my old UG copy. I shan’t be purchasing the new one but I look forward to reading Wilson’s textual notes when they’re out.
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The student’s old trusty How’s and Well’s 2 vol commentary. It’s not up to date in terms of actual history (you’ll need proper monographs for that), or even the best commentary (commentaries on individual vols, whether Ascheri on 1-V or Hornblower etc etc) will all be better for their books but I think these books are a very good, cheap, compromise…Unfortunately mine are beginning to smell a bit. I don’t think a reprint would be as cool, no pop-out maps and stuff.
I don’t think you really need much to get into him, I think in most cases bothering with, say, Enoch Powell’s (yes, THAT one!) lexicon is a bit much.
Seriously, H&Ws! It’s got nice brown hardboards! It’s got maps! Plural! The Aegean, dispositions at Thermopylae and Salamis etc etc, It goes into random detail about Sybaris! or on apais = no sons.
I’m replying here to a question asked by Bart in another thread.
Real Life I understand, but how could you forsake Herodotus for Vyrgil? 
Actually, I thought that after book IV I’ll read something else for a change. I was mostly thinking about either the Ajax (which I started some months ago) or Aristophanes (either Birds or Clouds). But after that, I’m back to Herodotus. Basically, there are Cambridge Green & Yellows for books V, VIII and IX, so I think I’ll go with them. For books VI & VII, I really don’t know, I suppose I’ll have to try out How & Wells.
In Asheri’s commentary, I find the part on book IV clearly weaker than the rest, not as engaging. And do scholars still actually believe in Dumézil’s Indo-European trifunctional hypothesis (a society divided into three functions: priests, warriors, farmers), or consider it helpful?
Haha! You almost make me feel guilty about it. But yes, I have acquired a taste for epic poetry. After Vergil, I think I will start with Dante.
Actually, I’m a bit suprised you don’t feel the lure of Vergil’s Aeneid yourself. It’s no doubt the most important literary offspring of Homer so to say, reflecting the original in a thousand ways. In that way it also enhances the enjoyment of the original (or so I think).
Are you telling us Finish society isn’t organised along these lines? Now there’s a shock!
I too feel the lure of Dante, and obviously Dante duly has Vergil in his Divina Commedia. In fairness I think one has to read Dante with ample notes, as he refers so much to the contemporary political situation and major political figures of his time. Or maybe we should read Boccaccio or Petrach. I don’t really know Italian that well, but that shouldn’t be a major hindrace.
But still. “Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita”. In the middle point of my life I found myself walking in a dark forest…
If that’s an invitation, count me in!
My Italian isn’t that good either, but I’m working on it with the Duolingo-app. Quite a clever little thing; they even have a Latin course in the making.
“nel mezzo del cammin…”, best opening sentence ever. Well, maybe Anna Karenina’s is on par.
But we’re drifting too far away from Herodotus, I’m affraid.
Ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς τρίβου τοῦ βίου τούτου
Εὑρέθην ἐν σκοτεινῷ τινι δρυμῶνι.
Τῆς γὰρ εὐθείας ὁδοῦ παρεξετράπην…
https://books.google.com/books?id=z-IGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP7#v=onepage&q&f=false
Finnish isn’t indo-European… 
“In the middle of the journey of our life…”
It’s not so long then, life, is it? I’m 35, the same age as Dante supposedly was when he was wandering in that forest. I actually tried to read Vyrgil in translation to be able to read Dante, though not in Italian. Dante is more to my liking.
Boccaccio has been translated very well into Finnish, Timothée, or at least it’s very pleasurable to read – I can’t tell if it’s accurate.
Back to Herodotus: any idea for commentaries on books 6&7?
There is a brill commentary by Lionel Scott on book 6. A review is here http://www.sehepunkte.de/2006/09/9372.html
Enoch Powell’s Lexicon to Herodotus can be found here:
http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/powell/#eid=1&context=lsj
I can’t tell yet how useful it is for an occasional reader compared to, say, Cunliffe’s Homeric Lexicon, but I’ll certainly try it out!
Another note: Here and there, I’ve read claims that Stein’s commentary has been largely superseded by Asheri. I’ve had a look slightly more often at Stein now, and I’m increasingly convinced that nothing has replaced it. As a philological commentary, Asheri offers close to nothing. Too bad my German isn’t too good.
Enoch Powell’s Herodotus lexicon is excellent, as good as Slater’s more challenging Pindar lexicon (which is on the Perseus site; perhaps Powell is too?). And the lexicographical principles that inform it seem to me superior to those of the new Cambridge Greek Lexicon.
Stupid puerile joke deleted.
Hylander - that’s not fair! You shouldn’t delete your “stupid jokes” before I’ve seen them. And now you changed it to “stupid puerile joke”, which piques my curiosity even more. My loss must be enormous.
Perseus doesn’t seem to have Powell, but that doesn’t matter, since the TLG interface is so much better. (follow my link above)
Hylander can leave his joke deleted if he wants, but I’m envious because I was trying to come up with Enoch Powell puns to add to the thread and came up dry.