'Gates of Fire' - paperback version

Of all the covers of the Steven Pressfield book 'Gates of Fire' that I own, this one is my favorite. The Spartan warrior seen looking over his shield as depicted on this paperback's cover would have been almost completely enveloped in armor during the Battle of Thermopylae. Together with his fellow hoplite's shield covering his right side and his own shield covering his left side, the seemingly impenetrable phalanx formation that the Spartans were part of would have presented a fearsome sight to the advancing Persian army.

One of the reasons that I admire this book is because not only was S.P. able to present what the battle of Thermopylae must have been like, he was able to convey the myriad of emotions on the part of the combatants such as courage, desperation, fear, futility, etc. This book in my opinion is the standard which other books about the battle of the Thermopylae will be measured against.

Japanese translation of 'Gates of Fire'

I received an email from Miyuki, who informed me that the translation of the Steven Pressfield book 'Gates of Fire' is 'Honoo no Monn'.

Thank you Miyuki!

'Gates of Fire' - 'La Batalla De Las Termopilas'

This image is of the Spanish version of Steven Pressfield's 'Gates of Fire' book, 'La Batalla De Las Termopilas', whose literal translation is 'The Battle of Thermopylae'. Since this is my favorite book, I couldn't resist purchasing it and to add further proof of the success of this story, it has been translated in other languages. It just goes to show, that the interest in the 300 Spartans is worldwide and that Steven Pressfield deserves all the accolades he has received for an excellent book.

'Gates of Fire' - advance reading copy - softcover

This image is of an advance reading copy of Steven Pressfield's excellent book about the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae entitled 'Gates of Fire'.

While I have a first edition of the book, I acquired this advance reading copy 'or uncorrected proof' because it precedes the first published edition. It is considered by many to be the true '1st edition' since it actually precedes the distribution of the first printing.