Warner's translations of the classics were very influential. I read his "Athens at War" in high school, an abridged translation of Thucydides
for younger readers and it played a major role in getting me interested in the Greek classics. I've always wondered why our schools can't communicate this kind of knowledge to kids. These events that occured thousands of years ago, described by the men who actually lived and participated in them and written in prose that still reads crisp and modern to contemporary ears, was irresistible to me.

His description of Athens' ill-fated expedition to Sicily is the most chilling
piece of historical prophecy I have ever read...especially when compared to Napoleon in Russia, Operation Barbarossa, and now, Iraq. Athens, France, Germany and hopefully, the US, all survived these blunders, but they were never quite the same again.

Another translator I highly recommend, especially for Homer, is W.H.D. Rouse. I first read his "Odyssey" at 12, and I have re-read it every other year or so ever since.