I'm currently reading Tom Holland's translation of Herodotus and it's been a blast. It's obvious from his books that he knows how to write, so I figured his translation would be enjoyable, and it is. But most other translations of classic texts I've tried to read were dry, stilted, and boring. It's hard for a non-historian to know whether this is the fault of the original text or the translator. I get the feeling sometimes that idioms and references that a contemporary reader of the work would understand are translated too literally or not explained enough for a modern lay-reader. At least that's my speculation.
I've read some Penguin Classics and been generally disappointed. (The poor paper and printing quality doesn't help.) I've considered Loeb Classics, but since many of them seem to be almost 100 years old, I'm hesitant.
I'm mostly interested in Greek and Roman sources, but I'd be interested in reading anything from any period in any area. I'm hesitant to even name some of the books I'm thinking of, because I don't want to limit suggestions to them. I'll read any important text if there's a good translation.
Thanks!
I can speak from the Roman perspective.
It depends on what you are interested in reading. Apulieus' "The Golden Ass" is interesting - it's also the only Roman novel written in Latin to survive in it's entirety. Suetonius provides an in depth look at the Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors (he wrote this in 121 during Hadrian's reign). You get a lot of interesting information and anecdotes out of it. Of course, you could always read the "go-to" for Latin students and read "The Aeneid".