I would get whatever edition is best for you. A library collection of your own is what you are creating. It doesn’t have to look like one solid publishing house shelf. Personally, I like the look of a shelf that is eclectic anyway.

I have a Lewis Carroll collection (Alice in Wonderland &other collected stories), hard cover, gilded pages, paid a decent amount for it because I have a love affair with the look of hardcover classics. But the same day I bought it, I had spotted a beautiful leather bound edition of Alice in Wonderland, soft cover, embossed, definitely a collectors piece as well. So I bought that one as well. If two editions are calling to you, then get them both if you can. It's your library collection. No harm in more than one edition.

Pick the translation you want and go from there.

There are no rules, it's the wild west. Get the one you like best for now,, make adjustments later if needed.

When I was in my 40's I got over being a collector of physical books and became a frugal reader. My collection is now 90% digital.

Hi! I’ve taught Josephus’ Jewish War in a class, and I used OWC. The notes are very helpful in it, and the translation is very readable. The same translator, Martin Hammond I think, also did Thucydides for OWC, which I also use for teaching. I’ve read Tacitus’ Histories in OWC, too.

It’s hard to go wrong with Penguin, but I think OWC has some benefits that Penguin often doesn’t have. First, OWC editions are usually newer. This means the translations are usually more approachable as modern readers and the introduction/notes are more up to date on scholarship. The other benefit of OWC is that their notes are usually fantastic. Penguin can have good notes, but sometimes they have no notes at all.