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Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Great read Today we tend to think of 'The Roman Empire' with little thought to its two distinct stages. A republic and the transition to empire. This book is a lively read about the events leading up to Caesar being declared dictator, paving the way for his adopted son Augustus to sweep to power as the first emperor. As is Holland's style he makes sure he gives us all the background we need to fully understand the main events. Although Augustus was skimmed over at the end. I understand however the book has to end... more info
Yesterday informing today I originally bought Rubicon out of interest in early history. Certainly that was to be found here in great, but never dull, detail. It's outstanding historiography. But there was more: it drew a line from then to now. This is more than history, but an example - and a warning. Rome was never more than a form of democracy, and never claimed to be. Still, the Republic had elected leaders with free elections. But lately (from around 70 BCE), there was a change: an undertaking of loyalty was demanded, not to the... more info
Well Written and Highly Readable I first read Rubicon at least a few years back, and some of its facts and anecdotes are still fresh and vivid in my mind today, which is what most history books attempt (and fail) to do. When I first brought it I was looking forward to getting into it, considering the high amounts of praise showered upon Holland's prose and my own love of Roman history. At first I was slightly disappointed, as the book didn't live up to my expectations. I basically thought that the book was supposed to be a narrative... more info
Ancient Rome brought to life I love reading non-fiction, particularly, history books. The only trouble with this is you start running out of areas of history to discover. Because of this I diligently avoided ancient history for a long time. However when the time came to start exploring the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome I chose Tom Holland to be my guide and this turned out to be one of the best reading decisions I have ever made. Tom Holland is a master at bringing long dead worlds to life. He modernises and adds useful... more info
