Books on Rome, especially Caesar?

[Vaz]

hey folks.

Over the last few days I've became really hungry to research the Roman Empire, especially the life of Julius Caesar. Could anybody recommend some well written and interesting books?

Many thanks.

V

 

[BAYLOR]

The Conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar . It's his own story of his time in Gaul . He probably wrote it with PR in mind.

 

[HareBrain]

I'll move this to Book Discussion, where it might get more readers -- Book Search is for trying to recall the title of a particular book.

 

[Al Jackson]

Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough , historical novels about the end of the Roman Republic are excellent.
More than Caesar but he is the major character covered.


The First Man in Rome (1990); spanning the years 110–100 BC
The Grass Crown (1991); spanning the years 97–86 BC
Fortune's Favourites (1993); spanning the years 83–69 BC
Caesar's Women (1997); spanning the years 67–59 BC
Caesar (1998); spanning the years 54–48 BC
The October Horse (2002); spanning the years 48–41 BC and
Antony and Cleopatra (2007); spanning the years 41–27 BC

 

[The Big Peat]

I found Invisible Romans by Robert C. Knapp to be a decent read.

My library's otherwise pretty bare on the subject, with most things I know having come from school and reading Lindsay Davies' Falco which is very readable, but fiction mightn't be the best recourse here. If it is though, worth a shot.

 

[Brian G Turner]

In terms of Historical Fiction, I strongly echo the Masters of Rome recommendation by Colleen McCullough - it's a masterpiece.

A really good counterpoint to it is the Dictator trilogy by Robert Harris: Imperium. Lustrum, Dictator

McCollough's work is thick and heavy but brilliant - and very pro-Caesar. Harris writes in an easy and fluid style from Cicero's point of view, which was against Caesar.

I would rank these about any histories I've so far read, as classical history tends to stick to facts (names and dates) rather than speculation. However, Caesar did write and publish a few books - you might want to check out the one about Gaul.

 

[Graymalkin]

The Gallic War: Seven Commentaries on The Gallic War with an Eighth Commentary by Aulus Hirtius (Oxford World's Classics) by Caesar, Julius: Oxford Paperbacks 9780199540266 Paperback - WeBuyBooks

 

[Graymalkin]

The Agricola and Germania by Tacitus, Cornelius: Ulan Press 9780140442410 Paperback - Reuseabook

 

[Graymalkin]

I enjoyed the above for 'original' or early texts mostly revolving around campaigns in Europe and Britain.
Routledge do a great reading companion in their Who's Who In the Roman world.

 

[Bugg]

Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough , historical novels about the end of the Roman Republic are excellent.
More than Caesar but he is the major character covered.


The First Man in Rome (1990); spanning the years 110–100 BC
The Grass Crown (1991); spanning the years 97–86 BC
Fortune's Favourites (1993); spanning the years 83–69 BC
Caesar's Women (1997); spanning the years 67–59 BC
Caesar (1998); spanning the years 54–48 BC
The October Horse (2002); spanning the years 48–41 BC and
Antony and Cleopatra (2007); spanning the years 41–27 BC

Wholeheartedly agree - these are brilliant, brilliant books.

For non-fiction I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Holland's Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, although that obviously isn't specifically about Caesar.

 

[anno]

I can second Rubicon great read, also there was a great Dummies guide to the Romans...

 

[Vince W]

I can recommend the biography Caesar: The Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy.

 

[thaddeus6th]

TA Dodge wrote a great biography/military history of Caesar. Strong focus on the military aspect so if that's what you're after it'd be ideal. I cunningly reviewed it, here: Thaddeus the Sixth: Review: Caesar, by Theodore Ayrault Dodge

 

[Al Jackson]

hey folks.

Over the last few days I've became really hungry to research the Roman Empire, especially the life of Julius Caesar. Could anybody recommend some well written and interesting books?

Many thanks.

V

Not prose but the best visual treatment of ancient Rome I have ever seen it HBO's ROME. It covers the Roman civil wars between about 45 BC and 30BC. This series is outstanding I have never seen ancient history presented better than this. Some of the actual history gets a bit 'messaged' but not as badly as the Hollywood movies of the 1950s. (O yes a good bit of Caeser here.)

 

[Mad Alice]

Christian Meier’s Caesar (1992)
Conn Iggulden Emperor: The Blood of Gods
The Conquest of Gaul (1st century) by Julius Caesar
Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar
Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar by Rob Goodma
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacey Schife
Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman
Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland
Caesar: Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy