The Story So Far....Book-wise

Almost to the halfway mark of 2006, I figured it would be a good time to take inventory of Spitfire's completed reading for the year. Here goes:

a.) Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, by Tom Holland

Clearly written and gripping, this book details the last hundred or so years prior to the end of the Roman Republic, starting with the bloodfeud between two competing Roman generals (Sulla and Marius) that tore apart Roman society and eventually resulted in Sulla marching into Rome under arms (an egregious violation of the Roman constitution) and rigging a senate vote to himself declared dictator. Even though Rome eventually reverted back to a representative republic when Sulla retired, the precedent had been set for future generals to act in the same manner. It didn't take but a few decades after for it to happen, when Gaius Julius Caesar did the same thing, only this time, the prospect of a reversion back to republicanism looked much more remote. His assassination and the civil war that grew out of it, between the republicans led by Caesar's assassins, Cassius and Brutus, versus Octavian (later Augustus) and Marc Antony (Caesar's second in command) destroyed the republic for good, with Augustus assuming absolute power and delcared emperor. A well-written book by a thorough historian.

b.) Twelve Caesars-Suetonius

Why read modern day historians when you could read the real McCoy? Suetonius, a contemporary of the Emperor Hadrian, puts to record all the rumors, innuendos, reputations, physical and mental characteristics of the first twelve caesars, starting with Gaius Julius Caesar. "Too many rulers are a dangerous thing", said Suetonius, and rightly so. With few exceptions, virtually every Roman emperor was a cruel, lacked judicious temperament, was immoderate, and murderous. (The exceptions were, strangely enough, Julius Caesar and Augustus.) A worthwhile read, and pretty salacious, too.

c.) Goshawk Squadron-Derek Robinson

A work of fiction (gasp!) that I got talked into reading by my friend Fireman John. About a squadron of First World War pilots in France, the book describes the mercilessness of the air war fought between the British and Germans, destroying the misconception that there was something romantic about war in the air in the process.

d.) Makers of Rome-Plutarch

Back to the non-fiction! Plutarch's works were written around the end of the first century, and this book, which chooses nine lives of prominent Roman figures, gives a pretty good idea of all the major players of the Republic, from about 500 BC to 10 BC. Profiled here are most of the "big" names: Marcus Antonius (Marc Antony), Brutus, Marcellus and Fabius Maximus (two generals who fought Hannibal). Though a truncated version of Plutarch's "Lives", it was worth the read.

e.) History of the Peloppenian Wars-Thucydides

Not even close to being done with this one, this book is considered one of the earliest works of objective history in...well...history. Athens and Sparta go through twenty seven years of war and succeed in essentially grinding down Greece to impotence, leading inevitably to Roman domination. More on this one when I'm done.

Enough of my self-indulgent post. Have a great Sunday!