Recommended Reading List
On this page I will list books that you may like to read and in many cases should read. The books that are not copyrighted will be linked to eBooks
that you can download or read online. Others, if you are interested can be bought, found at a library or in some cases borrowed from Mr. Civ.
The Comic History of Rome by Gilbert Abbott A. Beckett, illustrated by John Leech
This is an hilarious romp through the history of Rome from its beginning to the death of Julius Caesar. All the famous adventures, crisis and eventual victories of the Romans over their enemies, i.e. the rest of the world,which informed
the identity of Romans for centuries and for western culture up to this day have served as examples of the virtue, courage and steadfastness of the strong against the weak. Beckett's satirical approach to Roman history delivers a non-stop knee slapping yet largely accurate account of a great and important history. Quite ironic since it was the Romans who invented political satire. The text is accompanied by numerous engravings and illustrations by John Leech which are as riotous as the text and justify a perusal of the book on their own account. Beckett's satire is even more amusing if one is already familiar with the stories as told by the great Roman historian Livy in his great History of Rome and the endlessly interesting biographical sketches of Plutarch.
The Lives of Vespasian, Titus and Domitian
From: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars_______by C. Suetonius Tranquillus
Suetonius' "Lives of the Caesars" supply us with almost all the personal information the we have about the first eleven emperors ( the twelfth Caesar was Julius Caesar who wasn't an emperor and whom we know much about from his own writings and from others). His tendency to dwell on gossip and the juicy idiosyncrasies of the emperors colored the world's perception of the early emperors up until modern times until archaeological and inscriptional evidence painted a somewhat different picture.
Outlines of Roman History___by William C. Morey, Ph.D., D.C.L., Edited by Jeffrey C. Kalb, Jr.
This is a concise history of Rome from its very beginnings in the 8th century B.C. to the fall of the Roman empire in the 5th century A.D. Although it is now over a hundred years old, it offers a solid description of all the major events, trends and historical figures which marked the growth and expansion of Rome in its quest to become the greatest and ultimately the most influential civilization of antiquity.
The Private Life of the Romans___by Harold Whetstone Johnston, Revised by Mary Johnston
The 16 chapters present an overview of family structure, names, marriage, children and education, religion, dependents, slaves and client,, the house and its furniture, dress and personal ornaments, food and meals, amusements and baths, travel and correspondence, books, sources of income and means of living, the Roman's day, burial-places and funeral ceremonies. These things are of interest to us in the case of any ancient or foreign people; in the case of the Romans they are of especial importance, because they help to explain the powerful influence that nation exerted over the old world, and make it easier to understand why that influence is still felt in some degree today.
