The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
by Suetonius
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Book Summary Information
Author: SuetoniusEditor: Michael Grant
Introduction: Michael Grant
Translator: Robert Graves
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-06
ISBN: 0140449213
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: A 'Mostly Reliable' Source
Summary: 4 Stars
Many people have called this book the original tabloid known to man. That is a good way to describe the way Twelve Caesars. We can't come to this piece of work expecting everything to be accurate and without bias. Many of the things were rumors that had spread concerning various Caesars and may not have been true. However, since it was accepted and not condemned, there is mostly likely a bit of truth to these rumors. They were consistent to the way that people saw them.
There seems to be a bit of a 'good ole days' approach to Julius Caesar and Augustus, but other primary sources back up a lot of what is written about them. Unfortunately, not a lot of primary sources like this exist so we are forced to discern the truth from the twisting or stretching of truth.
The reader may find the way that Seutonius writes difficult to follow. Obviously, it was written in a different time, so the rational historical narrative style that we would write it as today does not apply to Seutonius. Instead, he gives a family background to the various Caesars, followed by how they came to the throne, followed by the good things that they did, proceeded by the bad things they did, and wrapped up with how they died and the bad omens that preceeded their deaths. he does not seem to write chronologically as we would like him to, instead, lumped together things under different categories.
For those that have an interest in the various Caesars, it is a good read. Instead of rereading various sources that rely on Seutonius, we are able to read the primary source. But if you are looking for a 'set in stone', unbiased, straight forward history, you're not really going to get it here. Still a good, entertaining rule. If anything, it allows you to be thankful for the leadership we have today and that men such as Nero and Galba would not be allowed to rule in the US today.
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