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The Twelve Caesars: The Dramatic Lives of the Emperors of Rome Kindle Edition
One was a military genius, one murdered his mother and fiddled while Rome burned, another earned the nickname “sphincter artist”. Six of them were assassinated, two committed suicide—and five were considered gods. They are known as the “twelve Caesars” —Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Under their rule, from 49 BC to AD 96, Rome was transformed from a republic to an empire, whose model of regal autocracy would survive in the West for more than a thousand years.
In The Twelve Caesars, Matthew Dennison offers a revealing and colorful biography of each emperor, triumphantly evoking the luxury, license, brutality, and sophistication of imperial Rome at its zenith. But beyond recreating the lives, loves, and vices of these despots, psychopaths and perverts, he paints a portrait of an era of political and social revolution, of the bloody overthrow of a five-hundred-year-old political system and its replacement by a dictatorship which, against all the odds, succeeded more convincingly than oligarchic democracy in governing a vast empire.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateJune 25, 2013
- File size6062 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Review
“Dennison offers his own idiosyncratic take on these twelve caesars . . . [his] approach combines thoughtful reflection and analysis with gossipy irreverence in a bewitching cocktail.” ―Daily Express on The Twelve Caesars
“Unputdownable . . . these histories from 2,000 years ago are riveting in their insight, black humor, and sheer readability.” ―Daily Mail on The Twelve Caesars
“An erudite, nuanced, and engrossing portrait of a turbulent era and of an empress demonized for refusing to be invisible.” ―Publishers Weekly on Livia, Empress of Rome
“Fascinating.” ―Vogue on The Last Princess
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B00B22C4NG
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press (June 25, 2013)
- Publication date : June 25, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 6062 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 401 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #315,868 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #45 in Historical Italian & Roman Biographies
- #139 in Ancient Rome Biographies
- #282 in Ancient Roman History (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Matthew Dennison is the author of nine critically acclaimed works of non-fiction, including Behind the Mask: The Life of Vita Sackville-West, a Book of the Year in The Times, Spectator, Independent and Observer, and the much-praised Eternal Boy, a life of Kenneth Grahame, and his biography of Her late Majesty The Queen, published by Head of Zeus.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and a good introduction. However, some readers feel the historical facts presented are disjointed and lack new or interesting information. Opinions differ on the writing style - some find it perfect for amateur anthropologists and excellent use of English language, while others say it's disjointed and the author struggles for content.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find it readable and engaging, with excellent use of English language. Others feel the writing style is disjointed and lacks continuity.
"Clearly a book where the author struggles for content to stretch out the book. Becomes very dry and boring...." Read more
"The writing style is perfect for me- an amateur anthropologist. well spoken without the feeling your in a history class- I venture to say that after..." Read more
"Rehash of known facts and written in an annoying convoluted style. Otherwise an adequate review of the facts. So so overall." Read more
"eminently readable with today's sensibilities describing a people so much like us and so different. utterly facinating. three more words are demanded" Read more
Customers find the history in the book lacking. They say the historical facts are presented haphazardly and disjointed. The book is described as a rehash of known facts, written in an annoying convoluted style. Readers instead find the book full of suppositions and innuendo.
"Not a whole lot of history here. More like a psychoanalysis and character sketch of each caesar...." Read more
"...Instead, the book is loaded with supposition, innuendo, and a nearly complete lack of any real discussion of the interactions of the Caesars with..." Read more
"Rehash of known facts and written in an annoying convoluted style. Otherwise an adequate review of the facts. So so overall." Read more
"...It gets across the essential history of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors in a chatty, gossipy, but historically well-researched style...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2013The writing style is perfect for me- an amateur anthropologist. well spoken without the feeling your in a history class- I venture to say that after you read this you will wonder how anybody survived the centuries of Caesar rule, and how any of the Caesars themselves survived. ( hint- Julius Augusts was not the only one murdered by his best friend). The narrative is in a close chronological style without the myopic attributes that is so common in historical books. I loved it- a great night time read on my kindle-jt
- Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2013It would be hard to outdo Suetonius in the history as gossip style of writing but this book may well succeed. It gets across the essential history of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors in a chatty, gossipy, but historically well-researched style. Simply a delight to read
- Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2015Not a whole lot of history here. More like a psychoanalysis and character sketch of each caesar. What historical facts are presented are ad hoc and disjointed.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2012I was a bit disappointed in the book although it has had excellent reviews.
It certainly is more graphic in the salacious details of the various Caesars but at the end of the day what more is there to be learn't about them that has not been published by Seutonius and others?
- Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013eminently readable with today's sensibilities describing a people so much like us and so different. utterly facinating. three more words are demanded
- Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2015The author must have written this book with a thesaurus at hand. However, the use of 10K words does not disguise the lack of substance in this book. My intent in purchasing "The Twelve Caesars" was to increase my knowledge about the life and times of these twelve men. Instead, the book is loaded with supposition, innuendo, and a nearly complete lack of any real discussion of the interactions of the Caesars with the populous that they governed. I got about half-way through the book and threw it in the trash. I don't consider it is worth even donating it the local library to inflict on others.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2014just another translation of the book penned by the old Roman "historian" Suetonious. 'Nuff said.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2013Clearly a book where the author struggles for content to stretch out the book. Becomes very dry and boring. And I love history books and had high hopes for this one.
Top reviews from other countries
- DogpatchReviewed in Canada on March 15, 2022
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating take on Julius Caesar’s successors, good and bad
Historical reading
- Jonathan SimsReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and absorbing
I baulked, initially, at this book. Not the zippy approach of modern TV historians, but big, considered, dense paragraphs which at first seemed school-masterly even stodgy. How wrong I was. This is an author with a deep love of the English language happily mixing archaisms with modern slang, even the occasional appropriate profanity.
It is not so much about the simple facts of the Caesars' reigns but judgements about their characters and actions, from both the modern and contemporary standpoints. The reader becomes immersed in the social structures of the the time: the importance, self-importance and weakness of the senate; the overwhelming necessity of support of the army; the affections and fickleness of the mob. Also the belief systems: the importance attached to dreams and portents, no matter how bizarre these may appear to us; the importance of bloodlines and claims to good stock; the belief in immutability of character.
I found it difficult to reconcile myself with the unwavering cruelty so often shown: mass elimination of political opponents, resistant senators, children of rival families, own siblings, wives, parents, offspring. Then the mass murders of slaves, conquered soldiers, Jews for causes such as birthday celebrations or public entertainment. It is not good enough to have recourse to historical patronisation - different times, different morals. Torture and grizzly deaths hurt as much then as now.
A great book which I will reread now.
- VictoriaReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars good book
for me. Good book
- Dave TurnerReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2013
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but rather heavy going
Whilst the subject is fascinating and there is much interesting detail I found the book quite heavy going as the language seems unnecessarily flowery.In spite of this I am still glad I purchased it .
- Video masterReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Rome in a book!
I bought this book because I have always been fascinated by Ancient Rome & the stories of the caesars. the stories of each of the
caesars are very comprehensively told with a short bio of each at the end also with a small story of how each one fits into the whole.
If you wish to find out about some of the fascinating characters of Ancient Rome then this is the book for you.