The Civil War is Caesar's masterly account of the celebrated war between himself and his great rival Pompey, from the crossing of the Rubicon ... read full description
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Apr 20, 2010
Joyce
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Julius Caesar's 3 books of commentaries on the Civil War between his forces and those of Gnaius Pompeius (Pompey) for control of Rome.[return][return]Caesar, of course, had no idea that he would have an audience 2000 years later who would be unfamiliar with the cast of characters. As a result, the opening pages of The Civil Wars are populated with names that, to those unfamiliar with the politicians and military personages of the day, will slow down reading. Nevertheless, the prose is clear, s
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Dec 24, 2011
Robert
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Its very interesting to read ancient history as written by one of the people who shaped it. Caesar writes in the third person, and yet… it's Caesar, who was later immortalized in history and fiction.
The use of the third person (plural, no less), makes for an interesting perspective. Caesar becomes the remote, benevolent person who was wronged -- wronged, I tell you! -- by other Romans, and who had no choice -- no choice, I tell you! -- but to rise up in revolt and overthrow the old g More...
The use of the third person (plural, no less), makes for an interesting perspective. Caesar becomes the remote, benevolent person who was wronged -- wronged, I tell you! -- by other Romans, and who had no choice -- no choice, I tell you! -- but to rise up in revolt and overthrow the old g More...
Oct 16, 2011
Jeremy
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History is written by the winners. In this case it is truer then most, however, I do not believe one should naturally discount it for that reason, but it does need to be mentioned. With that said, this second famous work by Julius Caesar is a remarkable read. It is great political document where Caesar not only reports on the events that happened but also presents his case to why his cause should prevail. The war was caused by a political situation that had boiling for years and was now going to
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Jul 24, 2011
Andrada
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I expected Civil War to be a much more exciting read than the Conquest of Gaul, mostly because it featured more prominent and well known historical figures and events, but Civil War is actually a pretty dry read compared to it. It may very well be because it was unfinished by Caesar himself and perhaps he did not have the chance to polish it as much as he did his previous works. It’s by no means a boring read, but it was not the thrilling experience I previously had with the Conquest of Gaul. It
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Aug 11, 2010
Jesse
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Caesar, through his own and others' accounts, comes off as an unbelievably merciful general; he pardoned nearly everyone that came into his power, including his eventual assassins, Cassius and Brutus. I could only find one instance, concerning a certain Ligarius during the African War, where he executed a fellow citizen, but the soldier in question had been pardoned previously. This book was written to detail the events of his face-off with Pompey (and when the latter was killed by the Egyptians
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Dec 14, 2011
Mark
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Casear's The Civil War is actually three related books: a long one by Julius himself on the initial crossing of the Rubicon, the battles in Spain and defeated Pompey in Alexandria. His account ends abruptly, but is continued by anonymous accounts continuing through events in Alexandria, then through northern Africa and finally in Spain.
Like his account of the Gallic wars, Casear's section is straight-forward and enthralling, although one should keep his aims in mind: these are not u More...
Like his account of the Gallic wars, Casear's section is straight-forward and enthralling, although one should keep his aims in mind: these are not u More...
Jul 01, 2011
Tom
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Much more political (for obvious reasons) than his coverage of the wars in Gaul. Modern historians would call this book revisionist history, because of its shameless self-promotion, but if you can get past that, or at least take that into consideration, this is a great piece of ancient military history.
Oct 12, 2011
Aaron
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Not as good as the Gallic War. Caesar, and in particular those that wrote the later amended works, clearly had an ax to grind against Labienus, who by just about every other account (including Caesar's in Gaul) was an outstanding commander. In this book, he's portrayed as an overconfident jerkoff who cannot win a battle in which his forces have the element of surprise and outnumber Caesar by 100 to 1.
Still useful for getting a feel of what Roman army tactics were like, the ridiculo More...
Still useful for getting a feel of what Roman army tactics were like, the ridiculo More...
Jun 08, 2011
Nice follow on to Caesar's first effort. Here we see him really come into his own as a mass killer and saboteur of lawful government. He seems to have really grasped the fact that if you're going to be remembered you have to kill many more nationaliies than just the French. Hacking up scores of his own countrymen adds a nice twist.
He breaks up the genocide with the tale of his spicy romance with the barely legal sister of an Egyptian king. He was over 30 years her senior, gouty, and More...
He breaks up the genocide with the tale of his spicy romance with the barely legal sister of an Egyptian king. He was over 30 years her senior, gouty, and More...
Dec 05, 2011
Jim
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The author was certainly very good at self-promotion. This was written to woo the public at home. Don't expect Caesar to talk up any of his gaffs. Still, a good read. Poor Gauls.
Jul 27, 2011
Brilliantly written, with great descriptions of battle strategies that make you feel like you're actually in the field, watching the events.
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Aug 28, 2008
Gavin
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More dispatches from the man in charge of the Roman Empire. This gives accounts of events in further Spain, Illyrica and other places. Caesar's accounts run up to the Battle of Pharsalus. After that point other chroniclers take over. Penguin Classics has included three vignettes to fill out this book, being accounts of the African War, the Spanish War and a general account of goings on concerning the Civil War between the Pompeiians and the Caesarians.
I'm a sucker for this kind of th More...
I'm a sucker for this kind of th More...
Dec 19, 2011
Andrew
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Oh, too bad ... it ended just as it was getting really good. Through reading the Gallic War and the Civil War, I've figured out that I'm not a fan of military history. I prefer the political shenanigans.
Dec 10, 2010
Jak2
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good read, informative and provides a good background picture of society.
Dec 12, 2009
Takipsilim
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Caesar becomes master of the known world. Then dies.
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Mar 31, 2010
Paul
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Talk about strategy, this book is one battle after another with a human side of Caesar since he wrote it. This illustrates his talents were not just for battle.
Jun 20, 2010
Colin
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Yes, this book is amazing. It gives a fascinating look into Roman tactics--how most of the time, the generals were constructing fortifications or securing a corn supply rather than fighting. Moreover, the contrast between Caesar's style and the three authors who accounts follow his are interesting, too. The notes and maps are also really helpful, and the introduction challenges the idea that Caesar wanted to make himself king using some convincing arguments. I read every page.
May 02, 2008
Eric
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Not all written by Caesar, and it reads that way. It's hard not to like Caesar when you read him, but I don't exactly like his side of the story (I like Pompey more) so my reading was probably tainted by that perspective. I enjoyed Appian more, he was more sympathetic to Pompey, but this is a "primary source" and worth reading to see ancient propaganda.
Sep 03, 2011
Fredrick
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Julius Ceasar writes his version of the Roman Civil War. I thought that it gave insight to the event even if biased. Afterall, the winners write the history books for the most part.
Feb 15, 2008
Ainsley
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More propaganda from the man who did it all. It's a bit annoying to think that Caesar could write as well as this, on top of his many other talents. Essential reading.
Dec 03, 2011
Caesar's account of the civil war as completed by one of his lieutentants and extended to cover fighting in Spain.
Jan 31, 2010
Julius Caesar's personal account of his war against Pompeius Magnus. Caesar and Pompey were what we would call the presidents of the Roman Republic during its final years. Pompey and his conservative party in the Senate betrayed Caesar when they demanded that he give up his legions and return to Rome to be prosecuted. They took the tribunes of Caesar, elected directly from the people, and forced them to give up their voting rights. The Senate and Pompey feared Caesar's loyalty amongst the people
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