Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor

by Anthony Everitt
Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor
book data
243 ratings, 3.79 average rating, 60 reviews (more data...)
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published
October 17th 2006 by Random House

binding
Hardcover, 377 pages

isbn
1400061288   (isbn13: 9781400061280)

description
He found Rome made of clay and left it made of marble. As Rome’s first emperor, Augustus transformed the unruly Republic into the greatest empir...more






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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 390)



Channing
Channing rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/16/07

Read in July, 2007
recommends it for: history wonks, classicists, the power hungry
Towards the end of his previous book, "Cicero", Everitt describes Cicero taking Julius Caesar's grand-nephew, the young Gaius Octavius, under his wing and introducing him to the world of Roman politics. In gratitude, the young Gaius winds up forming an alliance with Mark Antony and reluctantly agreeing to have Cicero killed (although he forces Antony to murder his uncle in exchange). Thus begins the rise to power of Rome's first emperor, later to call himself Augustus.

On one hand, ...more
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Sean
Sean rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/11/07

Read in September, 2007
A solid biography of the founding father of the Roman Principate. Indulges in a fair amount of speculation, but I suppose that's what separates scholarly history from popular history, and the author gives you plenty of notice when he's off on a flight of (informed) fancy. Besides, given the paucity of reliable sources for much of Gaius's/Octavian's/Augustus's life, perhaps some speculation is called for.

Any student of Roman history should have a handle on the life and times of Imperator no...more
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Margaret
Margaret rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/03/07

A great follow-up to Cicero. Between the two of them you get a thorough introduction not only to these two men, but more generally to life in ancient Rome and its rise to empire. (It's a crazy story, if you hadn't heard.)
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Ginnie
Ginnie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/24/08

bookshelves: biography, classics
Everitt's writing is crisp and so lively as he brings both Rome and Augustus to life in this new biography. He begins his story of Augustus (63 B.C.– A.D. 14) with a novelistic reconstruction of the Roman emperor's last days, offering a new spin on his murder at the hands of his wife, Livia. Everitt presents the death as an assisted suicide intended to speed and secure the transition of imperial power to his stepson Tiberius. Later, Britsh author Everitt presents a careful historical argument ...more
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Erik
Erik rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/18/08

Read in April, 2008
I doubt that this recent biography on Augustus -- ne Octavian -- is the first to focus solely on the first emperor of Rome (as the dust-cover flap suggests), but I will agree with most critics and readers that this is a compelling read that manages to include many of the debates and nuances that make Augustus and his contemporaries so intriguing. If you're looking for confirmation of the scandalous affairs and sordid acts that were paraded on screen during the two seasons of HBO's breath-taking ...more
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Rick
01/10/08

bookshelves: non-fiction
Read in May, 2007
For years I’ve meant to read Everitt’s life of Cicero, which was published some time ago to acclaim. After following “Rome” on its two season-run on HBO, I added this to the list for my birthday this year when it appeared in bookstores at the end last year. I’d like to say it was great but it was merely informative and easy to read—not too dense or academic but far from compelling and not always convincing. Though the careful way Everitt navigates the sources, casting skepticism on s...more
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Reid
12/19/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in December, 2007
It has been nice to see a recent flourishing in the publication of narrative ancient histories meant for the larger reading public. Rubicon must stand out as the supreme example among them, if only for its readability and scope. Everitt, in contrast, is a great also-ran, his biography of Augustus presenting a well-balanced and well-ordered book on a very controversial historical figure. In particular, Everitt's information about Sextus Pompeius was an utter revelation, something I had completely...more
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Kelly
Kelly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/27/07

Read in October, 2007
recommends it for: fans of ancient history, fans of HBO Rome
Very well done. Told as narratively as possible, almost in novel form at some points. Very engaging, makes you feel like you know these people. If you liked the HBO series, you'll like this book. It was a very easy read each time I picked it up, which is saying something as I read it during a very stressful time during which I didn't have a lot of time to spare. But I always enjoyed diving into it. You'd think that I'd need something a bit more relaxing. But not with the way this was written.
...more
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Keith
Keith rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
06/03/07

Read in April, 2007
This book starts out with a bang -- Everitt's considerable writing skills and sense of drama on full display in the opening chapters. But it's all downhill from there, and in the end I came away thinking this book's a disappointment. Unlike Everitt's "Cicero," which is a fantastic piece of work, this book fails to give the reader a good sense of Augustus as a man and a statesmen. Sure, it's a decent chronicle of significant events during the Princeps' career, but I've read better, and ...more
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Amanda
Amanda rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/25/08

Read in June, 2008
recommends it for: Classical History Buffs, Rome (tv series) fans
This is a very readable biography, even for those who have no background in Roman History. I have always been captivated by classical history, and found this rendition to be equally captivating. It's easy to read; the author spends a sufficient amount of time on the necessary background material (i.e. the rise and assassination of Julius Caesar) without boring the reader. He also communicates some very basic concepts of the Roman Ideology in a nuanced mannner.

I bought this book as a gift...more
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JoAnna
JoAnna rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/30/08

bookshelves: did-not-finish, rome
Read in March, 2008
Mostly done. Reading outloud with Bill at night (and butchering the latin). This is a well-written book about a fascinating subject. Everitt does a great job interjecting comments and info on daily Roman life to the story of Octavian. Very readable (except I don't like the geography parts...zzz) and easy to relate to the historical figures of 2000 years ago. Enjoying it lots.

(4/25 update) We're nearly done, and it's gotten a bit slow. I mean, after you conquer Rome and most of the known wor...more
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Jeffrey
bookshelves: history-military
Read in June, 2008
Does for Augustus what books like McCullough's John Adams or Langguth's Patriots: Men Who Started the American Revolution did for the American founding fathers: takes historical figures and makes them actually seem like human beings with personalities you could understand. Augustus emerges as a brutal, ambitious, amoral philanderer who was nonet...more
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Tish
Tish rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/29/08

informative and easy to read
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Amanda
05/07/08

bookshelves: non-fiction
Read in May, 2008
recommended to Amanda by: Heather Kinlaw
More accurately 3.7 stars. Sometimes you need the decimal point. This is an accessible popular history of Rome's first emperor. Chronicling the life of Augustus from his time as a boy in the Italian countryside to the decades he ruled the Roman empire, the writing is informative and engaging without being either dumbed down or too academic.

***pre-review***
So I also happen to be watching HBO's Rome right now. I like a theme, okay?
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Jeffrey
Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2008
Corrupt poets, megalomaniacs and the women who stiffened their organs. Oh my, Dorthy, it's not Oz; it's ancient Rome. Filled with stunning quotes about all your favorite dictators, like Julius Caesar who was "Every woman's man, and every man's woman." But it's much more than a collection of one-liners and does a grand job of illustrating how a teenage boy through luck, cunning and force rose to fire the clay around him into an empire of marble.
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GeekChick
bookshelves: biography
So far, so good! This book is wonderfully readable, for a straight-up historical biography. My only problem is, I keep envisioning people as the actors from HBO's "Rome"!

The author seems to have found the right balance between too much/too little detail. Occasionally he seems to throw in something that seems a tad irrelevant, but overall this is a great book for those interested in learning about the real Augustus.
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Matthew
Matthew rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/13/08

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: history buffs, anyone who wants to appreciate the origins of modern bureaucracy
Anthony Everitt is a solid narrative historian. He writes a readable history of the life of Rome's first emperor without embellishing. And this book leaves the reader with a knotty moral conundrum at the end -- if a man destroys republicanism in Rome itself, but in the process makes the citizens of the wider empire more enfranchised than ever before, what do we make of his reign in the final analysis?
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Dave
Dave rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/10/08

The book gives a good overview of the chief big shots who inhabited the first century Roman Empire. For those who've read Shakespeare's Roman plays, the Aeneid, or some of Horace and Ovid, this book will provide some detailed background. Despite the author's detailed descriptions of how Romans named themselves, I still can't figure out why all those guys after Julius called themselves Caesar
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Rollie
Rollie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/31/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008
recommended to Rollie by: Saw it in Borders
recommends it for: Fans of classical history, those who have read I, Claudius
I read this over the space of several months, so the lack of momentum likely affected my comprehension of the details. Hwoever, I found it refreshing in its departure from the traditional depiction of Augustus as a paragon of Roman virtue and father of the empire and of Livia as a scheming murderer (even if Livia as a scheming murderer is a much more interesting character).
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Shari
Shari rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/20/08

To be honest, I actually listened to the unabridged audiobook. After just having watched the HBO series, Rome, it was a wonderful book to listen to on the bus in the morning. Gives wonderful insight into and sets the historical stage for one of the world's greatest (or, at least, longest-ruling) leaders.
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Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor (Paperback)
Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor (Audio CD)
Augustus : The Life of Romes First Emperor [UNABRIDGED CD] (Audiobook)






groups with this book

European Royalty
Ancient World