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Suetonius
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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars -Caligula- Hardcover – April 3, 2018

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. The work, written in AD 121 during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, was the most popular work of Suetonius, at that time Hadrian's personal secretary, and is the largest among his surviving writings. The Twelve Caesars is considered very significant in antiquity and remains a primary source on Roman history.
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  1. Part of series
    Highlights of World Literature
  2. Print length
    38 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    SMK Books
  5. Publication date
    April 3, 2018
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1515429172
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1515429173
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SMK Books (April 3, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 38 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1515429172
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1515429173
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

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Suetonius

Suetonius

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
94 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jack Balog
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book from an historic time.
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
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I like to read about important history. This tells a lot about Roman history from 50 BCE to 120 or 130 current era. It was a compilation by one of the historians that lived that time. It tells the good and the bad that made the times one of the most interesting in the history of the world, at least to me.
2 people found this helpful
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Tomtul2
4.0 out of 5 stars Educational AND very readable, compared to most ancient works. But has later added material.
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2016
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Educational AND very readable, compared to most ancient works. This is like the script to I Claudius, but it has a lot of valuable history as well. The struggles between the Senate, the people, and the very rich, generals and demagogues who became dictators were in the minds of the Founding Fathers of the US and are still relevant today.

HOWEVER BE AWARE this version has added material written much later than the original, which was written in 121 AD.

I still hightly recommed the whole book, original and added material, both are useful and informative.

Exmples of added material: for instance there is a reference to "the pagan world" (page 28, loc 927) and "pounds sterling" (page 25 location 836), and somewhere a quote from St Augustine.

I got a print copy of Penguin's The Twelve Caesars and compared it. It appears all the mini-bios of contemporaries that occur at the end of each emporer's bio are added later. In the life of Julius Caesar, the Penguin book ends at the sentence
"Part of them perished at sea, others fell in battle; and some slew themselves ....

The Kindle book continues with "The termination of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey forms a new epoch in the Roman History...". Then follow reflections on the career of Caesar, and short and interesting bios of Cicero, Varro, Cattulus, and others. These were added later, probably in the 19th century by a British writer.

-1 star for not making clear what is by Suetonius and what is not, and for "this book is not enabled for searching"--come on Amazon, that's the biggest advantage of digital books.

More on the additions: I found the same text on Perseus at Tufts U and it had this information:

"... In order to more fully "paint the picture of the times," we have had written and interspersed in chronological order, the lives of all the distinguished associates of the Twelve Caesars, male and female, which we trust will be a great improvement on any previous edition."

He also did some censoring, though he left in plenty:
"By the suppression of about two dozen lines in the entire work, which have been indicated by * * * * we have produced a work unobjectionable for general reading; the suppressed passages refer to grossly unnatural crimes which probably never were committed - but the relation of which was likely prompted by the political party rancour of the period."

The Tufts citation: Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889
5 people found this helpful
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Nimjim52
5.0 out of 5 stars The Gossip and the History
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2013
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How do you review a book that's been in print for almost 2000 years? Many have come before me, so I will be brief. Suetonius was one of the most credible historians of his day, so his accounts of the period have been the source for countless treatises and novels about Ancient Rome,(including mine.) One of the things that distinguishes him was his ability to report the rumors as well as hard, documented facts on the topics of his day, making it possible to get a sense of how Romans actually thought about things. Like opening a window in time and looking into his world. It's always a good idea to cross check any historic account and this holds true for him as well. But the value of knowing the kitchen details of the Old Empire can never be exaggerated. His sense of humor and irony makes a fun read about a colorful age in history.
One person found this helpful
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A reader
5.0 out of 5 stars What a book should be
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2013
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This is an absolutely beautiful volume. It's well bound and well designed, with heavy high-quality acid-free paper and a handsome, readable typeface. This is the kind of volume that satisfies not only a desire for knowledge, but also that unquantifiable tactile aspect to the reading experience that only a well-made book can provide. Heritage Press certainly knew what they were doing.
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ICUAlex
1.0 out of 5 stars It's only one section of the book; better editions exist
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018
I have no idea why anyone would pay $1.99 for only part of a book when the complete book is available for $0.99. It makes no sense to me; I really hope Amazon looks into this practice and gets rid of the "copycat" editions as well as these book excerpts.
One person found this helpful
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Bargain shopper
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Historical Reading
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2015
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Purchased this book on Kindle. It was downloaded to me within seconds after payment. I enjoy reading the book. I studied Roman history and Politics in college and loved reading about the Lives of the Caesars.
One person found this helpful
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Ed V
4.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend reading this book as an adjunct to a much ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015
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When reading biographies or history one must read as many books as possible to piece together the most accurate or, at least, the most plausible interpretation of the subject. Suetonius has a lot to say about the Caesars in a half gossipy, half factual way and in doing so helps bring to life these intriguing individuals. His additional comments about the philosophers and artists during each emperor's reign, while a bit pedantic, also enlighten the reader as to the cultural flavor of the times. I highly recommend reading this book as an adjunct to a much larger reading list, not only of the Caesars but of the other dominant figures during their times.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alessandro Dardin
5.0 out of 5 stars História na Veia
Reviewed in Brazil on August 17, 2015
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Sendo muito sucinto,
Obra monumental, uma fonte fantástica para os aficionados de História.
Minha impressão pessoal após lê-lo: passados 2 mil anos, muita coisa mudou. Mas a Política permanece a mesma...
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Lisa
3.0 out of 5 stars notas al pie
Reviewed in Spain on December 10, 2014
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Las notas a pie de pagina no funciona no te llevan al informacion de lo cual es muy frustrante dado que hay un monton
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N. Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2007
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Suetonius' gossipy palimpsest of the reigns of the first twelve rulers of the Roman Empire has long inspired other writers to incorporate his observations into films and books, due to the attention he gives to the Emperors' physical appearance, habits, dress, and eccentricities. The most famous interpretation of this remains the BBC's superlative 'I,Claudius', written by Jack Pulman and based on the novels by Robert Graves. But these were based on Suetonius' works, and the 6-disc edition features the resonant voice of Derek Jacobi, who of course played Claudius so memorably (and yes, he reprises the role, complete with stutter!). This is very entertaining stuff, and powerfully recreates the atmosphere of paranoia and intrigue in an Empire where the supreme ruler was invested with almost divine power, but agonisingly aware that somewhere, waiting in the wings, someone is poised to bump him off.
8 people found this helpful
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nutmeg
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2016
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Interesting, disturbing,and a gripping read
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars the lives of the twelve caesars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2013
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although it was informative it seemed very heavy on politics and complicated roman structure i felt it could have been simplified in terms of the structure of roman leadership and the way roman hierachy operated may be it was to indepth but i am still enjoying reading it but in small doses
One person found this helpful
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