Related Pages

Shopping Cart

Title Price Qty:
Your cart is empty.

Julius Caesar

Full Title: Julius Caesar
Author: Philip Freeman
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 416
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 14 May 2009
ISBN 0743289544
Dewey Decimal: 920
Availability:Ready for order

Price: $11.56

Editorial Reviews

  • Product Description

    More than two thousand years after his death, Julius Caesar remains one of the great figures of history. He shaped Rome for generations, and his name became a synonym for "emperor" -- not only in Rome but as far away as Germany and Russia. He is best known as the general who defeated the Gauls and doubled the size of Rome's territories. But, as Philip Freeman describes in this fascinating new biography, Caesar was also a brilliant orator, an accomplished writer, a skilled politician, and much more.

    Julius Caesar was a complex man, both hero and villain. He possessed great courage, ambition, honor, and vanity. Born into a noble family that had long been in decline, he advanced his career cunningly, beginning as a priest and eventually becoming Rome's leading general. He made alliances with his rivals and then discarded them when it suited him. He was a spokesman for the ordinary people of Rome, who rallied around him time and again, but he profited enormously from his conquests and lived opulently. Eventually he was murdered in one of the most famous assassinations in history.

    Caesar's contemporaries included some of Rome's most famous figures, from the generals Marius, Sulla, and Pompey to the orator and legislator Cicero as well as the young politicians Mark Antony and Octavius (later Caesar Augustus). Caesar's legendary romance with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra still fascinates us today.

    In this splendid biography, Freeman presents Caesar in all his dimensions and contradictions. With remarkable clarity and brevity, Freeman shows how Caesar dominated a newly powerful Rome and shaped its destiny. This book will captivate readers discovering Caesar and ancient Rome for the first time as well as those who have a deep interest in the classical world.

Customer Reviews

  • A wonderful Read

    Both entertaining and informative, Philip Freeman's biography of Julius Caesar is a wonderful read. The book is not overly wordy or textbook-like, but instead is often exciting and flows like fiction. I truly enjoyed this book.

  • Oustanding read.

    Julius Caesar is obviously a recognizable name that people know about, but Freeman humanizes him in a great way. The historian and the average leader will love the intense narrative that will keep the reader's attention. Highly recommend. I have not enjoyed reading a book this way in a while.

  • Fascinating and extrememly readable

    I ordered this book as a continuation of my reading of all the great military captains of history. I really knew little of Ceasar as a military man but herein found his accomplishments truly remarkable. But even more remarkable is the author's writing style and ablity to craft a story that holds the reader's interest. This book was a delight.

  • Why another book about Caesar? Read it and see.

    If you've already read a dozen books about Julius Caesar, you can probably pass this one by without missing any information. But if you do, what you'll miss is one of the few I've found that's not just informative but truly a pleasure to read. Freeman's prose is clear and not at all verbose (contrast this book with Frank McLynn's biography of Marcus Aurelius and you'll want to buy Freeman a nice lunch); and better still, the narrative he constructs communicates a very real enjoyment of its material. (Again the contrast with McLynn, who sneers at his subject throughout, is instructive.)

    Especially welcome are Freeman's easy to follow and compelling accounts of Caesar's campaigns in Gaul and the portraits he includes of such figures as Cicero, Pompey and a number of Roman generals who support and/or oppose Caesar as his march to supreme power progresses. Freeman has the novelist's respect for the characters who people the story, and even the bit players (fans of HBO's Rome should watch for an appearance by Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo) are imbued with personality.

    This is not History for historians. Ironically, given its subject, Freeman's book is more democratic in its sensibility and approach. Five stars, highest rating. (I hope the author does his own book about Marcus Aurelius sometime.)

  • Better than I thought

    This is an exceptional book. Laid out in grand story telling style, its strikes an excellent balance between being an enjoyable read and very informative. Freeman is an unabashed Julius Ceasar Apologist who focuses largely on Julius Ceasar's life as a politician/general. If I remember rightly, its only the last two Chapters that take place when Ceasar takes sole control of Rome. Either way, you get a great look into the mind and heart of one of the greatest leaders Rome produced.
    My only criticism? The end is shockingly abrupt. I confess I was taken aback at how quickly he hit the end. That minor issue aside, I highly recommend this read.

Your Reviews

Please log in or register to post comments. Sadly this is necessary due to comment spam.