# A Julius Caesar bio--In a new Kindle Edition. Now--for a limited time--99 cents.



## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

So many of Caesar's biographies are deadly and daunting. Please sample my straightforward, down-to-earth treatment and see if it appeals. Thanks for looking!

Sig Rosenblum



PS: Lots of interest in this book. And I suspect that it's because of the non-academic approach. Oldsters and youngsters seem to appreciate that. For myself, my historian heroes are those who use plain muscular English and have a keen narrative sense. David McCullough is a prime example, even though he is accused of writing "history lite."

But an old bit of ad agency doggerel says it pretty well: "Tell me quick and tell me true, or else, my friend, the heck with you!"

Sig


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks, Sig, I've ordered the sample!

Betsy


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks, Sig!  Hope you enjoyed your New Years - we're glad to have you here with us!!!


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

The greatest man in the world, many claim, is the general who said "I came, I saw, I conquered." You may want to sample my new Kindle Edition of Julius Caesar: A Brief Biography.



Thanks for looking!

Sig Rosenblum


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Thank you, 
I just got mine.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi:

Thanks a lot for getting Caesar. I do hope you enjoy it. Please let me know when you have a moment. I'd be interested in your reaction!

Sig


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

If ancient Rome fascinates you, you may want to sample my new popular--not scholarly--biography of "the noblest Roman of them all."



Thanks for looking!

Sig Rosenblum


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

I love reading about history.







Added to my wishlist.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Great. Me too. And thanks for your interest. But don't forget to sample it first!

Sig


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

I just ordered a sample.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Thanks Anne. Hope you enjoy it. If you have a moment, let me know. I am interested in your reaction!

Sig


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Sig; I will let you know how I like the sample. I love reading History. I hope I will like it. I have homework to finish then I will take time and read the sample later today.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Thanks Anne. Study hard!

Sig


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Sig: Again I just read enough of the sample to see if I like it. I like  the way you write.  The story flows and is easy to read. I  bought a copy of this one also. I let you know how I like it after I read the book.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Thanks again, Anne, for your venturesome one-click--and the compliment!

Sig


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

I just started a blog on Amazon. And I hope it will be helpful as well as interesting. Please take a look and--if you like--let me have your thoughts. It's always a pleasure to hear from friends at KB! Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2RDHEL40RSK6M/ref=sv__4

Many thanks for the visit!

Sig Rosenblum


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

There's a striking, spine-chilling parallel between the Rome of Caesar's time and our own. They, too, lamented their situation and longed for better things. But they said it in Latin: O tempore, O mores! Oh, the times, Oh, the manners! Please sample this fast-moving portrait of ancient Rome and the genius who helped make it great:



Thanks for looking!

Sig Rosenblum


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

It is wonderful to see so many new members of KB. No question: It is the very best Kindle-related site--as newcomers will quickly see. 

One thing it does tell me, however, that is not quite so sunny. And it is this: How could there be 300,000 to one million Kindle owners out there when this exemplary social network has only 2,000 participants? 

My guess is that ownership is more in the 10,000-40,000 range. Your thoughts?

Oh, I almost forgot: Sample my Kindled "Julius Caesar: A Brief Biography." An exciting tale for smart young adults, too! 

Sig Rosenblum


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

sigrosenblum said:


> One thing it does tell me, however, that is not quite so sunny. And it is this: How could there be 300,000 to one million Kindle owners out there when this exemplary social network has only 2,000 participants?
> 
> My guess is that ownership is more in the 10,000-40,000 range. Your thoughts?


I don't think this board's membership numbers can really be used to determine how many overall Kindle owners are out there. Too many other variables exist.

1) Amazon and Mobileread (among others) also have boards. While there is some overlap, I'm sure there are people who only post exclusively on one of the boards and not any of the others.

2) Some K owners just aren't going to be into message boards, won't see the need to talk about their favorite books, etc.

3) K1 was sold out for much of its run. The number of owners is probably higher than we think because a good chunk of those people will be getting K2s, which aren't out yet. A small percentage, I'm sure, gave up on the idea of owning one for now because they were frustrated that it was constantly sold out. I think, though, that if anyone who really wanted a Kindle would have waited. I suspect most people have.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

All very good and valid points you make, though "sold out" is a much-used marketing strategy. Long ago, in the golden age of advertising, one of the greats(Benton & Bowles maybe?) actually took a big ad declining any future business. Guess what? Business boomed. And even today, fancy restaurants with reputations to protect, still insist on reservations when they have plenty of empty tables.

But as an indie author and former publisher, I am dreaming of the day when there will be zillions of Kindles out there. Notwithstanding your well-taken comments, I am super-skeptical. Oh, if only Amazon would release those well-guarded figures!

Best regards,

Sig


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## speters (Feb 18, 2009)

I'm reading Sig's book "Spymaster" about CIA forebearer Bill Donovan right now and really enjoying it. I'll certainly check out "Julius Caesar" next.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

speters said:


> I'm reading Sig's book "Spymaster" about CIA forebearer Bill Donovan right now and really enjoying it. I'll certainly check out "Julius Caesar" next.


Thanks so much for Bill and thanks in advance for Julius. I hope the enjoyment continues. Most folks don't realize that authoring is like flying blind. You pray that your instruments are right. But you are never quite sure. I appreciate the confirmation!

Sig


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Here's the opening of Chapter One:

In 100 BC, Julius Caesar was born into a well-known aristocratic family. And while no one could have guessed how high he would rise, the main outlines of his life were already set. He was headed for a career in politics--a place somewhere in the leadership of Rome. Perhaps he would be a general or a governor; but some post above the crowd. For that was the destiny of his class, and Julius Caesar would fulfill that destiny as no one else before or since.



Thanks for taking a look!

Sig Rosenblum


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi all:

Just added some new things to my book site. Please visit when you get a chance:

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/

Thanks!

Sig


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## revgroucho (Mar 18, 2009)

A criticism.

Allow me to preface this by stating that I am a serious student of ancient history, particularly the Roman Republic. There are several opinions and 'facts' presented in this book that I find either misleading or outright wrong. The fact that Romans had no art, for example, is wrong: both romantic poetry and satire are gifts bequeathed to us by the Romans. You also state that the Republic was a democracy; it was not; the Romans viewed Greek democracy as unstable and dangerous. It's hard to project what exactly the Republic was in modern terms, but democracy is certainly a misleading term. Polybius referred to it as a 'mixed constitution,' part monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy-while this isn't entirely true, it's closer to the truth than 'democracy.'

You also refer to the Optimates and Populares as parties in which certain ideologies were expressed. This wasn't the case. There were no party politics in the Roman Republic-politicians did not have constituents, with the exception, perhaps, of the Tribunes; nor did they run on ideas. The division between Optimates and Populares weren't based on ideologies, they were methodologies. The former cultivated the 'best men,' the senate, equestrians, etc., while the latter roused the spirits of the proletariat. Couching them in such modern terms as 'parties' is wholly misleading.

In chapter 2, your characterization of the clash between Marius and Sulla is oversimplified to the point of being misleading and interpreted through hindsight-which, as you know, is a sizeable no-no. You say that, "he [Sulla] made a mistake which was to cost him his post: He left Rome to mount a campaign against Mithridates VI, King of Pontus in northern Asia Minor, who was leading a revolt. And when Sulla marched, Marius did, too-right to Rome, and seized the Consulship for himself-his seventh term in the position."

The above description is entirely too simple. First, Sulla was given the mission to go after Mithridates. But Marius wanted it, too. It was Marius, not Sulla, who ignited the civil war when he employed a Tribune to go to the assembly, to strip Sulla of his generalship over the Mithridatic war, to give it to Marius. Sulla, as one can expect, did not like that. Too, you blame Sulla for the proscriptions, which, again, is misleading: Marius, as you well know, played the proscription game, too.

When Sulla placed Caesar on the proscription list, you shift the narrative to a subjective tense, seemingly leaping into Caesar's mind, asking, "Wouldn't the Populares be impressed that Caesar had stood up to the dictator?" Any historian will tell you that you cannot psychoanalyze an historical figure as ancient as Caesar-other than his commentaries (which offer virtually no insight into who Caesar was-we have no firsthand material. What we do have are histories written, in some cases, centuries after Caesar's death. There's no way of knowing why he refused Sulla's offer. We do not know if he did it for personal or political reasons. To speculate is just that: speculation, something best left to novelists, not historians.

Referring to Caesar's opinion of Pompey, you state, "He [Pompey] was not exactly to Caesar's taste; for, although Pompey was brilliant in the field, he stood for all that Caesar hated." In fact, we have absolutely no way of knowing what Caesar thought of Pompey or vice-versa. To say that Pompey stood for all that Caesar hated is, again, misleading; if one were to juxtapose the two mens' lives, especially their early careers, one would find more in common than not.

I'm not going to make a point-by-point argument, and I would like to say that I do not dislike your book, I do not hate it. There are admirable parts to it: I appreciate that, in describing the Civil War following Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, you do not appear to paint Caesar as a revolutionary who had planned this from the beginning. I also believe it to be a decent overview of Caesar's life. But it seems as though you painted the Roman world-especially the political world-in either broad brushes or too vaguely, thus depriving your readers of being able to fully appreciate the world into which Caesar was born; the world he eventually helped to change-intentional or not; and those changes, with the eventual death of the Roman Republic, played a powerful role in molding Western Civilization as we know it today.

Okay: I've said my part. Feel free to respond, or to rip me a new one. 

EDIT: I should state that these criticism are meant as honest responses to your book. I am in no way, shape, or form trying to trash your book, or to belittle it or you, or to denigrate the work you did in writing this book. I did, for the most part, find it to be a good overview of Caesar's life. I certainly wasn't trying to trash your book, and I'm sorry if it came off as such. But I do feel that boards such as these are forms of public discourse, and discourse, in my opinion, shouldn't be relegated to praise. I feel, these were honest and legitimate criticisms. And that is all I was trying to express.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi revgroucho--and all friends, Romans, countrymen:

First, thank you for a most interesting--even compelling--review. I enjoyed it. And I did not for one moment feel that it was anything but intellectually honest and well-meant. So your mea culpa (?) afterthought was not needed.

Next, we are in entirely different leagues. You are a professional historian and a student of the period. I am way below your pay grade: a mere popularizer with no pretensions to be anything else. Certainly not an authority on the ancient world.

I agree with much of what you say. There is, of course, the question of what historians like to call "presentism"--seeing the past through the insights of the present. Or, as we all like to say: Hindsight is 20-20. Then, assertions of what Caesar or others thought or felt. Clearly, this can never be known. But these are simply devices that a popularizer will eagerly use. Historians will not.

The real nub of our difference is well-expressed by you with this sentence:

"But it seems as though you painted the Roman world-especially the political world-in either broad brushes or too vaguely, thus depriving your readers of being able to fully appreciate the world into which Caesar was born..."

The key phrases here are "broad brushes," "too vaguely," and ""fully appreciate."

I say they are key because what you see as careless neglect was really intentional! I meant to paint Caesar and his world with a broad brush. I did not want to descend into numbing details. And, most of all, I had no ambition to impart a "full" appreciation of the historical complexities. It was a modest effort to peel the top layer of a vast historical onion.

But I will take only one mild specific exception to your excellent critique: There may not have been party politics in Rome. I have no way of knowing. I had to seek the specialists like yourself. And one engaging source was "Party Politics in the Age of Caesar," by Lily Ross Taylor. What's a poor popularizer to do if he can't trust the historians! Especially Ms. Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Latin and former dean of the graduate school at Bryn Mawr College.

There will always be this wonderful and stimulating tenion between the professional historians--who, after all, guide us on our stumbling path--and the superficial popularizers such as David McCullough who are always accused of writing "history lite." Here is one popularizer who proudly pleads guilty. But, you know, we have entirely different tasks. And the world badly needs us both.

Thank you again for your thoughtful essay. I appreciate the time you took and the interest you expressed. I admire and even envy your grasp of so much that is subtle and elusive in that wonderful world of the past.

Sig

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## revgroucho (Mar 18, 2009)

I appreciate your response, and, again, I did enjoy the book. I would like to say, regarding party politics: it's been the natural assumption for at least the past two centuries that traditional parties did exist in Rome. But over the past few decades, that theory has more or less been disintegrated. I'm familiar with "Party Politics in the Age of Caesar," but for a more definitive account of Republican politics, and the various institutions, I would direct you to "The Constitution of the Roman Republic" by Andrew Lintott; also, his essay in Cambridge Ancient History IX. In the former book, he really lays out every institution, the gist of the laws, etc. of the Republic. It is a fascinating, and enlightening read. 

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to add: I'm not a professional historian. I'm just a serious, and somewhat obsessive-compulsive student of history.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

revgroucho said:


> I appreciate your response, and, again, I did enjoy the book. I would like to say, regarding party politics: it's been the natural assumption for at least the past two centuries that traditional parties did exist in Rome. But over the past few decades, that theory has more or less been disintegrated. I'm familiar with "Party Politics in the Age of Caesar," but for a more definitive account of Republican politics, and the various institutions, I would direct you to "The Constitution of the Roman Republic" by Andrew Lintott; also, his essay in Cambridge Ancient History IX. In the former book, he really lays out every institution, the gist of the laws, etc. of the Republic. It is a fascinating, and enlightening read.
> 
> EDIT: Oh, I forgot to add: I'm not a professional historian. I'm just a serious, and somewhat obsessive-compulsive student of history.


Thanks so much for the historiographic update. And your edit reminds me of a Churchill comment. He lost an election, I believe, and his wife offered the consolation that it might, after all, be a blessing in disguise. His response: If so, it is very effectively disguised. You may not be a professional historian, friend. But you are very effectively disguised!

Sig

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Very interesting and educational discussion, gentleman, and kudos for being respectful to each other.  Love a good discussion!

Betsy


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter AKA Agent 72 said:


> Very interesting and educational discussion, gentleman, and kudos for being respectful to each other. Love a good discussion!
> 
> Betsy


Agreed. I'm really enjoying this meeting of the minds.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi all:

I haven't been around because I have been Twittering. Takes some getting used to. And what it all adds up to, I have yet to discover!

Incidentally, my book site is updated and I have added a blog. Drop by if you get a chance. And leave a comment if you are so inclined!

Thanks.

Sig
http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Please see the first chapter of Caesar at my site. Plus several others. Plus a new blog.

Thanks
http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Leo Rosten: "The only reason for being a professional writer is that you can't help it."

Sig

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

_Since pirates have been in the news lately, I thought you might find Caesar's strategy thought-provoking. Here's an excerpt from my biography:_

On the way to his teacher, Caesar's ship passed through an area infested by pirates. They attacked, overwhelmed the crew and took Caesar prisoner. He was a good catch, and worth a small fortune in ransom. Get the money, they told Caesar, or die. How much? Twenty talents, a considerable amount. What! Caesar demanded. He was worth much more than that--at least fifty talents! Naturally, the pirates agreed. And off went Caesar's friends to get the money.
If he was frightened by the renegades, he didn't reveal it. Quite the opposite. He insulted them, treated them as if they were his prisoners and issued a remarkable threat of his own: They would get the money, never fear, but he would not just disappear after they let him go. No, he would come back and kill them all! The pirates shrugged this off as the bragging of an inexperienced youngster with a loose tongue. The money was the important thing. 
True to his word, Caesar got the ransom money, and something else, as well: a force of tough fighters who whipped the pirates. And then? Caesar had them crucified. Crucifixion was an agonizing punishment. So, as an act of mercy, he had their throats slit, first!



Thanks for looking!

Sig

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Author unknown: "Originality is the art of concealing your sources."

Sig

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Robert Benchley: "It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous."

Sig
http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Wallace Stegner: "When I was twenty I was in love with words, a wordsmith. I didn't know enough to know when people were letting words get in their way. Now I like the words to disappear, like a transparent curtain."

Sig 
http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

For a limited time, the Kindle Edition of "Julius Caesar: A Brief Biography" is 88 cents. Thanks for sampling!


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

W. Somerset Maugham: "To write simply is as difficult as to be good."

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Robert Benchley: "I do most of my writing sitting down. That's where I shine."

Sig

http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

A bicycle can't stand alone. It is two-tired.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism, it's your Count that votes.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Sig,
I just have to pick up a JC book at this price.

I had not yet done so only because my to-be-read list is longer than I like.

so many books to try.

I will come back and post after reading.

Just sayin.....


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

geoffthomas said:


> Sig,
> I just have to pick up a JC book at this price.
> 
> I had not yet done so only because my to-be-read list is longer than I like.
> ...


Thanks so much. I appreciate it--and do hope that you enjoy it!


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Frank Yerby: "I quit writing if I feel inspired, because I know I'm going to have to throw it away. Writing a novel is like building a wall brick by brick; only amateurs believe in inspiration."


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Sig,
I said that I would come back and give my thoughts.
Well I really enjoyed this walk in history.
I had to translate Caesar when I took 4 years of Latin.
So he was like an old friend.
Good read.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

geoffthomas said:


> Sig,
> I said that I would come back and give my thoughts.
> Well I really enjoyed this walk in history.
> I had to translate Caesar when I took 4 years of Latin.
> ...


Thanks so much Geoff. You zipped through it with Caesar-like celeritas. And I appreciate your dispatch. A favor: If you could post a couple of lines on the Amazon listing, I--and legions of others--would welcome it!


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Desiderius Erasmus: "When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes."


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

A snippet from the book:

4. Making Friends: Pompey and Crassus​
There were--at least--two sides to this driven young man. There was Caesar, the social butterfly; and on the other side, the sober statesman. The butterfly flirted with every woman who crossed his path. He seemed to attend every social event, and was a popular guest among the aristocratic families. Caesar, they pleaded, you must attend this celebration, you must speak at that rally.

He was very much in the social spotlight, and seemed to love the lavish attention and praise. He could be like a strutting peacock with his elaborate clothes, his obsession with the way he looked. He charmed and flattered everyone. And money slipped through his fingers like the desert sands. A famous painting? He had to have it. He was a collector of beautiful things. But he always had to borrow to survive.

On the other side of his personality lived the sober statesman and reformer. He sat in the Forum--it was a dignified backdrop--and listened to the citizens who came to see him. Could Caesar help with this court case, provide that document, attend a marriage, be seen at a funeral, sponsor a candidacy? What was the result...


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Another snippet from the book:

Here, in Gaul, the first victims of this formidable army were the Helvetii, a huge throng of 400,000. They were pouring out of today's Switzerland, across Transalpine Gaul. Their goal? The Atlantic coast. They were fleeing the Germans who had been mounting attacks on them. Would the Romans let them pass? They meant no harm to Caesar or his men; they wished to live in peace.

No, said Caesar, somewhat unreasonably. To pass the Romans, they must fight the Romans. The Helvetii were no cowards; besides, they outnumbered the legions. So they took the challenge and threw themselves on the ranks before them.

To the legionnaires, the primitive warriors seemed like wild beasts, with their long hair flying this way and that; nothing at all like the trim, disciplined Romans. The Helvetii ran into a hail of javelins, and down went the front rows of their troops. Then the Romans unleashed their own charge. And, after several more attacks and counterattacks, the Helvetii simply melted, wheeling in panic, stumbling away from the whiplash swords of the Roman force, breaking ranks and running back to Switzerland. But they could not outrun the horses of the Romans who cut them down in their thousands--the women and children too--until the corpses were stacked like cordwood.

The slaughter was not lost on the other Gallic tribes; they quickly understood the power of these invaders. And many of their chieftains rushed to Caesar. It was peace they wanted, not war. Surely, friendly relations could be arranged, they pleaded. All except one. This was the much too ambitious Ariovistus. Rome would not humble him as it had the Helvetii. No, he would show Caesar what his giant Germans could do.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Alexander Pope:

A perfect judge will read each work of wit
With the same spirit that its author writ.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Oscar Wilde:

"It is absurd to have a hard-and-fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn't. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read."


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## Edge (Mar 6, 2009)

I just got the book; I look forward to reading it. As a former history major, I love reading anything historical (especially Roman history).

I was a huge fan of the HBO mini-series "Rome," and my fix for all things Roman has been unsated since the show's demise.


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Edge said:


> I just got the book; I look forward to reading it. As a former history major, I love reading anything historical (especially Roman history).
> 
> I was a huge fan of the HBO mini-series "Rome," and my fix for all things Roman has been unsated since the show's demise.


Don't think I ever saw the series. But thanks for the click. I do hope you enjoy it!


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