Customer Reviews

Caesar's Commentaries: On The Gallic War and On The Civil War

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this as a gift and found this to be the better edition currently available. Initially I purhcased the Kessinger Publishing Edition. I found the print in that edition to be very muddy and the overall presetation not as clean (huge margins which crowded the text). This edition is clean and easy to read.

This classic is well worth the time of any buff on Roman History. If you are a true buff you already own it! There are eight "books" comprising about 15-25 pages apiece. Each book a reflection on the previous year's effort in Gaul. The style is plain and to the point. Written in order to curry favor in Rome and document his campaigns, Caeser is guilty of inflating enemy numbers according to some historians. Never the less he painstakingly records the relations between the tribes of the time, the Gauls,Celts, and Germanic peoples are all referenced. The final three books regarding the Civil War are longer. Ramon L. Jimenez's "Caesar against the Celts" is a great companion for this one. He has a good bibliography as well since this translation of the "Commentaries" is lacking of one. For fans of HBO's Rome television show, check out Book V chapter XLIV.

In this one volume are the complete commentaries of Julius Caesar. This edition is clean, complete and unabridged.

This is one of those books that belongs on everyone's private bookshelf; to be read and re-read from time to time. To have the observations and thoughts of one of the greatest generals of all time at your fingertips is one of the true joys of literacy.

If you haven't read Caesar's Commentaries, you have missed something of real value. It's never too late. Do yourself a favor.

Mostly written by Caesar, this book provides an insightful view of ancient warfare from a general's perspective, including such topics as the siege, infantry/calvary interaction, the value of enemy awareness, military engineering, intelligence, moral building, calculated risk, and so on. It also describes such topics as the ancient use of the defeated providing hostages, the temperament of the Celtic tribes, the competition for the areas west of the Rhine (Gaul), the lifestyles and state of civilization of the Germanic tribes (this may be the first recorded account of the Germans), and political strategies.

Note that Caesar writes in the third person, which almost makes it seem like it was written by an impartial historian (which is obviously not the case... Hence, its accuracy must be questioned to some degree).

The only downside of this book is its translation, which I compare to reading an old version of the bible. Sentences run very long, paragraphs cover entire pages, verbs are placed in odd parts of sentences,.. etc. It takes a while to get through it. It is, however, worth the effort, and is a interesting window into the past.

I would strongly recommend getting a higher quality, clearer translation. This version of the classic is near incomprehensible compared to the Penguin or Oxford versions.

I am not learned in Latin but the translation did not flow in English. The tenses changed so suddenly and inappropriately that I suspect the translator of being too literal and the end result was difficult to read in English. It gave the impression of one step above a computer translation. I can't imagine Caesar and his scribes being so crude.I must read another edition before I have an opinion on the book-it was difficult and tedious to read. Maps would have been helpful.

It is a very interesting read, but can be hard to follow if you are not a history buff or a fan of Roman History + Ceasar. For the time, the thought process and lucid writing techniques are above average. If you want to get a real sense of history with first hand knowledge, then this is a great read for history buffs, and non-history buffs as well.

Caesar's Commentaries are an essential read for anyone who aspires to a good education. For several centuries, English public schools (meaning private) required their students to translate Caesar's Commentaries from the Latin. Since the decline of written Latin for church and scholarly purposes, translating Caesar has fallen out of favor. But, the main reasons for reading Caesar still persist: It provides an excellent model of clear, simple exposition and demonstrates how a man of substance should express himself.

Make no mistake about it, Caesar was a clever, calculating, complicated man, but when he wrote, he was certain about what he intended to say and said it. MacDevitt's translation is not that of a schoolboy; it is that of a school-master. Where there is a subtle reference in Caesar's prose, MacDevitt captured it in his English translation clearly and succinctly.

When you read Caesar's Commentaries, you are not reading the rantings of a third-rate politician. You are reading the words of one of the most important figures in the entire history of the human race. The accomplishments of Julius Caesar, whether for good or evil, will stand as a monument to human ambition for all time.

I liked the translation--it brought Caesar's style to life. It also seemed to me that the section completed by Caesar's associate was distinct in style, which again made Caesar's more vivid. Be warned, though, that there is absolutely no commentary, which for me was problematic, as it the work clearly has its propaganda elements, and it would be nice to know exactly how much of a stretch some representations are. But for those looking for a straight translation, it's a nice choice.

Caesar might have been a good general but he's a uniquely boring writer with leaden descriptions of intensely exciting campaigns. The other problem is that it's best to read Roman writers in the original Latin as that way the "otherness" of ancient Romans comes across better. Ergo taedet me istius libris. Dabit deus his quoque finem.