Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic [Hardcover]

Tom Holland (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0316861308 | ISBN-13: 978-0316861304 | Publication Date: August 2003

The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. "Rubicon" paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same. Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Holland has the rare gift of making deep scholarship accessible and exciting. A brilliant and completely absorbing study' A. N. Wilson, author of The Victorians 'This is the best one-volume narrative history of the Rome between King Tarquin and Emperor Augustus I have ever read. The story of Rome's experiment with republicanism - peopled by such giants as Caesar, Pompey, Cato and Cicero - is told with perfect freshness, fine wit and true scholarship' Andrew Roberts

About the Author

Tom Holland received a double first from Cambridge. He has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio. His scholarly style is pefect to reposition him as a writer of non-fiction as well as fiction.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown UK (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316861308
• ISBN-13: 978-0316861304
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,216,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, January 18, 2004

By 

alistair clethero (new plymouth, new zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic (Hardcover)

This would be very high in my list of top ten books I have read in the last 20 years. Why? Because Tom Holland has brought the entire play of the fall of the Roman Republic to life. He portrays each of the main characters (and there are a lot of them) as real people, giving sound reasons as to who is friend and foe and why. Rather than telling the tale of each person as a separate story, all events are interwoven together. Typical of all politicians nobody is honest and nobody is entirely good either - though mostly they are all rich. Parallels abound between then and now, particularly with regards to big business and what drives government, though Mr Holland wisely never eludes to this and allows us to draw the conclusion. I was left wondering who was the real villian, the rest look just as bad as Caesar - and they all have their own agendas. All in all an excellent, eminently readable, un-put-downable book. Just a pity it isn't longer. I look forward to a sequel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History as it Should be Written, November 3, 2006

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rubicon (Paperback)

The Romans were arguably the most remarkable people in history, although having said that the Greeks would certainly give them a run for their money. Therefore it is no wonder that the Roman Republic is without doubt the most written about and who better to do the writing than Tom Holland, a historian who has a string of successful books behind him. This book certainly achieves what I am sure the author set out to do and that is to entertain and inform the reader at the same time, without boring the pants off them.

It is a sobering thought that what started out as a small community of people living among the marshes and hills of the area ended up as the greatest city of its time with the might and power to rule the known world. A city that had architects and engineers that could easily hold their own in today's modern world. The book paints a picture of Rome in its finest hour. This was the century of Julius Caesar , a man addicted to both power and glory. A man who crossed the Rubicon in a demonstration of both defiance and power.

A time of the great orator Cicero and Spartacus a slave come gladiator who dared to challenge the might of all Rome and briefly, but only briefly glimpsed success. Tom Holland brings to life all of these events and makes the people involved more than just names from long ago. He makes them into living people with likes and dislikes. Lovers of people and things and also the hatred within some of them and the lengths they were prepared to go to achieve their ambitions.

A book bursting with the facts of how people lived and loved in the most famous city in the known world and on the other side of the coin the ones who were continually striving to just to survive.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read survey of Roman History, January 3, 2007

By 

Michael A. Wolff (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic (Hardcover)

If you want one book to give you insight into how the Republic of Rome operated and evolved into an Empire, this is the book to get. Very well written. It is fascinating how much modern politics resembles the politics of ancient Rome, as engagingly and clearly described in this book. If you think Julius and Augustus Caesar came to power by military conquest alone (and that is how Republic became Empire), read this book to understand how wrong you are.