Looking for a good book on Roman history. - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

Cali Coug · 03-05-2007, 01:42 AM

If the author is Gibbons, let me state that it is NOT a good book. Please recommend something readable, not something that "must be good" because it has been deemed a classic!

Detroitdad · 03-05-2007, 03:28 AM

Personally I like the Asterix and Obelix comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo.
That is quality Roman history.

il Padrino Ute · 03-05-2007, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

Personally I like the Asterix and Obelix comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo.
That is quality Roman history.

Asterix and Obelix books are awesome. Quite possibly some of the funniest things ever printed.

Detroitdad · 03-05-2007, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Asterix and Obelix books are awesome. Quite possibly some of the funniest things ever printed.

You and my daughter would get along famously. She loves to read these books. That is our family tradition, give your little kids Asterix and Obelix comics, let sit for 18 years.

Then get your bail money ready.

Oh, BTW I agree that Asterix is the funniest comic of all time.

SeattleUte · 03-05-2007, 04:57 AM

The subject is far too immense to be captured in "a book." Four popular histories that were published in the past year and covered some of the highlights are Augustus by Anthony Everitt, The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox, Rubicon by Tom Holland, and The Fall of the Roman Empire by Peter Heather.

BarbaraGordon · 03-05-2007, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

Personally I like the Asterix and Obelix comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo.
That is quality Roman history.

We have a couple of them in the original French: Ils sont fous, ces Romains!

I should really get an English copy so I can understand more than every third word.

SeattleUte · 03-05-2007, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

If the author is Gibbons, let me state that it is NOT a good book. Please recommend something readable, not something that "must be good" because it has been deemed a classic!

There are many "classics" whose greatness I have failed to appreciate. I am not so thoughtless and arrogant as to think that I know better than the weight of opinion of my most brilliant and educated forebears and that this is due to anything other than my own shortcomings. I've read Gibbon off and on since I was probably about eleven years old and can attest to his greatness. The Decline and Fall is also of substantial historical importance since it had a significant impact on the Enlightenment.

Cali Coug · 03-05-2007, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

There are many "classics" whose greatness I have failed to appreciate. I am not so thoughtless and arrogant as to think that I know better than the weight of opinion of my most brilliant and educated forebears and that this is due to anything other than my own shortcomings. I've read Gibbon off and on since I was probably about eleven years old and can attest to his greatness. The Decline and Fall is also of substantial historical importance since it had a significant impact on the Enlightenment.

Sure, my lack of appreciation could simply be that I am not on the same intellectual level as the best and brightest of my forbearers. But if that is true, I can't change biology. So I am left with the inescapable conclusion that, rather than pretending to enjoy a certain book because it would seem to put me on an intellectual plane to which I clearly do not belong, I should just be honest and move on to something I actually like.

I understand that many of the "classics" are classics not because they are very good, but because they inspired others to write books that were better as a result of the earlier classic. I read the classics to give them a chance and see if I will like it, but if I don't, I move on (preferring to read the later book that was inspired by the earlier book because the later book IS better). Kind of like how I would love to see the first television invented by Philo Farnsworth, but I would much rather buy and enjoy an HD DLP big screen television (and quietly thank Philo during commercials).

Cali Coug · 03-05-2007, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

The subject is far too immense to be captured in "a book." Four popular histories that were published in the past year and covered some of the highlights are Augustus by Anthony Everitt, The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox, Rubicon by Tom Holland, and The Fall of the Roman Empire by Peter Heather.

I have read Rubicon, and it was decent. I will check out the others.

creekster · 03-05-2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

There are many "classics" whose greatness I have failed to appreciate. I am not so thoughtless and arrogant as to think that I know better than the weight of opinion of my most brilliant and educated forebears and that this is due to anything other than my own shortcomings. I've read Gibbon off and on since I was probably about eleven years old and can attest to his greatness. The Decline and Fall is also of substantial historical importance since it had a significant impact on the Enlightenment.

OTOH, you are sufficiently arrogant and thoughtless to deny the opinions of your contemporaries about books you have not read or teams you have not seen play?

03-05-2007, 01:42 AM	#1
Cali Coug Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 5,996	Looking for a good book on Roman history. If the author is Gibbons, let me state that it is NOT a good book. Please recommend something readable, not something that "must be good" because it has been deemed a classic!

03-05-2007, 04:57 AM	#5
SeattleUte fairlds.org Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 10,665	The subject is far too immense to be captured in "a book." Four popular histories that were published in the past year and covered some of the highlights are Augustus by Anthony Everitt, The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox, Rubicon by Tom Holland, and The Fall of the Roman Empire by Peter Heather. __________________ Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster

03-05-2007, 03:28 AM	#2
Detroitdad Resident Jackass Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Roswell, New Mexico Posts: 1,846	Personally I like the Asterix and Obelix comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo. That is quality Roman history.