Free Downloads The Annals & The Histories (Modern Library Classics)
Cornelius Tacitus brilliantly chronicles the moral decline and rampant civil unrest in the Roman Empire in a period when the earliest foundations of modern Europe were being laid. The Annals commence in a.d. 14, at the death of Augustus, recounting the reigns of Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, and Nero, and conclude in a.d. 68, the year of Nero’s suicide. The Histories document the tumultuous year a.d. 69, when Emperors Galba, Otho, and Vitellius all perished in quick succession, ushering in Vespasian’s ten-year reign. According to historian Will Durant, “[We must] rank Tacitus among the greatest. . . . The portraits he draws stand out more clearly, stride the stage more livingly than any others in historical literature.” This Modern Library Paperback Classic includes newly commissioned endnotes.
Series: Modern Library Classics
Paperback: 640 pages
Publisher: Modern Library; Revised ed. edition (April 8, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812966996
ISBN-13: 978-0812966992
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #487,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #157 in Books > History > Historical Study & Educational Resources > Essays #775 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Rome #17695 in Books > History > World
Lest there be some confusion about the 2 stars I've given this book: Tacitus is fantastic and fascinating. So don't reproach me for SEEMING to criticize Tacitus, when my target here is the translation. (On the subject of reproach, Tacitus himself wrote: "To show resentment at a reproach is to acknowledge that one may have had it coming.") In fact, I think very highly of the incomparable Roman historian. Gibbon, among many others, loves him and so do I. However, this superficially handsome volume from The Modern Library (containing both The Histories and The Annals), does not do justice to Tacitus at all. These translations cannot be recommended, in spite of the praise lavished on them by the general editor. The Annals is barely acceptable but no more than that, and The Histories is inferior. No, the interested reader would be better off to consult the scintillating translation by W. H. Fyfe (revised by his editor, D. S. Levene) of The Histories, published by Oxford as a paperback in 1997. Tacitus' renown -- looking at his style rather than his content -- comes from his acerbic wit, pithy remarks and lucid analytical sentences. To get a truer sense of his abilities, look to another translation.
Tacitus, while very wordy and a bit of a gossip, this selection is used as a primary source for the imperial Roman period.
Great price! Very good condition. We are enjoying this book!
I have only read a few chapters of The Annals & The Histories - by Tacitus - and what a blood-thirsty lot those Romans were - however, they didn't bother with slanging matches against those they didn't like - they simply killed them! I don't suppose this method would be acceptable today!
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