My local Library has a sale each Fall where they dispose of donations received that they choose not to put in normal circulation. Last week I bought The Twelve Caesars by Matthew Dennison (for fifty cents - like new). Note this is not Suetonius. It covers the same guys and quotes heavily from Suetonius but also works in information from other authors both ancient and modern and even ties in coins. So far I have only read Caligula (it has been a busy week). The author has been criticized for his big words (this is not a book for the vocabulary challenged) but I see more value in it than problems. Has anyone read it? Since this is non-coin post, I'd like to show my (discussed) Caligula sisters sestertius but I don't have one. Instead you get my Pietas and sacrifice sestertius.
It sounds interesting and I'm happy to see there is a Kindle edition. Downloaded... that's the trouble with digital books. It's far to simple to spend money . One capability that is particularly nice about digital books is the ease of highlighting and note-making.
How big a word can one use when discussing the Twelve Caesars and why would someone write a book using descriptive prose that only makes his statements and conclusions unclear? Until the reviews are out, I'll wait a bit longer. Note, I have a Masters degree, so I'm not functionally illiterate in most ways LOL
I read the book a couple of years ago and found it dull and nothing more than a rehash of Suetonius. If one was looking for an excellent popular book about the 12 Allan Massies The Caesars is written with wit and charm. It can be found on ebay or amazon very cheap!
I don't mind digital editions but I feel the same way as you about hard copies of books, especially college textbooks Speaking of digital copies, a condensed compilation of Cassiodorus's letters is available for free on Amazon for Kindle, if anyone is interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0082UNMDC?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1 I am currently reading it on my phone.
My local library and book stores don't even have a decent coin research book. Being overseas, buying books off amazon would mean a shipping cost that is even higher than the retail price for the book
