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caseydmc 's review for:
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
A translation of Sallust's War with Catiline chronicles the rise and fall and hubris of a disgruntled aristocrat who becomes enraged enough after loosing multiple election attempts that he seeks to stage a coups against Cicero, harnessing populist anger towards the aristocracy promising debt relief, grain subsidy, and a restoration of patriotic honor.
The American concept of history is so short, that the rise and fall of empires is worth revisiting for cautionary wisdom. The conspiratorial finagling's of one group of corrupt aristocrats attempting to usurp another group of corrupt aristocrats by playing off the exasperations and vulnerabilities of an increasingly impoverished working class, is indeed a story arc that seems as relevant as ever.
Osgood's introductory essay and annotations are most helpful for establishing context, so the reader need not be steeped in their ancient Roman history to appreciate the events. Including the Latin on the opposing pages was particularly interesting. My only complaint was the chosen format of this book--this edition released as a small-sized hardback barely a hand's length tall, which was physically annoying to wield.
The American concept of history is so short, that the rise and fall of empires is worth revisiting for cautionary wisdom. The conspiratorial finagling's of one group of corrupt aristocrats attempting to usurp another group of corrupt aristocrats by playing off the exasperations and vulnerabilities of an increasingly impoverished working class, is indeed a story arc that seems as relevant as ever.
Osgood's introductory essay and annotations are most helpful for establishing context, so the reader need not be steeped in their ancient Roman history to appreciate the events. Including the Latin on the opposing pages was particularly interesting. My only complaint was the chosen format of this book--this edition released as a small-sized hardback barely a hand's length tall, which was physically annoying to wield.