This is a magisterial account of the history of Rome from its conception in 753 BC down to the rise of Caesar written in an authoritative prose. Prior knowledge of Rome is recommended.

Unfortunately, this beautiful Folio Society edition is abridged, but as this is among the more easily found (and lower priced) editions of the work, and even though I agree with Montaigne's view that "every abridgement of a good book is a foolish abridgement.", I would still recommend it.

(See the description for this edition above for a full explanation of how it is abridged.)

I was not planning on reading this due to the abridgement, but before I began Gibbon, I came across a copy for an extremely good price, and so I grabbed it. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it more than Gibbon, partly due to the period being discussed, but it is beautifully written, in a grand, authoritative manner that I really enjoyed. I'm very glad that I read it, even if it was an abridgement (this is the only abridged version of a work I have read, and the only one I ever plan on reading), and I definitely look forward to reading the complete, unabridged version some time in the future. ( )