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A couple of years ago I asked members for suggestions regarding what biographies they would like to see written. Many thanks for your ideas!
Reading recent reviews I've noticed the slow emergence of a recurring phrase, something along the lines of: 'This book does little to add to our knowledge of a man who is already covered extensively in the literature'.
With this in mind, what is the view of members? Is there any historical person where, if a new 'biography' was available, you'd just ignore it completely?
I must admit I'm half-expecting the response to be 'Hannibal', but maybe I am just being pessimistic!
Ian (Sonic) Hughes
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides, Peloponnesian War
"I have just jazzed mine up a little" - Spike Milligan, World War II
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Julius Caesar. He has been covered so extensively for so long that I would ignore anything new unless it got excellent reviews.
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A couple of years ago I might have said Constantine. As it is now, I'm eagerly awaiting David Potter's Constantine the Emperor, due next year...
I think if you have a deep interest in some particular subject or figure, any new book is potentially going to be appealing. But, as David says, the quality of the treatment is the main consideration.
On the other hand, I would gladly see no more books from certain authors ;-)
Nathan Ross
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Any book on a specialist topic without a decent set of footnotes and a comprehensive bibliography - preferably dominated by primary sources not other books from the same author - particularly if they are claiming to have something new to say.
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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A quick scan through Amazon reveals the following (very approximate) numbers of modern non-fiction titles about particular figures from Roman history (or aspects of their lives):
Nero - 12
Hannibal - 15
Augustus - 18
Caesar - 19
Constantine - 30
The overemphasis on Constantine is almost certainly due to the religious angle. Actually, I'm looking forward to Potter's book because I'm hoping it might cut through some of the vast amount of waffle and repetition generated by many of the others!
Nathan Ross
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I look forward to your review of Potter's book Nathan.
I'm not a huge fan of the later Empire and I don't think I've finished any book on Constatine yet (hope I don't shock anyone!!).
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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Potter's Roman Empire at Bay was a fabulous book, so I'm hoping for good things.
Quote:I don't think I've finished any book on Constatine yet (hope I don't shock anyone!!).
They do get to be a bit of a trudge once you reach the Christian doctinal controversies... But there's always the bit about Bishop Arius exploding in the toilet to look forward to :wink:
Nathan Ross
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To add to the previous title-count, I just went through the Amazon entries for Alexander the Great - 69 modern histories, not counting novels and childrens' books!
Surely nothing new could be said about him? Or could it....?
Nathan Ross
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Quote:Any book on a specialist topic without a decent set of footnotes and a comprehensive bibliography - preferably dominated by primary sources not other books from the same author - particularly if they are claiming to have something new to say.
Hmmm ... I've read so many books recently that are simply padded with unnecessary footnotes (of the "look how well-read I am" variety) and bulked out with pages of equally unnecessary bibliography (of the same variety) ... :roll: (Of course, I wouldn't dream of naming names.)
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Or books without an index- step forward Feugere's The Weapons of the Romans (English Edition).....
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"Die armee der ceasaren" is very good but unfortunatly it is in german. But mainland romans could read it.
AgrimensorLVCIVS FLAVIVS SINISTER
aka Jos Cremers
member of CORBVLO
ESTE NIX PAX CRISTE NIX
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Quote:Is there any historical person where, if a new 'biography' was available, you'd just ignore it completely?
How about Cleopatra VII?
Quote:I don't think I've finished any book on Constatine yet (hope I don't shock anyone!!).
Quote:They do get to be a bit of a trudge once you reach the Christian doctinal controversies...
Agreed, Nathan. The ones I've read tend to focus or reduce his 30 year reign to two events - his conversion to/ legalization of Christianity and his founding of Constantinople.
That's why I look forward to reading the new military biography on Constantine by James and English. He was constantly (no pun intended) at war with someone. I haven't checked but would be surprised to learn if a single year went by when he wasn't campaigning or preparing for a campaign.
~Theo
Jaime
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Quote:That's why I look forward to reading the new military biography on Constantine by James and English.
Not if you read the less than favourable review by N. Ross (someone we know?) on amazon.co.uk.
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
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Quote:(someone we know?)
Fraid so. I really wanted to like this one more than I did - but it had to be another of those 'adds little' type reviews of the sort Ian mentioned in his first post. It's not a bad book (mistakes excepted), but could have been better.
Bill Leadbetter's Galerius and the Will of Diocletian is actually a lot more thorough on the earlier tetrarchic military campaigns, but suffers badly from the worst proofreading and editing job I've ever seen - near-identical sentences in the same paragraph, that sort of thing. As it costs over fifty quid, this is pretty unforgiveable.
So, another thing for the 'don't want to see' list: books that seem to have been published in a hurry, with little or no editorial or proofreading work, full of errors and typos!
Nathan Ross
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Quote:So, another thing for the 'don't want to see' list: books that seem to have been published in a hurry, with little or no editorial or proofreading work, full of errors and typos!
I couldn't agree more - books in which you find yourself concentrating more on the errors than on what the author is trying to say.
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
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