An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic (Extract)

June 13, 2024

Description

To coincide with the re-release of Rubicon in audiobook, now with Tom Holland himself narrating it, we have the book’s introduction for you to enjoy. Rubicon is a story of incomparable drama. This...
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Books Referenced

The Roman Revolution

Author: Ronald Syme

Context:

Referenced when discussing how the Oxford classicist saw parallels between the rise of the Caesars and the age of fascist and communist dictators in the 1930s. The text explicitly mentions Syme seeing 'a Roman revolution' in these events.

Citizens

Author: Simon Schama

Context:

Indirectly referenced when Tom states 'Had the title not already been taken, I would have called this book Citizens' - this is a reference to Simon Schama's famous book 'Citizens' about the French Revolution.

Discourses on Livy

Author: Machiavelli

Context:

Referenced when discussing how Machiavelli drew lessons from the Roman Republic. The quote provided ('Prudent men are wont to say...that he who would foresee what has to be should reflect on what has been') is from this work where Machiavelli analyzes Roman history.

Histories

Author: Sallust

Context:

Referenced as Sallust's masterwork covering the years 78 to 67 BC, described as 'unanimously praised by its readers as definitive' but now surviving only in scattered fragments.