Essential reading for the RTW period

[Mount Suribachi]

With the game imminent, what books should all self respecting RTW players have read?

I ask, as I have never read a book on the Roman Empire!!

[Barkhorn1x]

With the game imminent, what books should all self respecting RTW players have read?

I ask, as I have never read a book on the Roman Empire!!

For fiction, you can start w/ Colleen McCullough's series from 110BCE to 36(?)BCE;
The First Man in Rome
The Grass Crown
Fortunes Favorites
Caesars's Women
Caesar, a Novel
The October Horse

Just be prepared for politics.

Barkhorn.

[Lucius Lucullus]

Im rereading Gibbons book "The fall of the Roman Empire" at the moment

[Lonewarrior]

I looking at a movie about the roman empire, then there's a book I wanna read too.

[-Isapostolos-]

Im rereading Gibbons book "The fall of the Roman Empire" at the moment

Bah, I despise Gibbon's work. All he did was make the Byzantine empire as black as he could. He did not recognize it's remarkable cultaral and artistic advances from the Roman empire nor the immense debt the western world holds to this "convulsion" of the Roman empire.

He even made "Byzantine" a dirty word.

So I wouldn't recommend his work :P

But this thread was about the Roman empire wasn't it. right now I'm reading History of the late Roman army. It's quite good. But it doesn't really cover the period of RTW.

Does anyone know any good books about the punic wars? Or the conquest of the Aegaen?

[historycaesar]

For fiction, you can start w/ Colleen McCullough's series from 110BCE to 36(?)BCE;
The First Man in Rome
The Grass Crown
Fortunes Favorites
Caesars's Women
Caesar, a Novel
The October Horse

Just be prepared for politics.

Barkhorn.

Drop ever you are doing and read these now

[Steppe Merc]

All the Osprey books are very good. Very pretty pictures.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

The fall of rome books, fictional books about the early life of Julius Caeser. Great books man.

[DthB4Dishonour]

I just gotta give my endorsement to the Roman series by Collen McCullough. You might have to slightly lookup in an encyclopedia the Roman senate and voting procedures to entirely enjoy but even without the book would eplain alot of it albeit a little slower. Also there is a bunch of great references in the back of her books. Caesar and First man of Rome were my favorites in the series. You learn a bunch of interesting stuff while simoultaneously being enveloped in a dramatic epic story of war and political manuvering. She is extremely well researched in actually events although she does use literay license with her dialgue but even so its believable.

[Talbot]

For the Punic wars I would recommend

The Punic Wars by Nigel Bagnall

Very good book looking at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of the wars.

[Stuie]

I enjoy reading the classical authors. Livy comes to mind - wrote some great descriptions of military campaigns during the Republic. Sure he embellishes some of the details, but you just need to take it all with a grain of salt as they say. I find it interesting to read Roman history written by someone writing for a Roman audience.

[Barkhorn1x]

For the Punic wars I would recommend

The Punic Wars by Nigel Bagnall

Very good book looking at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of the wars.

And also "The Punic Wars" by Adrian Goldsworthy

Barkhorn.

[The_Emperor]

There's always books of, Polybius' Rise of the Roman Empire and the Annals of Tacitus.

[Spartiate]

The Fall of Rome series are good.
Anything by Colleen McCullough-October Horse.
**RUBICON** by Tom Holland is a must read.It really gets behind the motives and intentions of the leading players of the day.Not about strategy as such.More about politics.

[mambaman]

yes i would agree with Spartiate that Rubicon is a must reda-one of the most enjoyable History books i ever read-in fact it grips like a novel-in short does what it says on the tin

and for Historical fiction try the Colleen McCullough books for Rome and try Ross Leckie's Hannibal for a poetic vision from Carthaginian side-excellent