'The Antonines' is a necessary work on the second century A.D. by a respected Roman historian.
Part One of this work by Michael Grant gives a brief presentation of the salient imperial powers of the time, Antonius Pius (138-161), Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Lucius Verus (161-169) and Commodus (180-192) in a concise manner. However, it is as it reads - a nicely presented synopsis of Roman imperial history from 138 to 192 A.D.
Part One's opening chapter provides the reader with details of Antonius Pius' actions, a diagnostic on his character to explain those actions - leaning heavily on the potential explanations for the Pius appellation - Aurelius' conservatism, Veres ineffectiveness and Commodus dramatic impact on the empire to a degree not seen since Nero. Moving swiftly onto Marcus Aurelius, Grant summarizes his reign as coping "with appalling problems with a conscientiousness that raised him to the top class of rulers." Touching on Aurelius' time spent on the Rhine frontier, his famous Meditations, conflict with Avidius Cassius, his wife Faustina and his state of health, Grant portrays Marcus Aurelius as a ruler who engendered a great deal of respect, a respect that swiftly disappears with the biography of Commodus.
After a brief note on the eternal critcism of Aurelius for having his son succeed him, (there is an insistence by the author on the idea of hereditary dynastic succession in Imperial Rome which doesn't bear much proof particularly as two pages later he states that "the senate, though conscious that the selection of the 'best man' had ceased to have any reality..." thus implying there was no concept) Grant sweeps into his biography of Commodus. Grant's commentary on Commodus highlights him as a ruler who provided a strong and favourable impression in the first few years of his reign, but later biographies depict him as a drunkard, debauched from the earliest years, and focus on his unseemly gladiatorial enthusiasm all of which leads to serious administrative disaster for the empire. Eventually, as Grant states: his 'wild self-indulgence and quasi-mystical autocratic religiosity' led to his murder.
Part Two deals with two themes of the Antonine Age: literature and art.
The first is split into three sections: Latin, Greek and Christian writings and is no more than a brief biography and synopis of the extant works of each. Moving from first rate (as the author terms it) authors such as Fronto, Lucian, Aurelius, Pausanias Justin to other authors including the Second Sophists, the Apologists, Gnostic writers Grant gives what is fundamentally a brief history, notable works and precis of the major writings of each in each section.
The second focuses on the art and architecture of the Antonine period, from busts and statues to theatres, expanded by many pictures and Grant concludes with a chapter on the Antonine Age.
The work comes through as a neat biographical history of the Antonine Emperors and the leading literay and artistic names of the period. As such this is an excellent starter book for anyone interested in the period and a useful reference book to students more familiar with the period.

This is a book about Rome's "Golden Age." It covers the period from Antoninus Pius to Commodus (138-192 A.D.). Antoninus Pius & Marcus Aurelius (as well as Trajan & Hadrian, who came shortly before) are among the greatest of the Roman emperors. Sadly, Commodus (Aurelius' son) was one of the worst leaders of all time. As a matter of fact, Commodus was SO bad that many Romans accused his mother of infidelity as they could not believe how such an egregious fellow could have possibly sprung from the loins of one so noble as Aurelius.

Grants' book gives a detailed look at this epoch, as well as a glimpse at the art & literature of the time. The book contains helpful illustrations & photographs of Roman architecture & coinages of the time.

This book gives a detailed picture of one of the most pivotal moments in Roman history. Some would say that Roman history went downhill from the reign of Commodus onward. While I think that this is a slight exaggeration, there is nonetheless evidence that this was (until Commodus) the closest that Rome ever came to achieving their utopian "Camelot." A great work by an astute scholar.

ever wonder how those crazy roman emperors retained their power? in short, the army provided the roman imperators, or caesars, all the protection they needed. whether from the senate or the barbarians of foreign lands, the army protected the caesars almost every step of the way, unless, of course, the army decided to back another man for the job. The army was so powerful that after Nero (the last of the imperial caesars) the army began to decide who they wanted as emperor. the senate, which longed to have the republic back, knew that the state could never pay the army and therefore Rome would forever be under the rule of the emperor and his army. This book details the weaponry of the army, and the classes and sub-classes within the army. It explains the role of the praetorium guard and the tactical skills of archers, cavalry, and infantry. This book is necessary for a complete understanding of the Roman state. One can know Latin and all the emperors, but to know the guys who died on the front and looted for their personal gain enhances the scholarship of Roman history. By reading this book you will ascertain the importance the emperors and people of Rome had with the army.

There are books covering the evolution of Roman army as an insturment of power that have far more information on the development of weapons, doctrines,and leadership than this work by the always great Michael Grant. However, you will find none that has a more concentrated focus on how the Army of the Empire evolved from a means to power for Emperors to a power unto itself and over the leaders and civilization it was meant to serve. Grant deftly traces how economic and social factors spurred the professionals of the legions into realizing their potential political influence over both Emperors and Empire and how this transitional dynamic influenced the course of Roman history. A definite must have for the builder of a classical history library.

Sir Frederick Banting has been credited with the discovery of insulin. I purchased this book to find out more about him because my daughter has type I (insulin dependent) diabetes. Michael Bliss has done a great job putting Dr. Banting back in a place of honor. He describes his country upbringing, his determination and charismatic personality, all of which caused him to persevere where others would call it quits. In some cases, this hard-headedness was an Achilles Heel, but the author leaves that up to the reader to decide. One part I especially appreciate is that Banting wanted to match the insulin to the diet, not the other way around. This was so humane for the victims of diabetes, who at that time were kept on a starvation diet of "thrice cooked vegetables" to limit the intake of carbohydrates and prolong life. For anyone interested in the details of what brought about this life saving discovery, I recommend this book highly.

Highly recommeded to anyone searching for a character study of a fascinating, well-rounded man and his triumph over diabetes.

A magnificent & enriching collection of literary works that excel consistenly to the heart & nature of man.These classics remarkably sound so fresh & so important in our present age that to disregard them would be a terrible crime to the benefit & cultivation of our sensibilities.The trademarks of this great civilization's authors are a rich simplicity powerful in it's beauty for description & a precise,matter-of-fact way of describing or presenting their statements that put a lot of gullible modern authors to mortal shame.The most powerful sections are the ones on philosophy & lyric poetry.The passion,intensity & convicingness of the best in these categories have scarcely been matched,then or since.Although several selected lyrics are unremarkable & unrepresentative,the strength & greatness of the rest shadow all of these through.All forms of works since then have come from these works of timeless sublimity,& it's doubtful if it! will ever be replaced;for here is the probabable basis of all what we are & what we will be.MY RATING FOR THIS IS 4 & A HALF STARS.

Michael Grant has put together a wonderful anthology of Greek literature. The book is a paperback, so it can easily be taken along on a trip, and that is why you will never want to be parted from this "precious book." Take it along on your next holiday and try to ignore the clowns telling you that summer is the time for "light reading." All seasons are fine for delving into excellent stuff, and this book is the best of the best. The amount of excellent Greek literature which survives today is really quite astonishing.

Dip in and savor Homer, Hesiod, Pindar and the rest. It'll make you expect a little bit more from our frowsy modern literary crowd: old-fashioned things like clear thoughts, clear sentences, and blazing truths.

Man's life is a day. What is he?
What is he not? A shadow in a dream
Is man: but when the gods shed a brightness,
Shining life is on earth
And life is sweet as honey.
--Pindar

Highest possible recommendation!

I found it very real, suspense-packed, mixture of cop life and duty. Insecurities, pay-offs, circle of deceit, lies, dirty money, everything is interwined in this excellent book from the pen of the connosseur of the "inside life".

There's action, strong characters and dialogue that transports you into the heart of New York city. Like his "Officer Down" and "Retribution," I couldn't put this book down. He's better than Wambaugh!

As a reader of this series for many years I can certainly appreciate the breadth of information the Almanac provides for each and every state, Congressional district, Senator and Representative. To have all of this contained in one book is quite impressive.

Unfortunately I have grown tired of the author's personal opinions filtering into the text. Such bias has grown with each edition to the point that it is virtually impossible not to question the figures the books quotes out of concern that they are merely there to further the author's agenda and personal political viewpoints. This is a shame, as it has ruined a good series.

This almanac is an incredible source of information on all 100 senators, 435 congressmen and women, and 50 governors. From detailing their biographies to their rise to power, this almanac is interesting, detailed, and very easy to absorb. If you are looking to learn about politics for the first time, or if you are a political junkie, this is definately for you.

The Almanac of American Politics 2000 is simply amazing. It contains a lengthy essay about every single U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Governor as well as an amazing amount of information about all fifty states. If you are interested in politics you MUST have this book. It is well worth the price!

This may be a case where, I read another book, at least it seems like it. The average review for this is 4 1/2 stars, but I simply cannot rate this book that highly. I found, "The Imperial Annals of Rome" tortuously long and arduous to read (and I've packed away quite a few 1000+ page books). This might be more accurately summarized as, why I hate Tiberius. Tacitus spends most of the book going into excruciating detail about minor trials and Tiberius' personal faults (which he has many) and his public enemies (most of which are duly executed). When I compare this book to "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" or "Conquest of Mexico" by Prescott, or " The Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides, I find Tacitus' work sorely lacking. The greatest criticism of him I might make would be that he becomes so entrenched in minor details, the the work never becomes transcendant speaking not only of events of history but also of the nature of man and power. I know I might be quickly rebuked for this blaspheme, but I would recommend any number of works over this one. Sorry Tacitus.

The Annals is without a doubt the most important book ever written on Imperial Rome, and the most important one dealing with the Julio-Claudian emperors. Focusing on the reign of Tiberius (14-37 CE) and ending suddenly during the reign of Nero (54-68 CE), Tacitus pulls no punches in this history. Extremely critical of the emperors, Tacitus is at his best describing the terror of the trials that began under Tiberius and which eventually paralyzed the Roman state. Tacitus also relates in detail the various military campaigns undertaken during the period. A word of advice---know your Roman history when you start this book. All the names and places can be extremely confusing to the novice. Unfortunately the section on Caligula is lost, although it is not hard to guess what Tacitus would have said about him. Read this book!

Among the ancient Roman historians Tacitus is unsurpassed, and Annals is his crowning achievement. It covers the lives of the Emperors Tiberius, Claudius and Nero brilliantly (his narrative on Caligula is unfortunatly lost) and is without equal in it's complex narrative style. Tacitus' use of language is superb, and his analysis and interpretation one of the most important periods in Western history is nothing short of brilliant.

I received this book as a gift from a friend a couple of years ago which inspired our circle of friends to start our own little haiku challenge. The poetry in this book is a collection of snippets from the lives of ordinary but creative people. It proves that everyone can find a little bit of revelation in their lives, in things as simple as a map or mist rising in the cold. And by sending those little snippets to friends they stayed as much a part of each others lives as if they were right next door. I really recommend dipping into this collection and maybe even starting your own haiku challenge...it isn't meant to be classic haiku, but simply enlightenment in daily life, given with love from one friend to another.

One of the hardest things to do - as a writer - is to keep things succinct. It is so amazing that the group of writers who had 'a haiku year' all manage to beautifully express moments of their lives in a few lines.

Though the poems vary in perspective and subject, they convey equally strong emotions. This book is enough to make you want to gather your own circle. And it's small size makes it easy to bring with you wherever you may travel - whenever you are in need of 18 words of affirmation, frustration or love. It's one of the few books I make sure is near my desk at all times.

sometimes i think of my father as an aging hippie- a rusty van plastered with bumper stickers, a very liberal viewpoint, and long hair.

the haiku year doesn't conform to haiku norms, but it isn't about aging hippies. it's a simple approach to the lives they lead.

i have much respect for my dad, and this book is everything about him and and his friends that i love.

Once again, DC's trade paperback division (no doubt actually the primate cage at the New York Zoo) has managed to miss completely the point of this wonderful series by Grant Morrison. The first nine issues of this series do not comprise anything that even remotely resembles a coherent story, but that's what DC chose to reprint, and by god, that's what people will be reading for the next ten years. THe story becomes interesting around issue 12, and Buddy descends into a kind of meta-narrative hell that leads to one of the most startling, original, and above all, moving conclusions in the history of comics. That's in issue 26. This trade, however, reprints only the first nine. While some of them animal rights issues are downright whiny, the seeds of greatness are readily apparent in here. Issue 5 ("The Coyote Gospel") has already been rightly recognized by another reviewer as being "simply THAT GOOD." Other standouts include "The Death of the Red Mask" and a fantastic Mirror Master story, whom Morrison has found a way to slip into every mainstream title he writes. This is the beginning of the book's evolution from a peurile animal rights diatribe to a comtemplative treatise on the nature of fiction, but it is only the beginning. Be amazed, be enthralled, be frustrated.

What we have here is a TPB that reprints one of the earliest works of Grant Morisson, now famous mostly for "Invisibles". Morisson took an already existing, but underused and relatively anonimous, character that is named Animalman and he tried to make him into something more appealing to people/readers. A goal in which he succeeded reasonably well. This trade makes clear why Animalman later turned out to be suitable for the Vertigo-line, the 'feel' is already here. Overall it is a pretty good read. There are 9 issues in here with 6 of them good, 1 superb and 2 a little less. The flaw of those two issues that aren't that great is that they are both part of a multi-series cross-over DC had going at that time named "Invasion". These issues are a little hard to place without reading the rest of the cross-over. The other issues are a very nice read for both people who are into superheroes as for people who are more orientated outside the superhero-scene. ONE issue named "The Coyote Gospel" stands out because it is THAT good. It's a great tale about an animal who everybody fears but turns out to be the only reason mankind as it is still exists. Full of methaphors and symbolism it's one of the better issues there is from the early days of Vertigo. I'd recommend this trade to people who are into Vertigo and to people who like to read about the more human side of superheroes. If you are in one of those categories you'll probably like this trade.

Back in the 1960s, there was something about a minor comic book character appearing in STRANGE ADVENTURES that stuck with me long after his obscurity had become more than mere. That character was Animal Man and apparently he had a similar effect on British comics genius Grant Morrison. This book is a collection of the first nine of Animal Man's contemporary adventures under Morrison's competent pen. While Morrison's ever-present wry humor is present, there are sufficient superheroics as Animal Man and his family, a pretty bourgeois group, come to terms with life in the Eighties, super powers, and the conflict the two can create. This is a must-read and must-have for all graphic novel collections and fans of the other Brit comic masters Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman will find much to enjoy here as well. The art is also fabulous; even the superpeople look like actual human beings.

The misapplied metaphor and the meaningless adjective overwhelm this slight book pretending to be a serious examination of love and fathering. But besides the numerous inappopriate and gratuitous modifiers, there is nothing here. The conflict feels grafted on by an author who recognizes the dullness of his tale, the plot surprises would only surprise the comatose, and the predictability of the whole thing left me weary. A book for those who feel rather than think, for the feelings are all good in this. Nice man, nice boy, nice girlfriend. Nice make-believe story line.

Nothing in here approaches real. Nothing is thought out. It is the harmless cotton candy of modern fiction, tastes great (in very limnited quantities) with no content whatsoever.

Jaffe's story provides a wonderful example of how a thirty-something single father deals with parenthood, while at the same time living through the trials and tribulations of his new found life. Love, loss of love, security, and insecurity are all very important themes within this book. Jaffe provides a wonderful set of characters who play out the problems of life in a small town in Kansas (a slow paced backdrop which allows the reader to put into perspective the interaction which occurs between its complex protagonist and the rest of the characters within the novel). All and all, this story is well thought out, and it is very well portrayed. In terms of writing style, Jaffe has room to improve. Though he shows flashes of briliance, his narrative, many times, appears to be organic and repetitive. Written in the first person, there are a lot of "I's," and there is not a whole lot depth in the description of setting. In conclusion, this book excells in bringing to life the problems of a man trying to become a father, and lacks in literary maturity. Something this good writer will only get better at.

A warm thoughtful story of a father's daily trials of raising his four year old son alone. I wasn't sure it would hold my attention at first but the language and scenes rang true and reminded me much of my own sons early years. The author's attempts at giving the story deeper meanings seemed contrived and I wasn't always sure where he was going with the remembrances of his own father. The story tackles many interesting single parent concerns highlighted by attempts to get on with life after a spouse has left, moving to a new town, taking a new job, finding a new lover. I like best how this father's love for his son permeates this story even in those parenting moments when he is frustrated or impatient. A book whose total was greater than the sum of its parts.