Dietrich Vollrath
Economist at the University of Houston; wrote Fully Grown, on why a slow-growing economy is a sign of success, and blogs at Growth Economics.
Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar by Tom Holland
Tom Holland's Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar is really about a different time. He provides some background, but the first part of this book is about how Augustus built his dictatorship into a hereditary dynasty. The second part is about how Augustus' various relatives tried desperately to screw this up. I didn't find this book nearly as engaging as Rubicon.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome 133 BC to AD 68 by H.H. Scullard
H.H. Scullard's From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome 133 BC to AD 68 is another classic in this arena. A little more accessible than Syme's work, and not a bad intro.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
Lives by Plutarch
Plutarch's Lives . One of the classic "original" sources, despite the fact that Plutarch was writing himself from other sources. Regardless, much of the story of this era is based on guys like Plutarch, so it is worth reading.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
Romes Revolution: Death of the Republic and Birth of the Empire by Richard Allston
Richard Allston's Romes Revolution: Death of the Republic and Birth of the Empire argues that you have to understand the nature of Roman social networks to understand what happened to allow the Republic to die.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland
Tom Holland's Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic is a great introduction to the era. He writes in an engaging style, but provides enough information and analysis to make you think.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
The Civil Wars by Appian
Appian's The Civil Wars . Again, an "original" source that forms a lot of the basis of later history.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
The Collapse of Rome: Marius, Sulla, and the First Civil War by Gareth Sampson
Gareth Sampson's The Collapse of Rome: Marius, Sulla, and the First Civil War is not a great book. It's very much "and then this battle happened" kind of history.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
The Roman Revolution by Ronald Syme
Ronald Syme's The Roman Revolution is a classic in this area. Written in 1939, it is one of those books that presumes the reader is already educated in classical history. So I'd suggest trying some of the others first before you tackle this one, unless of course you graduated from Oxford in 1917. For all that, it is an excellent book, albeit quite grim.
on growthecon.com · 10 Dec 2015 · Report
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