Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Read for those who like 1st-hand accounts...
Review: Julius Caesar puts out a very straight-forward narrative of his campaigns in Gaul and his invasion of Britain. For those of us that insist on reading history "fresh" history, this book is a must-read foundation. Aside from his obvious martial talents, Caesar also has a talent for writing clear concise accounts in words that anyone can understand, without sacrificing the subtlety of his points.For those who prefer a color commentary on Caesar's exploits in Gaul, look for "Caesar Against the Celts" by Ramon Jimenez -- another great read on this topic. Not only does Jimenez add character depth to Caesar's accounts, but he brings to light likely points of exhageration and ommission on Caesar's part.
Rating: 
Summary: To Conquer the World, First Conquer Yourself
Review: Julius Caesar was one of the truly pivotal people in recorded history. Most non-historians know him as the one who was stabbed by Brutus on the Ides of March. It is almost as if Caesar sprang full-grown to grab the reigns of power from the Senate in Rome. Yet Caesar had a fairly long life before he became First Citizen of Rome. He was a successful general and a talented historian who saw world events with the dispassionate eye of one who felt supremely confident that his tenure as an army general was but the last stop before his ascension to ultimate power. In his CONQUEST OF GAUL, Caesar uses the third person point of view to punctuate his tacit assumption that unfolding events ought to be divorced as far as possible from the one witnessing them. This writing technique also served to symbolize his stated goal: to conquer Gaul. To him, Gaul was a land of barbarian tribes, with each possessing formidable numbers and fierce fighters. These tribes and their leaders were enormously emotional, wildly unpredictable, and more dangerous as individuals than as organized units. Caesar knew that to beat them, he could not be as them. They were emotional, he coldly calculating. They were not efficient in massed groups, his legions had to be. Caesar was the ultimate practitioner of the divide and conquer school. He picked off his enemies one at a time, like bobbing heads on a shooting gallery. The Atuatucii, the Nervii, the Helvetians all fought ferociously, sometimes winning minor victories, but it was Caesar who won the ones that counted. He transformed his legions into extensions of his personality. They fought well as masses against overwhelming odds, not for their pay, or hope of plunder, or even for glory, but for their commander. Caesar's iron will and resolve filled his legions with hope and his enemies with despair. It was only when Caesar was recalled to Rome that the Gauls decided that now was the time to seek a new leader to strike down the Roman eagle. During this battle against Vercingetorix and his earlier ones against lesser chiefs, Caesar sees each battle as the logical working out of a master plan, that when combined with the bravery and training of his troops in co-ordinated combat, could crush a loud but awkward foe. As he writes, one can visualize his intended audience, not the reader of this review, but the purple-robed senators back in Rome sweating out the increasing victories of a man who seemed fated to return to the Capitol to tell them their business. His calmness in battle was matched only by his calmness with a stylus. It is truly ironic that it was this same calm that led him to discount the excited warnings of a Mark Antony, who tried to tell Caesar of plotters, that led to his downfall.
Rating:
Summary: To Conquer the World, First Conquer Yourself
Review: Julius Caesar was one of the truly pivotal people in recorded history. Most non-historians know him as the one who was stabbed by Brutus on the Ides of March. It is almost as if Caesar sprang full-grown to grab the reigns of power from the Senate in Rome. Yet Caesar had a fairly long life before he became First Citizen of Rome. He was a successful general and a talented historian who saw world events with the dispassionate eye of one who felt supremely confident that his tenure as an army general was but the last stop before his ascension to ultimate power. In his CONQUEST OF GAUL, Caesar uses the third person point of view to punctuate his tacit assumption that unfolding events ought to be divorced as far as possible from the one witnessing them. This writing technique also served to symbolize his stated goal: to conquer Gaul. To him, Gaul was a land of barbarian tribes, with each possessing formidable numbers and fierce fighters. These tribes and their leaders were enormously emotional, wildly unpredictable, and more dangerous as individuals than as organized units. Caesar knew that to beat them, he could not be as them. They were emotional, he coldly calculating. They were not efficient in massed groups, his legions had to be. Caesar was the ultimate practitioner of the divide and conquer school. He picked off his enemies one at a time, like bobbing heads on a shooting gallery. The Atuatucii, the Nervii, the Helvetians all fought ferociously, sometimes winning minor victories, but it was Caesar who won the ones that counted. He transformed his legions into extensions of his personality. They fought well as masses against overwhelming odds, not for their pay, or hope of plunder, or even for glory, but for their commander. Caesar's iron will and resolve filled his legions with hope and his enemies with despair. It was only when Caesar was recalled to Rome that the Gauls decided that now was the time to seek a new leader to strike down the Roman eagle. During this battle against Vercingetorix and his earlier ones against lesser chiefs, Caesar sees each battle as the logical working out of a master plan, that when combined with the bravery and training of his troops in co-ordinated combat, could crush a loud but awkward foe. As he writes, one can visualize his intended audience, not the reader of this review, but the purple-robed senators back in Rome sweating out the increasing victories of a man who seemed fated to return to the Capitol to tell them their business. His calmness in battle was matched only by his calmness with a stylus. It is truly ironic that it was this same calm that led him to discount the excited warnings of a Mark Antony, who tried to tell Caesar of plotters, that led to his downfall.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing First Hand Account
Review: Many of the ancient works with which we are acustom were written by men far removed from the events which they were writing about, either by space or time. Here, we have a dramatic account of the coquest of Gaul(modern France and Belgium) written by the man who conquered it, Julius Caesar. He eloquently takes us from his early campaigns against Helvetii invaders to the climatic seige of Alesia seven years later. Throughout, Caesar keeps our interest with vivid descriptions of not only battles, but also customs, architecture, and politics of the conquer peoples. He is a magnificent story-teller, and I found it hard to believe that this was not written by a modern historian. Because these "commentaries" were written at the time of the campaign, they have a certain honesty about them that something like memoirs do not. Though there is a somewhat obvious slant to the Roman side, it does not take away from the quality of the reporting. As with most ancient works, the reader needs to be somewhat aware of the exaggeration that takes place, as the Romans always seem to be facing incredible odds. It is clear from his writing that Caesar views the unwavering courage of the Roman legionaire as the reason for all his victories, even in the face of overwhelming enemy numbers. Among the more interesting sections of the work are his descriptions of the different cultures, especially the differences between the Gauls who had been somewhat Romanized, and the still barbarian Germans, who even though he respected them as warriors, still managed to defeat pretty soundly. What really makes this work so personable is that Caesar is writing about his own actions, and is discussing events and people who will later play an important part in Caesar's life and death, yet at this time are insignificant, or nearly so. Because he writes in the third person, this has the feeling that it was written well after the events occurred by someone who knew Caesar's fate, and it makes you stop and think occassionally that when he wrote this work, Caesar did not know what awaited him, and that makes it all the more interesting. It is simply a masterpiece of ancient history, and a must read for a history buff of any time period.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing First Hand Account
Review: Many of the ancient works with which we are acustom were written by men far removed from the events which they were writing about, either by space or time. Here, we have a dramatic account of the coquest of Gaul(modern France and Belgium) written by the man who conquered it, Julius Caesar. He eloquently takes us from his early campaigns against Helvetii invaders to the climatic seige of Alesia seven years later. Throughout, Caesar keeps our interest with vivid descriptions of not only battles, but also customs, architecture, and politics of the conquer peoples. He is a magnificent story-teller, and I found it hard to believe that this was not written by a modern historian. Because these "commentaries" were written at the time of the campaign, they have a certain honesty about them that something like memoirs do not. Though there is a somewhat obvious slant to the Roman side, it does not take away from the quality of the reporting. As with most ancient works, the reader needs to be somewhat aware of the exaggeration that takes place, as the Romans always seem to be facing incredible odds. It is clear from his writing that Caesar views the unwavering courage of the Roman legionaire as the reason for all his victories, even in the face of overwhelming enemy numbers. Among the more interesting sections of the work are his descriptions of the different cultures, especially the differences between the Gauls who had been somewhat Romanized, and the still barbarian Germans, who even though he respected them as warriors, still managed to defeat pretty soundly. What really makes this work so personable is that Caesar is writing about his own actions, and is discussing events and people who will later play an important part in Caesar's life and death, yet at this time are insignificant, or nearly so. Because he writes in the third person, this has the feeling that it was written well after the events occurred by someone who knew Caesar's fate, and it makes you stop and think occassionally that when he wrote this work, Caesar did not know what awaited him, and that makes it all the more interesting. It is simply a masterpiece of ancient history, and a must read for a history buff of any time period.
Rating:
Summary: The Grand Caeser's Ego Trip
Review: So I pick up this book (it was a gift from friends), and expect it to be dull and dry like Tacitus or Plutarch. Instead, Caeser has me rolling (well, not exactly) with laughter. He writes in a very historically accurate way, but since this is a piece of propaganda, he tends to lay the blame for mistakes on someone else, or rationalize his breaks from the Roman authority. Caeser also belittles the natives of most of Gaul (except the Belgae, "the most fierce"), and when he destroys an entire village, he states it in such a cool and nonchalant way ("and so the village was burnt, and all of the citizens put to the sword.") While caeser may not have intended to be funny, this book is a wonderful piece of history which must be taken as a historical tall tale.
Rating:
Summary: The Grand Caeser's Ego Trip
Review: So I pick up this book (it was a gift from friends), and expect it to be dull and dry like Tacitus or Plutarch. Instead, Caeser has me rolling (well, not exactly) with laughter. He writes in a very historically accurate way, but since this is a piece of propaganda, he tends to lay the blame for mistakes on someone else, or rationalize his breaks from the Roman authority. Caeser also belittles the natives of most of Gaul (except the Belgae, "the most fierce"), and when he destroys an entire village, he states it in such a cool and nonchalant way ("and so the village was burnt, and all of the citizens put to the sword.") While caeser may not have intended to be funny, this book is a wonderful piece of history which must be taken as a historical tall tale.
Rating:
Summary: For those of us that were lousy at Latin
Review: Terrific for those of us that had trouble with the original latin at school. Fluent commentary on Caesars exploits in Gaul.Describes the geography of Gaul, it's people, politics, and Roman (read Caesar's) attempts to pacify Gaul. This is the first hand account of the invasion of Gaul that Caesar sent back via courier to the senate and people of Rome which enhanced his powerbase and set in motion the events the Ides of March.
Rating:
Summary: War, treachery, and politics -- and it's all true!
Review: The start of summer always meant one thing to Proconsul Caesar: war! Read how Caesar fought the savage tribes of Gaul (France, Sweden, Belgium), Germany, and Britain. Read how Caesar held the peace using hostages and tribute, and beat down the barbarians as they tried to revolt against his rule. Read what really happened, in Julius Caesar's own words (translated from Latin, of course).
As well as being an exciting account of Roman and tribal warfare 2000 years ago, this is also a fascinating look at Julius Caesar. We are reading what he wrote, what he wanted us to believe, but by reading between the lines we see a view of what Caesar was really up to.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: This is a genuine historical treasure. Rarely are we fortunate enough to have historical accounts written by eyewitnesses. Caesar was not only an eyewitness, but the lead player. It's as though we had accounts of Alexanders campaigns written by Alexander, himself. Or Charlemagne's life in his own words. And, not only is it a firsthand account, but it is brilliantly written. Caesar's commentaries, whether of the Gallic campaigns or of the Civil War that followed, are considered masterpieces of Latin prose. The writing is concise and straightforward. Caesar's writings are still used today to teach Latin. All the brilliance aside, however, this is also lively and interesting to read. "The Conquest of Gaul" covers the ten-year period of Caesar's proconsulship of Gaul. During those ten years he carried out a series of military campaigns that subdued all of Gaul (Europe west of the Rhine and south to the Pyrenees and Mediterranian), bringing it under Roman rule, while also leading expeditions across the Channel into southeastern Britain. Caesar writes not only of his battles, but also of the tribes he encountered and details of how his own men lived. We see Caesar as the consummate leader, sharing the hardships of his men. He fights in the front lines with them, he marches with them, he eats the same food they eat, and they will follow him anywhere. Caesar's success as a general is a product of several factors. His speed of movement, his effective use of terrain, the absolute loyalty and confidence of his troops, and the relatively advanced engineering skills of the Romans are all used effectively by Caesar. Written to publicize Caesar's Gallic successes among the people back in Rome, these accounts remain as readable today as they were intended to be 2,000 years ago. Given the great bulk of ancient writings that have been lost over the centuries, we are extremely fortunate that these are among those that survived. This is really great stuff. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
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