The Roman Republic

Rating:
Summary: Liberals in the Academy require chastising.
Review: A beginner or university student encountering this book would come away merely confirmed in the idea--though probably not converted to it--that the Roman Republic and Empire emerged not from a superior genius for civilization but as a miraculous by-product of the avarice of its leadership. Or is miraculous the right word? Absent throughout is any of the wonder or awe that have inspired interest in this subject since its first historians, and without which any history of the civilization is not only flawed, but false, and, at this late date, dishonest. Military campaigns, whether the most ancient or more modern, are often characterized as exercises in brutality; the governing classes are generally treated as no more than class-war caricatures--an impression as often as not insinuated by rather sneering asides and related effects. Etc. A depressing book.

Rating:
Summary: A Poor Textbook
Review: I read this book for a course in Roman History, and found it more confusing than useful. Crawford assumed too much foreknowledge for the text to serve as a primer, but his analyses might prove more comprehensible to the non-beginner. It would take a fine professor, indeed, to overcome the pitfalls of this text in an introductory class.

Rating:
Summary: Res Publica
Review: Michael Crawford's book is not for the novice. Those unfamiliar with the chronology of the Roman Republic will find his analysis confusing, as Crawford assumes his reader has considerable background in Republican Roman history and culture. For those with a decent hold on the events of the Republic, Crawford's keen analytical text to highly worthwhile. He examines the relationship between members of the Roman oligarchy, discusses the successful consolidation of Italy, examines the conquest of the provinces and its effect on Roman politics, and finally deals with the political destabilization that led to the rise of warlords such as Marius, Pompey, and Caesar. His book is part of an essential bibliography for any Classics major or Roman history buff.