The Commentaries

De: Julius Caesar

Narrado por: Charlton Griffin

Julius Caesar wrote his exciting Commentaries during some of the most grueling campaigns ever undertaken by a Roman army. The Gallic Wars and The Civil Wars constitute the greatest series of military dispatches ever written. As literature, they are representative of the finest expressions of Latin prose in its "golden" age, a benchmark of elegant style and masculine brevity imitated by young schoolboys for centuries.

One of the most daring and brilliant generals of all time, Julius Caesar combined the elements of tactical genius with the shrewdness of a master politician. He was an astute judge of men's character - their strengths and weaknesses. Whenever possible, he exercised restraint and mercy even when his worst enemies were in his power. But he also knew when and how to mete out stern punishment and his swift retaliations became a hallmark of his career. With his charismatic leadership, his powerful intellect and his magnetic personal charm, Julius Caesar became the idol of men and women everywhere. The fanatic loyalty of his troops and the adulation of the Roman public propelled him to the pinnacle of power. Historian Will Durant called him "the most complete man that antiquity produced."

Follow along in this recording as Julius Caesar in 50 B.C. undertakes the awesome enterprise of subduing savage Gaul, an area roughly the size of Texas. That task was barely completed before his enemies in Rome struck, igniting the bloody Civil War that engulfed most of the Roman Empire and afterward left Caesar in supreme power.

Public Domain (P)2009 Audio Connoisseur

so cool

so cool to listen to the words of a person that lived 2000 years ago.

The Commentaries

It is a great work of literary knowledge about the campaigns of Julius Caesar. Although, some of the information is not as reliable as people would think, it is still a novel that people should behold. I do believe people should write something such as this again. Bestowing great knowledge on others will support their success in life. Thee are great and prosperous, keep that in mind. Remember if you are in affliction of the greatest sense, turn to a inspiring work.

My favourite audiobook

I've had this book for over a year and have probably listened to it end to end 3 times. Caesar was an incredibly lucid writer... and a crafty one. If you're paying attention you can see all the places where he's pulling a fast one. Griffin is perfect.

Dreadfully false sounding accent !

As a Brit, I can only wonder whether the Narrator was trying to sound English and Churchillian (in which case he fails, it sounds terribly false) or whether thats his natural US accent ( note to anyone from the US - the English do not pronounce "route" as "rout", so the narrator is clearly not British).

The translation is fairly clear and the narration is otherwise done well. However the choice of accent distracts at times.

Overall, if you can live with the accent its a reasonable audiobook, and worth a credit .

griffin

if you have any interest in julius this book is where it's at. tales of heroism, courage, and Caesar's beloved 10th Legion. It's like an audio book of the hbo series ROME.
I didn't know Charlton Griffin the narrator before this book but after listening to him im now hooked. His voice and style brings things alive like im in the war room with Caesar himself. Mr Griffin found his calling in life and will never be outdone by anyone else who reads in this field.

Very interesting

The accounts of the Gaelic Wars are interesting, but I found the section about Rome's Civil War fascinating. This time, both sides had Roman generals, with Roman equipment and tactics. They built forts, dams, bridges, and even ships almost overnight. They moved with speed and cunning. There were heroes and traitors on both sides. This is a powerful tale.

Best book on Audible

the story is well written and the voice narration is perfect this is the best book I have listened to on Audible

The Audacity of Gaul by Julius Caesar

Thoroughly enjoyed this one - if you've read / listened to some histories and are familiar with the period and the life of Caesar, this brings the man to life. The work is something like an ancient political campaign book - not to be read as an introduction to the man and time period. But if you are familiar with the period, this bridges the gap between history and the man. His account is biased yet oddly balanced, sort of a respectful sneer that's seems to match his character. And equally fascinating to Caesar, there's a sense of that dead foreign culture of Republican rome and the Gallic tribes he conquered. An extinct system of values and beliefs where Caesar talks openly of mass executions and slavery yet commends Gallic bravery and gives believable accounts of tribal meetings in their own words. And throughout, the narrator is suitably posh and admonishing - 5/5

Great reading of an engrossing classic

I'm building an interest in ancient history (purely as an amateur) and downloaded this with some dread as many of the early works can have dense translations. This is a great version of the Commentaries. I found it very entertaining and, months later, still recall passages and events all the time. Mr. Griffin's voice works very well with this material and he can make the occasional dense passage understandable.

Wowzors

Caesars Commentaries are one of the best reads, well listens, I have ever experienced.

As usual Charlton Griffin was an amazingly interesting narrator.