Augustus

The Life of Rome's First Emperor

By: Anthony Everitt

Narrated by: John Curless

Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Historian Anthony Everitt earned widespread critical acclaim for his best-selling biography of Cicero. Now, with Augustus, he delivers his second spellbinding account of a Roman icon whose legacy has echoed through the ages.

Caesar Augustus has been called history's greatest emperor. It was said he found Rome made of clay and left it made of marble. With a senator for a father and Julius Caesar for a great-uncle, he ascended the ranks of Roman society with breathtaking speed. His courage in battle is still questioned, yet his political savvy was second to none. He had a lifelong rival in Mark Antony and a 51-year companion in his wife, Livia. And his influence extended perhaps further than that of any ruler who has ever lived.

Drawing on the available information, while making a handful of his own groundbreaking assertions, Everitt brings the real Augustus to vivid life in this fascinating narrative.

©2006 Anthony Everitt (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"This familiar story is fresh again in this lively retelling." (Publishers Weekly)
"Everitt's writing is so crisp and so lively he brings both Rome and Augustus to life in this magnificent work, a must-read for anyone interested in classical times." (Booklist)

A fascinating biography of Rome's first emperor

Beginning with a gripping account of Augustus's death in AD 14 (the author speculates that Livia may have participated in an assisted suicide so that timeline for the transfer of power to Tiberius would go exactly as planned), this fascinating account of the life of the first Roman emperor covers both the personal and political life of Augustus, who was shrewd and ruthless, cruel yet loyal to his friends, a master manipulator of public opinion, and a consummate propagandist who maintained the facade of being merely the "first citizen" in a republic, while holding sole power for forty years.

In addition to vividly sketching Augustus's famous contemporaries--Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, Cleopatra, among others--the author also presents a lively picture of life in ancient Rome, from weddings to funerals, from food to sexual mores.

A very enjoyable and informative book. I'm definitely going to be downloading the Everitt's biography of Emperor Hadrian next!

Great book, good narrator

I rather enjoyed this book once i got past the narrators voice. Definitely worth getting if you want to know about Roman History.

Loved the story of Augustus

Loved the background and general description of Roman life. Seems well researched. It provides a balanced view of Augustus's life.

Excellent history and interesting narrative

For anyone interested in the history of Rome after Julius Ceasar, this is a fascinating book. The story of how Octavius became Ceasar Augustus and the conflict between him and Marc Antony make it read as a historical novel, and shows that the truth can be more interesting than fiction. It gives a clear understanding of how the republic gradually became dominated by one man. The narrator is excellent and he brings life to so many characters involved in the action.

Great read, slightly marred by production issues

Would you listen to Augustus again? Why?

Definitely yes - great history well delivered.

Any additional comments?

The recording had some flaws; I think patch sessions were recorded with a different mic, and poorly inserted, leading to volume discrepancies that distracted from the reading.

Struggle to maintain power

The story of Augustus is brought alive by Everitt very successfully. Full of stories of power, manipulation, dirty politics, deceit, and brutality. The futile attempts to leave a legacy by extending his lineage was the most net resting part to me.

Wish I could have been there

What did you love best about Augustus?

Mr. Everitt provides a substantial amount of detail that helps you develop a relationship with the Octavian, the person.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Augustus?

“…and it is said he withdrew into his tent and wept.” I believe it would have been impossible for Octavian not to have had a significant amount of affection for Mark Antony. There is complicated love between adversarial warriors.

What about John Curless’s performance did you like?

I felt John Curless’s narration was clear, easy to understand, and gave a sense of how things really were.

Very good biography.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Very good

Do you have any additional comments?

This was my first audio, biography. My favorite is normally historical fiction. I have read several David Mucullough historical books and loved them. This was close but not quite as good, but then again it could be the audio. One of my biggest limitations was trying to keep everyone straight. This is in no way a fault of the author, I felt he did a stupendous job, it has more to do with the way the Romans where name. All the divorcing and marrying within the family also made it hard to keep everyone straight. I will say it left me wanting to here more history of Rome.

All the Details Most Histories Skip Over

This is a fascinating book about one of history's most significant figures. I studied Roman history extensively in college, but most histories gloss over so many of the most fascinating years of Augustus' life. Everitt's book delves into them and more. It's a compelling, enjoyable, and even-handed appraisal of the man's life an times. A perfect follow-up to the book Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland, which is another great audiobook.

Very well done well listen to again soon

Great telling of Augustus. Reader is excellent but the sound studio techs didn't blend takes together at time and it seems a bit obvious there was a retake. All in all very good though.