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Rating: 
Summary: Short, but satisfying......
Review: Augustus, the adopted son of Gaius Julius Caesar, had a genius for politics. Upon the murder of Caesar in 44 BC, Octavian, as he was known then, painstakingly plotted his path to autocratic rule. Establishing the second Triumvirate which included himself, Marc Antony, and Lepidus, Octavian merely waited for his partners to self-destruct (with a little help from himself) before "unwillingly" accepting the adulation and sole leadership of Rome and it's provinces. Careful to avoid the missteps of his deified father, Augustus created an environment whereby the Senate appeared to have a say in governance, but for all practical purposes did not. Thus, he oversaw the death throes of Republican Rome and established the foundation for emperors to come. Pat Southern has written a short, though precise account of this time that both informs and provokes. Questioning the traditional Augustinian lore, Southern gives his readers much to ponder. Both the casual and specialized reader will enjoy this book for it's utilitarian brevity and it's pace. Augustus, by Pat Southern, deserves a solid 4 stars and a place among the bookshelves of all interested in early Rome.
Rating:
Summary: Short, but satisfying......
Review: Augustus, the adopted son of Gaius Julius Caesar, had a genius for politics. Upon the murder of Caesar in 44 BC, Octavian, as he was known then, painstakingly plotted his path to autocratic rule. Establishing the second Triumvirate which included himself, Marc Antony, and Lepidus, Octavian merely waited for his partners to self-destruct (with a little help from himself) before "unwillingly" accepting the adulation and sole leadership of Rome and it's provinces. Careful to avoid the missteps of his deified father, Augustus created an environment whereby the Senate appeared to have a say in governance, but for all practical purposes did not. Thus, he oversaw the death throes of Republican Rome and established the foundation for emperors to come. Pat Southern has written a short, though precise account of this time that both informs and provokes. Questioning the traditional Augustinian lore, Southern gives his readers much to ponder. Both the casual and specialized reader will enjoy this book for it's utilitarian brevity and it's pace. Augustus, by Pat Southern, deserves a solid 4 stars and a place among the bookshelves of all interested in early Rome.
Rating:
Summary: Well researched, detailed biography
Review: Overall, this was a good biography of Augustus. The author clearly resarched the subject thoroughly. The book does a very good job of portraying Augustus, his personality, and those closest to him. In some ways, the book is almost too focused on Augustus, without adequate attention to the background of Roman society. While the author does address background factors, these sometimes seem to get lost in the very detailed focus on Augustus himself. This book would probably be most enjoyed by those looking for a fairly academic approach, and those who have read other books on Augustus. Despite some of my misgivings, I still recommend this book. I enjoyed it, and learned from it.
Rating:
Summary: Well researched, detailed biography
Review: Overall, this was a good biography of Augustus. The author clearly resarched the subject thoroughly. The book does a very good job of portraying Augustus, his personality, and those closest to him. In some ways, the book is almost too focused on Augustus, without adequate attention to the background of Roman society. While the author does address background factors, these sometimes seem to get lost in the very detailed focus on Augustus himself. This book would probably be most enjoyed by those looking for a fairly academic approach, and those who have read other books on Augustus. Despite some of my misgivings, I still recommend this book. I enjoyed it, and learned from it.
Rating: 
Summary: A good effort but unextraordinary
Review: While clearly well-researched with extensive endnotes and references, I found this treatment of the life of a truly fascinating historical figure to be generally uninsightful. The author manages to paint a fairly vanilla portrait of Augustus and in my opinion does not present a compelling rationale for *why* he did some of the things he did. That being said, reading this book is not wasted time. It presents the who, what, when, where, and how of Augustus' life very clearly and concisely. And as always, the quality of the production of this Routledge book is extremely high.
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