Makers of Rome: Nine Lives by Plutarch

Translator: Ian Scott-Kilvert
Publisher: Penguin Books,1965 (first edition of this translation)
Condition: Softcover, yellowed pages, interior clean
Nine biographies that illuminate the careers, personalities and military campaigns of some of Rome's greatest statesmen. The lives of the statesmen featured in this collection span the earliest days of the Republic to the establishment of the Empire. Selected from Plutarch's Roman Lives, they include prominent figures who achieved fame for their pivotal roles in Roman history, such as soldierly Marcellus, eloquent Cato and cautious Fabius. Here too are vivid portraits of ambitious, hot-tempered Coriolanus; objective, principled Brutus and open-hearted Mark Anthony, who would later be brought to life by Shakespeare. In recounting the lives of these great leaders, Plutarch also explores the problems of statecraft and power and illustrates the Roman people's genius for political compromise, which led to their mastery of the ancient world.