The Landmark Julius Caesar is the definitive edition of the complete works of Julius Caesar; offering an unprecedented view into the life and career of one of the greatest statesmen and military commanders in the ancient world.Between 58 and 50 B.C.; Caesar led his army to twice invade Britain and conquer most of the land that is now France; Belgium; and Switzerland. The Gallic War; Caesar’s firsthand account of his campaigns; offers a record of his travels and insights into military strategy. It also served another purpose: to present the Roman public with a portrait of Caesar as a compelling; effective leader; which would be a key part of his public image as he fought off his rivals for control of the empire. The Civil War is Caesar’s subsequent chronicle of his struggle to rule; from his crossing of the Rubicon in 49 B.C. through the death of his chief rival; Pompey; and the ongoing efforts of Pompey’s heirs and followers to remove Caesar from power. Accompanying Caesar’s commentaries are three essential additional works; The Alexandrian War; The African War; and The Spanish War; which together provide a comprehensive picture of the far-reaching military conquests that would concentrate unparalleled power and influence in the hands of the Roman dictator. With elegant new translations by Kurt A. Raaflaub; this volume includes detailed annotations; appendices; color maps; and illustrations to place the narratives in their historical and political context. Lively; accessible; and assembled with rigorous scholarship; The Landmark Julius Caesar is an indispensable resource for history buffs and fans of the classics.
#852687 in Books Sokol; Jason 2007-08-14 2007-08-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.02 x 5.21l; .93 #File Name: 0307275507464 pages
Review
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. "the white man's problem (but) the black man's burden"By doc petersonJason Sokol writes a remarkable history of the civil rights movement; looking at events primarlily from 1955 - 1975 from the perspective of Southern Whites. As a born and bred Westerner (raised in "post-civil rights" America); the issue is fascinating; and is one that has preplexed me for years: how is it that Americans could so obvilously (to my eyes) discrimnate against other Americans for so long? What was "wrong" with these people? Sokol provides a number of satisfying answers; thoroughly researched and documented.The book begins by detailing the monumnetal social change that occured in the United States after World War II - a conflict ostensibly for "freedom" that for many highlighted the double-standard that African-Americans had faced since before the nation's founding. For Blacks as well as Whites the hypocrisy began the civil rights movement. Yet for every White Southerner whose perspective was changed; there were those whose prejustices and assumptions remained - hence the 20 year struggle that resulted in the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.The fundamental reasons behind the resistance of White Southerners to integration; Sokol shows; was complex and several fold. At its roots were fear and resentment: fear of change; of course; but also fear of self-reflection and of a realization (long over due; in my opinion); that the Civil War was over. Resentment that the South had lost and their "way of life" (the "paternalistic" relationship between Whites and Blacks that had existed since the Antebellum days) was over and that they had to finally face the implications of their defeat. To White Southerners; however; efforts at integration was an assult on the "Southern way of life" - and therefore was "anti-American"; even "Communist." These competing visions of American freedom (freedom to be prejudiced; to treat other Americans with contempt and as second class citizens; to murder them at will; to deprive them of their Constitutional rights versus the civil rights movement) was at the heart of the conflict in Southern White's eyes. To Whites in the South; the federal government's mandated integration was nothing less than totalitarianism.Southern Whites had a romanticized view of the past and of racial relations: they "knew" their African-Americans; they were happy and content with the status quo; and Black silence on the issue of Jim Crow was understood to be a tacit acceptance of the way things were. That things could be otherwise - that the de facto and de jure racism of the South of that time was ugly and morally repugnant wasn't given a second thought; to bring this to their attention was unbearable. It was an irony; Sokol points out; that Southern Blacks were seen as both subservient and threatening.Once integration began; there was of course; token resistance - George Wallace and Jesse Helms are the most familiar names of those who initally talked good game about fighting integration; but soon changed their rhetoric once significant numbers of African-Americans finally had the right to vote - most White Southerners found that the change wasn't as unpalatable nor as dangerous as they had imagined. However; the power dynamics between the wealthy and the poor had not changed: race remained a divisive issue in union organizing; for example; and as the South began to industrialize and mechanize; land ownership became even more skewed towards wealthy Whites; who did not hesitate to "play the race card" in seeking economic and political scapegoats. A political legacy of civil rights in the South; Sokol points out; is the loss of the South to the Republican party. Johnson's pushing through of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act gave the Republicans the South; which they still hold.For the historian - or the merely curious - I highly recommend this book. It does much to explain the reasoning and rationales behind the violence; anger and resentment Southern Whites felt during those tumultous years. Far from condemning the South; a nuanced view of the region is presented: there were White Southerners who supported (both actively as well as tacity) civil rights; just as there were the Bull Connors'; Orval Fabus' and George Wallaces.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Interesting perspectiveBy Veronica FrantzI enjoyed this book. It came from a different perspective as most civil rights books. I still do not feel sorry for white people that the world finally caught on that African Americans are human; but I better understand their mindset at the time. Just for the record; I am white; but I like to think of all humanity as people; not colors; races; ethnicities; etc....5 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Somewhat disappointedBy S. TaylorWell; I was a little disappointed. The book was basically a by-the-numbers account of the civil rights struggle in the South; and read more like a classrooom narrative than I was led to believe when buying this book. I would have enjoyed more first-person interviews with white Southerners gaining their impressions as their world crumbled around them; and in fact I purchased this book expecting more of these sort of interviews; ala Studs Terkel.So the book was somewhat disappointing in that there simply weren't enough of these sort of interviews; which I think give a better sense of time and place than a dry recitation of historical fact. I expected better.
