Emperor of Rome

'[Mary Beard] has always had the sharpest eyes for telling detail and colourful anecdote' Sunday Times 'Britain's most famous classicist ... at the peak of her powers' The Times 'Extraordinary ... a deliciously varied tapestry of detail drawn from across nearly three centuries' Telegraph 'The reigning Queen of Classics' Spectator What was it really like to rule and be ruled in the Ancient Roman world? In her international best-seller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now, she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Beard asks bigger questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman (and our own) fantasies about what it was to be Roman, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before.

Review: Britain's most famous classicist [is] at the peak of her powers ... Even more interesting than the insight into the imperial elite is the light the book sheds on the modern world -- Sathnam Sanghera * The Times *
The most famous historian of Rome sets the record straight -- Olivia B. Waxman * Time Magazine *
[Mary Beard is] the best in the business -- Dan Snow * History Hit *
An extraordinary investigation into the gulf between the experience and the narrative of Roman autocracy ... Beard weaves a deliciously varied tapestry of detail drawn from across nearly three centuries -- Honor Cargill-Martin * Telegraph *
Good emperors may not have been as virtuous as they were painted, nor bad ones so wicked ... all told in trademark exuberant Beard style ... Those familiar with her TV series can hear her voice in the way she writes, her passion for the subject oozing off the page -- Patrick Kidd * The Times *
Chatty, fun, argumentative, fearless, and ferociously well-informed -- Robert McCrum * Independent *
Fascinating ... hugely rewarding * Irish Times *
Imposing, colourful, entertaining ... Distils a vast amount of scholarship into 410 pages * Irish Independent *
Surprising and fascinating ... Explores what we can and can't know about the men who ruled the Roman Empire, and what the lurid stories about so many of them tell us about the anxieties and fantasies of Rome's ordinary citizens and the remarkable resilience of the regime -- Sam Leith * Spectator Book Club Podcast *
Endlessly entertaining ... A close-up examination of Rome's greatest or most notorious figures ... Beard is never afraid to hint of modern parallels with the world of Ancient Rome, which can superficially seem so remote from our own -- Christopher Hart * Mail on Sunday *
[Mary Beard] has always had the sharpest eyes for telling detail and colourful anecdote * Sunday Times *
[Mary Beard is] the reigning Queen of Classics -- Harry Mount * Spectator *
As always, Beard is a brilliant guide ... Emperor of Rome charts a very different path [to] imperial biographies -- Clifford Ando * TLS *
Beard [is] the rock star scholar of Ancient Rome -- Jo Ellison * Financial Times *
A national treasure ... combining accessibility with profound knowledge lightly worn -- Harry Sidebottom * Literary Review *
Praise for Mary Beard: 'An accomplished scholar and lively debunker...Beard informs and entertains without ever patronising her readers. What she touches turns to light * Independent *
Mary Beard has pulled off that rare trick of becoming a don with a high media profile who hasn't sold out, who is absolutely respected by the academy for her scholarship ... what she says is always powerful and interesting * Guardian *
Dynamically, wittily and authoritatively brings the ancient world to life -- Simon Sebag Montefiore