I, Claudius - Hardcover

Robert Graves

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0863077021 ISBN 13: 9780863077029

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish, 1988

Synopsis

Tiberius Claudius Drusu Nero Germanicus lived from 10 B.C. to A.D. 54. Despised as a weakling and dismissed as an idiot beause of his physical infirmities, Claudius survived the intrigues and poisonings that marked the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and the mad Caligula, to become emperor of Rome in A.D. 41.

About this title

Review:

Having never seen the famous 1970s television series based on Graves' historical novel of ancient Rome and being generally uneducated about matters both ancient and Roman, I wasn't prepared for such an engaging book. But it's a ripping good read, this fictional autobiography set in the Roman Empire's days of glory and decadence. As a history lesson, it's fabulous; as a novel it's also wonderful. Best is Claudius himself, the stutterer who let everyone think he was an idiot (to avoid getting poisoned) but who reveals himself in the narrative to be a wry and likable observer. His story continues in Claudius the God.

From the Publisher:

12 1.5-hour cassettes

About this edition

• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0863077021
• ISBN 13: 9780863077029
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 397