Augustus

First Emperor of Rome

By: Adrian Goldsworthy

Narrated by: Roger Davis

“Superb....Augustus is a first-rate popular biography by a skilled and knowing hand.” (Washington Post)

Caesar Augustus created the Roman Empire and forever associated the name Caesar with power. Heir to Julius Caesar, he thrust himself into the middle of Roman politics at its most violent period, facing off against Brutus, and eventually Antony and Cleopatra. He was a military dictator who schemed and killed his way to power and then brought the Romans peace and prosperity after all the chaos, laying the foundations of the famous Pax Romana.

In this definitive and critically acclaimed biography, eminent historian Adrian Goldsworthy illuminates the political and private lives of Rome’s first emperor in more depth than ever before. Weaving together tales of military victories, political marriages, and senatorial power struggles, Goldsworthy portrays Augustus as he really was—at once noble and manipulative, giving and tyrannical, clever and cruel.

Meticulously researched and approachably written, Augustus is the most detailed extant biography of Caesar Augustus, a man whose legacy continues on today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Critic reviews

“Superb…. Augustus is a first-rate popular biography by a skilled and knowing hand, a fine companion to Goldsworthy’s Caesar.”—Washington Post

“Impressive…. This is a welcome corrective to traditional presentations.”—Wall Street Journal

“The dramatic rise and long rule of Caesar Augustus is the subject of Adrian Goldsworthy’s substantial new biography, Augustus: First Emperor of Rome. The book is a fascinating study of political life in ancient Rome, and the parallels with our own political system are numerous and interesting. But the discontinuities between America and the Roman Empire are just as revealing.”—Christian Science Monitor

“In too many of the numerous histories of this period, Augustus as an individual is blurred, if not overlooked, as strange as that may seem. Goldsworthy’s goal is to rescue the life of Augustus from the history, limning the passions, cruelty, and wiliness that made up that often-dismissed character….Adrian Goldsworthy’s fine new biography tells the founder’s story as it deserves to be told.”—National Review

“Augustus is revealing of its subject’s character and the time in which he lived, judicious on his shortcomings, and rich in portraits of secondary figures—everything a biography should be… Augustus is the best sort of biography… It deserves wide readership, and, in the best way, demonstrates the truth of Petrarch’s famous query: “What else is all history, but the praise of Rome?’”—Washington Free Beacon

“Goldsworthy’s prodigious biography of this first and greatest Roman emperor is thorough and well-researched…. Goldsworthy is a superb historian and talented writer…. Augustus cultivated what passed for the Roman media as assiduously as any American politician today woos Fox News or CNN. One gets the impression that Augustus would have adapted well to 21st-century politics while still ruling wisely.”—Washington Times

“Historian and biographer Goldsworthy (Caesar) showcases his deep knowledge of Ancient Rome in this masterful document of a life whose themes still resonate in modern times…. A strong narrative emphasis ties the work together and is enriched by evocative details of Roman life…. The overall effect that Goldsworthy generates is of meeting a man whose life seems hardly distant from the modern experience. While ancient cultural practices can often feel foreign, the political motivations and machinations, the familial relations and emotions, ring as true today as at the turn of the Common Era.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)

Another excellent listen from Goldsworthy

This in a new version (American version)of his 2014 UK edition Almost no difference from the old one. A Goldsworthy for a more general audience. A brilliant historical guide to the first Roman Emperor. This is not a military history book and not intended to be.

A supposed true telling, but…

When doing a historical telling, of one of the greatest men to ever live… at least get the EASY fats correct. Agrippa was NOT close to his (August’s) age.