Currently Reading…

Reading this morning in Plutarch’s Lives, the Dryden / Clough translation in the old Modern Library Giant edition. Now that’s as classical as it gets. Long sentences with many clauses, you really have to pay attention. I like this quotation about empire: “And indeed there was nothing did more advance the greatness of Rome, than that she did always unite and incorporate those whom she conquered into herself.”

Along with books such as Plutarch, one might take a look at Moses Hadas’s helpful guide Ancilla to Classical Reading.

Reading through a collection of works by Tacitus. It includes "Agricola," "Germany," and "Dialogue on Orators." I'm finding the translation relatively easy to get through. Thankfully, there's a number of footnotes to help with some of the more obscure names in the book.

Just reading and just about finished Livy's History of Rome.

Does anyone know the (English language word count) of all the surviving books?

I think I've worked it out: extant books approx 500,000 words.

The Greek Epic Cycle, a fascinating read so far though not an easy one. Looks at the cycle, it's authours and the influences.

Just read a review by Gregory Hays in the NYRB (Oct. 9th 2025) about the Caesars, books by Mary Beard and Peter Stothard. Lots of Ideas, haven't read those books yet, but previously enjoyed Suetonius.

I just reread the moderately new translation of Seneca's Letters (University of Chicago Press, 2017), and now I am on to rereading Hardship and Happiness, a collection of many of his essays, also by U. of Chicago Press, 2016.

I'm reading How England Began: From Roman Britain to the Anglo-Saxons, which is quite good overall.

It's the Iliad this summer term, and we are getting on very slowly, learning about metric and prosody along. It is a bit depressing, reading about Achilles and Agamemnon and thinking about our world and how mankind should learn from the past ... The language in its Hexameters is beautiful, and despite the grim topic one finds humor, which is a solace.