Bookdepository has this on sale for 7.70 and I'm tempted to pick it up because I'm interested in learning more about Ancient Rome. Before I buy it, though, I'm wondering are there are better books about the era that are more along the lines of 'popular history.'
>>8245693
I can't really help because I don't like pop history, but with that said, why are you uninterested in a more serious approach? What are you hoping to get out of a book on the subject?
Fun book. A bit simplistic and presumptuous it's almost a dramatisation, but Holland is a decent historian and rarely misleading or inaccurate.
Read it if you want the "story" of the republic and if it's to your liking then go for a serious history.
>>8245844
It's just that I'm more in the mood for a story and learning something in the process is just a plus. I'm not looking to be some authority on Ancient Rome; rather just know more about it.
>>8245928
>>8245916
Yeah Rubicon should be fine for some light reading. Maybe check out the Harvard Press "The Roman Republic"/"The Roman Empire" by Crawford and Wells, respectively, for more scholarly intros to the era, and also loads of primary sources.
With that said just check out Holland's notes at the back; he's bound to cite plenty of primary sources possibly worth pursuing, and secondary sources as well.
>>8245693
Read The Roman Revolution by Syme if you want a good book that's not just pophistory
Rubicon isn't bad though