Search - The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)

Filled with details, this is a terrific book for anyone interested in Roman history. The ability to glimpse the inner workings and behind-the-scenes dramas of Roman politics is worth the task of trying to keep all the names straight, and the author (and translator) give the events the immediacy of today's news. There is too much information, sometimes, on the excesses and cruelties of almost all the Caesars, but the approach is always fair and not too judgmental.