Best of
Roman

2003

Set This House in Order


Matt Ruff - 2003
    . . . It was no ordinary murder. Though the torture and abuse that killed him were real, Andy Gage's death wasn't. Only his soul actually died, and when it died, it broke in pieces. Then the pieces became souls in their own right, coinheritors of Andy Gage's life. . . .While Andy deals with the outside world, more than a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside Andy's head, struggling to maintain an orderly coexistence: Aaron, the father figure; Adam, the mischievous teenager; Jake, the frightened little boy; Aunt Sam, the artist; Seferis, the defender; and Gideon, who wants to get rid of Andy and the others and run things on his own.Andy's new coworker, Penny Driver, is also a multiple personality, a fact that Penny is only partially aware of. When several of Penny's other souls ask Andy for help, Andy reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy the stability of the house. Now Andy and Penny must work together to uncover a terrible secret that Andy has been keeping . . . from himself.

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic


Tom Holland - 2003
    Tom Holland’s enthralling account tells the story of Caesar’s generation, witness to the twilight of the Republic and its bloody transformation into an empire. From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought thrillingly to life. Combining verve and freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe, intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition.

The Complete Roman Army


Adrian Goldsworthy - 2003
    Its organization and tactics were highly advanced and were unequaled until the modern era. Spectacular monuments to its perseverance and engineering skill are still visible today, most notably Hadrian’s Wall and the siegeworks around the fortress of Masada.This book is the first to examine in detail not just the early imperial army but also the citizens’ militia of the Republic and the army of the later Empire. The unprecedented scope and longevity of Roman military success is placed in the context of ordinary soldiers’ daily lives, whether spent in the quiet routine of a peaceful garrison or in arduous campaign and violent combat. Key battles and tactics are described, and there are brief biographies of the great commanders.Drawing on archaeology, ancient art, and original documentary sources, this book presents the most convincing history ever published of the Roman army.

In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire


Adrian Goldsworthy - 2003
    The legions and their commanders carved out an empire which eventually included the greater part of the known world. This was thanks largely to the generals who led the Roman army to victory after victory, and whose strategic and tactical decisions shaped the course of several centuries of warfare.This book, by the author of THE PUNIC WARS, concentrates on those Roman generals who displayed exceptional gifts of leadership and who won the greatest victories. With 26 chapters covering the entire span of the Roman Empire, it is a complete history of Roman warfare.

Candlemoth


R.J. Ellory - 2003
    Accused of the horrific murder of his best friend Nathan 12 years before, he has exhausted all appeals and now faces the long walk to the electric chair. All he can do is make peace with his God. Father John Rousseau is the man to whom the last month of Daniel's life has been entrusted. All the two men have left to do is rake over the last ashes of Ford's existence. So he begins to tell his story. Beginning with his first meeting with Nathan, aged 6, on the shores of a lake in 1952, through first loves, Vietnam, the death of Kennedy, and finally their flight from the draft which ended in Nathan's brutal murder.

Barra Creek


Di Morrissey - 2003
    It's funny, poignant and completely unexpected. You won't be able to stop thinking about it.   Di's twelfth novel opens in New Zealand in the 1960s. The Mitchell family has run a prosperous sheep farm for generations and the youngest daughter, Sally, has just turned 20. She rides to the hounds and leads an indulged life. That is, until she shocks her parents by becoming involved with an older man. Scandalised, they try to pack her off to England, but Sally doesn't make it. After a wild spree in Sydney she's cashed in her ticket and, hell bent on adventure, takes a job as a governess on a remote cattle station - Barra Creek - in the Gulf country of Cape York. Untamed and crocodile infested, it's a land of deserts, jungles and wide rivers. Then the great stations were run by men who were loners and women who had to cope or leave.   Decades later, in 2003, Sally learns a secret that will change many lives - including her own - and leave readers horrified on one hand, and smiling and crying on the other.

The Forget Me Not Sonata


Santa Montefiore - 2003
    A sweeping story following the life of Audrey Garnet who grows up in the small Anglo-Argentine community where the gossiping ladies of the Hurlingham Club divulge and discuss the latest scandals over scones and Earl Grey tea. Ripples pass through the community when Cecil and Louis Forrester arrive to make their fortunes. Cecil is a decorated war hero while Louis, who didn't fight, thrashes out his tormented soul on the grand piano and hides a dark secret that only his brother knows. Audrey loses her heart to one, but marries the other and yet her love only intensifies over the years and the music of the forget-me-not sonata reminds her time and again of the dreadful sacrifice she has made.

Sea Music


Sara MacDonald - 2003
    The house and the cottage overlooking the sea, on the corner of the big estate, was home to three generations of the Tremain family. Fred Tremain, the country doctor who - with his wife, Martha, for whose sake he had become estranged from his family - came first to this beloved corner of England: Anna, the difficult, determined older child, now a highly successful solicitor; and Barnaby, the easy-going second child, now a vicar to the parish: and the beloved granddaughter, Lucy. It is she whose discoveries of family papers, hidden in the old cottage, brings to light the first of the wartime secrets and begins the process of questioning so many old fears and hatreds, and unlocking the way to new relationships and new loves. Sara Macdonald has created a wonderful range of characters, depicted with great tenderness and understanding, against a background of the human price paid for the upheavals caused by prejudice, violence and wars today and yesterday. A wonderful novel for all the fans of Anita Shreve, Niall Williams and Rosamund Pilcher.

The Ruthless Romans


Terry Deary - 2003
    Read on for the gory details about the cruel Colosseum and the people and animals who were massacred there.

The Life of Rebecca Jones


Angharad Price - 2003
    In the early years of the last century, Rebecca is born into a rural community in the Maesglasau valley in Wales; her family have been working the land for a thousand years, but the changes brought about by modernity threaten the survival of her language, and her family's way of life. Three of her siblings are afflicted with a genetic blindness, and it is they who have the opportunity to be educated elsewhere and to find work, while Rebecca and her remaining brother maintain the family farm amidst a gradual influx of new technologies, from the waterpipe to the tractor and telephone, and ultimately to television. Rebecca's reflections on the century are delivered with haunting dignity and a simple intimacy, while her evocation of the changing seasons and a life that is so in tune with its surroundings is rich and poignant. The Life of Rebecca Jones has all the makings of a classic, fixing on a vanishing period of rural history, and the novel's final, unexpected revelation remains unforgettable and utterly moving.

The Touch


Colleen McCullough - 2003
    a page turner from start to finish' - Maeve BinchyAlexander Kinross is remembered in his native Scotland only as a shiftless boilermaker's apprentice. But when he writes from Australia to summon his bride, his relatives realize he is now a man to be reckoned with. Arriving in Sydney after a difficult voyage, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Drummond meets her husband-to-be and discovers that he frightens and repels her. And, isolated in Alexander's great house, Elizabeth finds that marriage does not prompt her husband to enlighten her about his past life - nor his present one, in which his mistress, the sensuous, tough, outspoken Ruby Costevan, still plays a part...

Kamchatka


Marcelo Figueras - 2003
    In that fantastic and inaccessible territory is where the ten year-old boy will take mental refuge to cure his wounds. Due to the abductions during Argentina's coup d tat, and knowing they are being chased, his parents decide to hide away. Through the story of this boy forced to contemplate the dark side of reality, Figueras tells a story full of sweet and humorous characters, which is also an adventure.

The Devil Wears Prada / Everyone Worth Knowing


Lauren Weisberger - 2003
    

How to Train Your Parents


Pete Johnson - 2003
    Suddenly Louis's life is no longer his own - until he meets Maddy, who claims to have trained her parents to ignore her- But does Louis really want to be ignored? A truly contemporary tale with characters kids will recognize instantly!

The Empire of the Wolves


Jean-Christophe Grangé - 2003
    The wife of a top-ranking Parisian official, she suffers from amnesia and terrifying hallucinations -- a living nightmare made more horrifying when psychiatric testing reveals that Anna has undergone drastic cosmetic surgery . . . though she cannot recall when or why.In the tenth arrondissement of Paris, a rookie police inspector and a seasoned veteran called out of retirement investigate the horrific murders of three anonymous young women -- illegal Turkish aliens who could not have deserved such a brutal, inhuman death.From the murky night streets of clandestine Paris to the teeming fleshpot of Istanbul, two bizarre and terrible stories will become one -- as prey and predator, manipulated and manipulator come together in a storm of blood and fury . . . in the hideous shadow of the wolf.

Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus


Philip Matyszak - 2003
    Here Philip Matyszak describes fifty-seven of the foremost Romans of the Republic, spanning the centuries from its birth to its bloody death and including the best and the worst of the Roman elite: Licinius Crassus, a kind father and loving husband who crucified slaves by the thousands, or Cato the Censor, upright and incorruptible, xenophobic and misogynistic.Supported by a wealth of pictorial and archaeological detail, these personal histories provide an overview of the development and expansion of Rome, encompassing foreign and civil wars as well as social strife and key legislation. The biographies are supplemented by time lines, data files, and special features that highlight different aspects of Roman culture and society.

The Works of Lucian of Samosata


Lucian of Samosata - 2003
    

Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents


Thomas K. Hubbard - 2003
    Covering an extensive period—from the earliest Greek texts in the late seventh century b.c.e. to Greco-Roman texts of the third and fourth centuries c.e.—the volume includes well-known writings by Plato, Sappho, Aeschines, Catullus, and Juvenal, as well as less well known but highly relevant and intriguing texts such as graffiti, comic fragments, magical papyri, medical treatises, and selected artistic evidence. These fluently translated texts, together with Thomas K. Hubbard's valuable introductions, clearly show that there was in fact no more consensus about homosexuality in ancient Greece and Rome than there is today. The material is organized by period and by genre, allowing readers to consider chronological developments in both Greece and Rome. Individual texts each are presented with a short introduction contextualizing them by date and, where necessary, discussing their place within a larger work. Chapter introductions discuss questions of genre and the ideological significance of the texts, while Hubbard's general introduction to the volume addresses issues such as sexual orientation in antiquity, moral judgments, class and ideology, and lesbianism. With its broad, unexpurgated, and thoroughly informed presentation, this unique anthology gives an essential perspective on homosexuality in classical antiquity.

All There Is


Tony Parsons - 2003
    The contents of this book are totally radical and uncompromising. This message is a rare and singular expression of absolute non-dualism. It bypasses the mind and speaks directly to the very core of a wisdom that is imminent in all of us. When there is a readiness to hear, all seeking and need for personal endeavour falls away, leaving simply the wonder of what is.

The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World


Adrian Murdoch - 2003
    363, the violent end of the Emperor Julian has become synonymous with the death of paganism. But how did a young philosopher-warrior, who ruled for only eighteen months, come to be seen as one of the most potent threats to Christianity?Driven by a burning hatred of the Church, rooted in the brutal murder of his family and the treachery of his Christian predecessor Emperor Constantius II, Julian dedicated his brief reign to the eradication of this new and dangerous cult. He vowed to rid the Roman Empire of heresy and restore paganism to the hearts and minds of its citizens.Although vilified throughout history as the 'Apostate', Julian was an inspirational and visionary leader. He made appointments on merit rather than influence or money, cut down on bureaucracy and had an economic policy geared to avoid corruption and waste. His experiment with paganism may have ultimately failed, but Julian has long been a hero of secular humanists and critics of Christianity's historical record.Drawing on Julian's own writings, and using extensive new archaeological and literary research, Adrian Murdoch explores the vivid, engaging and complex character of this controversial emperor. The Last Pagan will fascinate anyone with an interest in ancient history or the history of Christianity.

Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome


Charles Gates - 2003
    Well illustrated with nearly 300 line drawings, maps and photographs, Ancient Cities surveys the cities of the ancient Near East, Egypt, and the Greek and Roman worlds from an archaeological perspective, and in their cultural and historical contexts.Covering a huge area geographically and chronologically, it brings to life the physical world of ancient city dwellers by concentrating on evidence recovered by archaeological excavations from the Mediterranean basin and south-west AsiaExamining both pre-Classical and Classical periods, this is an excellent introductory textbook for students of classical studies and archaeology alike.

Rotten Romans on the Rampage (Horrible History Magazines, #14)


Terry Deary - 2003
    This is the 14th of the set and gives information on the end of the Roman Empire.Includes:- General bullies: Caesar's gory geezers- Shock and Oar: see a savage sea battle!- Save at the slave sale: bag a bargain barbarian- Soldiers in sandals: life in the bad N' barmy Roman army"I came, I saw...""...he conked us!"

Love Hina: The Novel, Volume 1


Ken Akamatsu - 2003
    Despite the fact that he's kind of a screw-up, the competition to hook up with him is fierce, and hilarious cat-fights ensue. An already tumultuous living situation escalates to an uproar when Keitaro and the girls get the news that their home will transform into a commercial inn, with strangers from outside their school as guests!

Ancient Astrology Theory and Practice: Matheseos Libri VIII


Julius Firmicus Maternus - 2003
    He lived in the first half of the fourth century AD (c.280-c.360). He was also a student of Greek astrology, which forms the basis of this book. Of this book, James Herschel Holden writes, "The Mathesis is the lengthiest astrological treatise that has come down to us from the classical period. It consists of eight books, of which the first forms an introductory essay on astrology, and the rest set forth the fundamentals of Greek astrology. Several sections contain material that is found nowhere else...." (History of Horoscopic Astrology, pg. 66.) The translator writes, "Magic, philosophy, science and theology combine in strange ways in the thinking of the last centuries of the Roman empire..... Firmicus seemed worthy of note for many reasons. He is almost alone as author of works produced both before and after an apparent conversion to Christianity.... He left a lengthy handbook detailing the astrological practices of his day, the only work which has come down to us in its entirety [90% complete: Holden] out of numerous astrological treatises written in the Hellenistic and Roman periods..... This manual was important because it was the channel for astrological lore to the Middle Ages and Renaissance." (from the Preface) Jean Rhys Bram holds a degree in Latin from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Classics from New York University. She taught Latin, ancient Greek, and Mythology at Hunter College until her retirement. At 92, she continues to read widely and tutor students. She enjoys the company of twelve cats.

Rome


Andrew Solway - 2003
    A very full day!

The Gory Glory of Rome (Horrible History Magazines, #1)


Terry Deary - 2003
    This is the 1st of the set and gives information on the Roman Empire.Includes:- How Julius Caesar got stabbed in the back!- Play gruesome games with the gladiators- Meet Rome's evilest emperors- Watch with nasty Nero as Rome burns!- Survive on the streets 2000 years ago'There's no place like Rome!'

Priest: Portraits of Ten Good Men Serving the Church Today and Striving to Serve Him Faithfully


Michael S. Rose - 2003
    Although its ranks have thinned, there still remains a thriving priesthood of faithful men who are worthy of our support and who deserve our gratitude.

Devoted To You: Honoring Deity in Wiccan Practice


Judy Harrow - 2003
    Many witches and Pagans worship specific Goddesses and Gods, gaining insight and guidance from their presence. Wiccans can look to Aphrodite to connect them with love, beauty, and sex. Gala, Mother Earth, teaches about the living planet, helping Pagans to appreciate and care for her. Brigit, the Celtic Goddess of creativity and healing, inspires readers to develop their own talents and skills. Anubis guides the way into the deep mysteries of death and transformation. Like all the ancient Gods, these four can enlighten and inspire today just as they affected the lives of those in ancient civilizations.Devoted to You features information on these four deities from a variety of cultures: Egyptian, Celtic, Greek, each written by an expert in his or her field. Readers will gain an understanding of the archetypes that devoted Wiccans are drawn to; the names the deities have been called in various cultures, times, and places; and the various myths associated with the Gods and Goddesses. Each deity is also connected with one of the four Earth Sabbats and they are explained with regard to suggested ritual and meditative exercises. In Devoted to You, Judy Harrow offers advice on how to apply these insights and power to daily life.

The Haunted Hillbilly


Derek McCormack - 2003
    As the story evolves with its magical poetic cadence, Nudie, in grand Svengali-style, makes, then breaks, the career of Hank, a country-and-western singer at the Grand Ole Opry. A blend of fact and fancy, The Haunted Hillbilly conjures the seamy gay underside hidden beneath country music’s sparkly, sequinned surface.

The Rosary: Mysteries of Joy, Light, Sorrow and Glory


Alice Camille - 2003
    As premier disciple and model of the Church, Mary shows us how to place all the pieces of our personal stories, even those that are sharp-edged, into the greater story of salvation.--FROM THE INTRODUCTION

Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium


Walter Emil Kaegi Jr. - 2003
    610-641), a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. His stormy war-torn reign is critical for understanding the background to fundamental changes in the Balkans and the Middle East, including the emergence of Islam. Heraclius' skills enabled him to capture and recapture important territory, including Jerusalem, Syria and Egypt. Yet, they proved to be of little value when he confronted early Islamic conquests.

Roman Syria and the Near East


Kevin Butcher - 2003
    These included some of the most spectacular ruins of the ancient world-Palmyra, Baalbek, and Apamea-and fabled cities such as Antioch, Damascus, Sidon, and Tyre. Roman Syria also comprised sites that are virtually unknown, such as the great fortress city of Zenobia on the Euphrates and the remarkably well-preserved villages of the limestone massif of northwestern Syria.Roman Syria and the Near East offers a broad overview of this major cultural crossroads. Surveying a millennium of Roman and Byzantine rule in the Near East, from Roman annexation to the Arab conquest, the book outlines Syria's crucial role in Roman history. Topics discussed include the Roman army's use of Syria as a buffer against its powerful eastern neighbors and the elaborate road system that Rome developed to connect its far-reaching empire. The book also explores the impact of geography, trade, and religion on the shaping of Syria, as well as the influence of Syrian culture on the classical world.

Ice Man: The Remarkable Adventures of Antarctic Explorer Tom Crean


Michael Smith - 2003
    His amazing adventures in the world's most hostile region are among the greatest tales of hardship and survival. and Michael Smith brings this man's story vividly to life for young readers. Tom Crean ran away from home at fifteen and lied about his age to join the Royal Navy. He served with Captain Scott on the Discovery Antarctic expedition and again later on the doomed Terra Nova expedition. He was among the last to see Scott alive and later he discovered Scott's tent and buried him. In May, 1914, he joined Shackleton's Endurance expedition and, after the ship sank, was one of the six, along with Shackleton, who sailed in the small boat to Elephant Island and later to South Georgia, and then back to the Island to save the castaways who had been left there--in August, 1916, more than two years after the expedition had begun.

The Empire in Confusion - The Story of the Roman People vol. XII


Nanami Shiono - 2003
    The economy is in tatters, the provinces are being overrun by barbarians, and then the ultimate humiliation: the emperor is taken prisoner! Helpless to prevent the inexorable decline, Romans can only watch as Christianity grows in influence. This powerful volume paints a grim, realistic picture of the Crisis of the Third Century.*CONTENTS*PrefaceDifferent Types of CrisisEmperors of the 3rd Century (AD)Emperors of the 1st and 2nd Century (AD)The Roman Empire at the Beginning of the 3rd Century (AD)Part One: The Roman Empire in the First Half of the Third CenturyPart Two: The Roman Empire in the Second Half of the Third CenturyChronologyReferencesAbout the Series and Author

Playing by Heart: A Story of Love


Deborah Raney - 2003
    As time passes, Maddie never sees Ginny's friend, the inn owner--but a friendship blossoms as the two leave messages for each other. Before long, Maddie feels a deepening admiration for her unseen host. . .and chagrin when she assumes she's falling for a man she's never seen. Which will she listen to. . .her head or her heart?

A Companion to Roman Britain


Malcolm Todd - 2003
     Major survey of the history and culture of Roman Britain Brings together specialists to provide an overview of recent debates about this period Exceptionally broad coverage, embracing political, economic, cultural and religious life Focuses on changes in Roman Britain from the first century BC to the fifth century AD Includes pioneering studies of the human population and animal resources of the island.

Ancient Meteorology


Liba Taub - 2003
    The first book of its kind in English, Ancient Meteorology discusses Greek and Roman approaches and attitudes to this broad discipline, which in classical antiquity included not only 'weather', but occurrences such as earthquakes and comets that today would be regarded as geological, astronomical or seismological.The range and diversity of this literature highlights the question of scholarly authority in antiquity and illustrates how writers responded to the meteorological information presented by their literary predecessors.Ancient Meteorology will be a valuable reference tool for classicists and those with an interest in the history of science.

Red Rabbit T02


Tom Clancy - 2003
    

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Rome: The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire in the Words of Those Who Were There


Jon E. Lewis - 2003
    Book by