{"product_id":"9780349115634","title":"Rubicon : The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic","description":"\u003cp\u003e Author(s): Holland, Tom \u003cbr\u003e Binding: Paperback, \u003cbr\u003e Date of Publication: 10\/06\/2004,\u003cbr\u003e Pagination: 464 pages, Section: 24, b\/w and col,\u003cbr\u003e ISBN13\\EAN\\SKU: 9780349115634,\u003cbr\u003e Description: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The Book that really held me, in fact, obsessed me, was Rubicon . . . This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian'Re-evaluating Rome for a new generation' Robert Harris, Sunday Times'Marvellously readable' Niall FergusonThe Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall.  It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2004 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE 2003 HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Griffin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42915581100076,"sku":"9780349115634","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0379\/1365\/7388\/files\/9780349115634.jpg?v=1711567344","url":"https:\/\/www.griffinbooksonline.co.uk\/products\/9780349115634","provider":"Griffin Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}