SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
A single-volume history of ancient Rome by Cambridge classicist Mary Beard, running from the city's mythical founding in 753 BCE to 212 CE, when Caracalla granted citizenship to every free inhabitant of the empire. It concentrates on how Rome grew, how we know what we know, and on ordinary Romans as much as emperors.
Chapter one opens in 63 BCE, then loops back to the founding; a detractor: "This book is all over the place. Most history books are told in fairly straightforward chronological order, and for good reason." The legends Beard dismantles never get rebuilt into anything, which drives one reader to beg: "Yes, history is hard, sources are unreliable, certainty is impossible. Can you please just tell us what probably happened?" All that hedging strands the audience at both ends: forum regulars warn "it is not recommended reading for a newcomer with no knowledge of Roman history," while readers who came in knowing their Rome leave with little added. 608 pages. "I got through the whole mammoth affair but it wasn't worth it."
The case for it and the rest of the canon open with Pro.
