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Ancient World Leaders
Cleopatra: Empress of the Nile
A ruthless seductress? A brilliant political strategist? For centuries, Cleopatra's life has been surrounded by melodramatic mystery and romantic myth, depicted everywhere from Shakespearean drama to Hollywood extravaganzas.
In this elegantly illustrated book, Ron Miller and Sommer Browning look at the life and legends of the powerful queen. Cleopatra's romantic and political union with the mighty Julius Caesar made her one of the most powerful women in history. After Caesar's assassination, the politician and general Mark Anthony feel in love with Cleopatra, and their ensuing relationship was legendary for its opulence and excesses. Miller and Browning also detail the tragedy and enigma of Cleopatra's last days, as well as portrayals of her in historical accounts, films, paintings, and plays.
In this elegantly illustrated book, Ron Miller and Sommer Browning look at the life and legends of the powerful queen. Cleopatra's romantic and political union with the mighty Julius Caesar made her one of the most powerful women in history. After Caesar's assassination, the politician and general Mark Anthony feel in love with Cleopatra, and their ensuing relationship was legendary for its opulence and excesses. Miller and Browning also detail the tragedy and enigma of Cleopatra's last days, as well as portrayals of her in historical accounts, films, paintings, and plays.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
88 people want to read
About the author
Ron Miller
189 books21 followersRon Miller is an illustrator and author living in South Boston, Virginia. Before becoming a freelance illustrator in 1977, Miller was art director for the National Air & Space Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium. Prior to this he was a commercial advertising illustrator. His primary work today entails the writing and illustration of books specializing in astronomical, astronautical and science fiction subjects. His special interest is in exciting young people about science, and in recent years has focused on writing books for young adults. To date he has more than 50 titles to his credit. His work has also appeared on scores of book jackets, book interiors and in magazines such as National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Air & Space, Sky & Telescope, Newsweek, Natural History, Discover, Geo, etc.
Miller's books include the Hugo-nominated The Grand Tour, Cycles of Fire, In the Stream of Stars, and The History of Earth. All of have been Book-of-the-Month Club Feature Selections (as well as selections of the Science, Quality Paperback and Astronomy book clubs) and have seen numerous translations.
Considered an authority on Jules Verne, Miller translated and illustrated new, definitive editions of Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth as well as a major companion/atlas to Verne's works. He has worked as a consultant on Verne for Disney Imagineering and for A&E's Biography series.
Miller is also considered an authority on the early history of spaceflight. The Dream Machines, a comprehensive 744-page history of manned spacecraft, was nominated for the prestigious IAF Manuscript Award and won the Booklist Editor's Choice Award.
As an artist, Miller has designed a set of ten commemorative stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and has been a production illustrator for motion pictures, notably Dune and Total Recall. He has also done preproduction concepts, consultation and matte art for David Lynch, George Miller, John Ellis, UFO Films and James Cameron. He designed and co-directed the computer-generated show ride film, Impact! and has taken part in numerous international space art workshops and exhibitions, including seminal sessions held in Iceland and the Soviet Union (where he was invited by the Soviet government to take part in the 30th anniversary celebration of the launch of Sputnik). His original paintings are in numerous private and public collections, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Pushkin Museum (Moscow).
Miller's books include the Hugo-nominated The Grand Tour, Cycles of Fire, In the Stream of Stars, and The History of Earth. All of have been Book-of-the-Month Club Feature Selections (as well as selections of the Science, Quality Paperback and Astronomy book clubs) and have seen numerous translations.
Considered an authority on Jules Verne, Miller translated and illustrated new, definitive editions of Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth as well as a major companion/atlas to Verne's works. He has worked as a consultant on Verne for Disney Imagineering and for A&E's Biography series.
Miller is also considered an authority on the early history of spaceflight. The Dream Machines, a comprehensive 744-page history of manned spacecraft, was nominated for the prestigious IAF Manuscript Award and won the Booklist Editor's Choice Award.
As an artist, Miller has designed a set of ten commemorative stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and has been a production illustrator for motion pictures, notably Dune and Total Recall. He has also done preproduction concepts, consultation and matte art for David Lynch, George Miller, John Ellis, UFO Films and James Cameron. He designed and co-directed the computer-generated show ride film, Impact! and has taken part in numerous international space art workshops and exhibitions, including seminal sessions held in Iceland and the Soviet Union (where he was invited by the Soviet government to take part in the 30th anniversary celebration of the launch of Sputnik). His original paintings are in numerous private and public collections, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Pushkin Museum (Moscow).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 6, 2016
sounds like they were out of ideas for names! They inherited the father’s name and added one number...how convenient yet confusing
August 21, 2013
My first disappointment was to learn that Cleopatra was not Egyptian but rather a Greek descendant. My second disappointment that she was not the only Cleopatra nor the first one to carry such name; she was the seventh Cleopatra.
Short and precise informative quick read ....made me think what if Cleopatra lived in another time?
I think that all the movies that have been made about Cleopatra did not reflect a realistic image or perhaps focused on just one side of her personality...and it's about time to have a modern one perhaps titled"Cleopatra's Dream"
August 21, 2013
My first disappointment was to learn that Cleopatra was not Egyptian but rather a Greek descendant. My second disappointment that she was not the only Cleopatra nor the first one to carry such name; she was the seventh Cleopatra.
Short and precise informative quick read ....made me think what if Cleopatra lived in another time?
I think that all the movies that have been made about Cleopatra did not reflect a realistic image or perhaps focused on just one side of her personality...and it's about time to have a modern one perhaps titled"Cleopatra's Dream"
January 11, 2020
Brief and accessible, I really enjoyed this.
There were a lot of names and moments where it was difficult to keep those names straight, but overall I think this is a wonderful introduction to the life of Cleopatra.
There are also many recommended texts at the end of the book if you want to delve deeper into Cleopatra's and Egypt's history, which is something I always appreciate in nonfiction.
There were a lot of names and moments where it was difficult to keep those names straight, but overall I think this is a wonderful introduction to the life of Cleopatra.
There are also many recommended texts at the end of the book if you want to delve deeper into Cleopatra's and Egypt's history, which is something I always appreciate in nonfiction.
July 30, 2013
It's a short, easy read, with lots of historical information, and many absolutely stunning pictures on high quality paper. I highly recommend it, BUT...
It makes certain statements, such as that Cleopatra was blonde, without offering any argument or reasoning for it.
There is/was sloppy proofing/fact-checking that detracts from it. It refers to Caesar being 31 when he met Cleopatra, when he was 51. In explaining Mark Antony's marital configurations, in one place it explains that he was married to Fulvia when he met Cleopatra and begat their twins. Fulvia then died, and he married Octavia, had two daughters and started a third with her, then he returned to Cleopatra. This is clear in one section, but in another it states that Antony was already married to Octavia when he met Cleopatra. In another place it mixes up Caesar's wife Calpurnia with an earlier Caesar wife.
Granted these affairs are confusing, but that's why a reader would want a RELIABLE reference book. So I'd like to rate this book higher, and it's certainly worth having for the gorgeous collection of prints alone, but any reader would need to check a second source to verify the historical facts as presented here.
It makes certain statements, such as that Cleopatra was blonde, without offering any argument or reasoning for it.
There is/was sloppy proofing/fact-checking that detracts from it. It refers to Caesar being 31 when he met Cleopatra, when he was 51. In explaining Mark Antony's marital configurations, in one place it explains that he was married to Fulvia when he met Cleopatra and begat their twins. Fulvia then died, and he married Octavia, had two daughters and started a third with her, then he returned to Cleopatra. This is clear in one section, but in another it states that Antony was already married to Octavia when he met Cleopatra. In another place it mixes up Caesar's wife Calpurnia with an earlier Caesar wife.
Granted these affairs are confusing, but that's why a reader would want a RELIABLE reference book. So I'd like to rate this book higher, and it's certainly worth having for the gorgeous collection of prints alone, but any reader would need to check a second source to verify the historical facts as presented here.
November 25, 2015
Out of the Ancient World Leaders series, this is the best one by far, but that doesn't make this a great book. First off, who ever did the editing on this book did a terrible job: there were numerous errors from misplaced punctuation to no punctuation at all.
I don't see the need for the extensive background information: some yes is nice, but it delves too much into it. Same with what happens afterwards. It was stated repeatedly that she was the last Pharaoh of Egypt, so anyone reading it knows that Egypt was controlled by Rome after her death. These authors need to focus more on the leader and not about a bunch of filler information just to make the book longer.
I don't see the need for the extensive background information: some yes is nice, but it delves too much into it. Same with what happens afterwards. It was stated repeatedly that she was the last Pharaoh of Egypt, so anyone reading it knows that Egypt was controlled by Rome after her death. These authors need to focus more on the leader and not about a bunch of filler information just to make the book longer.
June 7, 2016
I wish there was a rating between I didn't like it and I liked it, that is truly how I feel about this book. I was looking for an in depth review of the life of Cleopatra and I got a good overview but I was looking for more. There are some wonderful pictures in the book and some interesting bits of information but overall it was just ok. My complaint about the book was that at times they had one page summaries of something and sometimes it gave away information before you got to it in the main part of the book and I found that annoying.
February 19, 2014
Bought the book for $2 from a Barnes & Noble clearance box. Colorful and high quality printed book. However, some facts are far fetched as it also lacks the proper citations for the research done regardless of the provided bibliography in the back of the book.
Overall, it is still a delightful read for someone starting out their affinity for all things Ancient Rome/Egypt/Greece.
Overall, it is still a delightful read for someone starting out their affinity for all things Ancient Rome/Egypt/Greece.
February 27, 2014
A brief read that delivers the basic facts and some speculation, the real star of this book is the illustrations. Lots of beautiful paintings and pictures, it's fun just to leaf through it just to look.
February 12, 2014
Stayed up to finish reading this book. Great! :)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews