Those About to Die, or The Way of the Gladiator

by Daniel P. Mannix

Gladiators, chariot races, parades, fights between a vast assortment of wild animals, rape and bestiality, mock battles and naval combats were all exhibitions spectators anticipated at the Roman games, or ludi. These games, so popular that they entertained crowds for five centuries, provided jobs to millions, and controlled the Roman economy.

Stadiums were everywhere. Thousands flock to see the latest innovations and shouted and screamed and laughed and bet as men, women, children and animals were hacked, crucified, torn to pieces, ravished, burned, and drown. The acts were inconceivable, the numbers staggering.

So, why? Why did the games to develop into nothing short of sadistic debauches? In the last and most stunning chapter the author addresses the question that historians and philosophers have pondered for over fifteen hundred years. His observations are sobering and his conclusions profound.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Historical, Roman, European History, Literature

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Daniel Pratt Mannix IV was best known as an American author and journalist. His life was remarkably different from other writers of his generation. His career included times as a side show performer, magician, trainer of eagles and film maker.

The Grest Zadma was a stage name Mannix used as a magician. He also entertained as a sword swallower and fire eater in a traveling carnival sideshow. Magazine articles about these experiences, co-written with his wife, became very popular in 1944 and 1945.

As an author Mannix covered a wide variety of subject matter. His more than 25 books ranged from fictional animal stories for children, the natural history of animals, and adventurous accounts about hunting big game to sensational adult non-fiction topics such as a biography of the occultist Aleister Crowley, sympathetic accounts of carnival performers and sideshow freaks, and works describing, among other things, the Hellfire Club, the Atlantic slave trade, the history of torture, and the Roman games. His output of essays and articles was extensive.

Reviews

[Geoff Boxell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was released in the UK as "Those About to Die".
I bought it as a paperback in 1959 as a 12 year old. My mother had gone into a newsagent & tobacconist shop in Clapham Junction to get some fags and I saw it with its graphic cover and borrowed my next week's pocket money to buy it. At the time I would have given it 5 stars.
Its graphic description of the brutality of the Roman Games and the cost to human society, wildlife and Roman economics had a profound effect on my young mind and has had a lasting effect on my attitude towards the Roman Empire. I lent the book out so many times and re-read it myself more than once with the result it was eventually held together with sellotape. In 1973 I happened on a reprint of it in a book shop and bought it to replace my own battered copy which I had brought to NZ with me. A re-read confirmed my thoughts on the subject, but I was more critical of the author's blend of historical facts from prime sources with fictional re-creation of events and would have given it 4 stars. Now, in 2018, I have read it again and now it is down to 3 stars. The fictional faction of the book is its drawback as I am now more of a historian and want to see more data on the sources for the information given. However, I would still recommend this book to anyone who wanted an easy introduction into the horrific world of the Roman Games. At 154 pages it is a quick read and written in an easy style.

[Leonard Mokos · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't review a Mannix book without first highlighting Mannix, the King of Cool - a true master of the lost art of living.

The son of a U.S. navy officer (Commodore), he follows his own tune, joining the circus, mastering sword swallowing, travelling extensively, pursuing a love for animals, writing about them with interest and a light touch. His fiction is just bad. It must be said. Come closer though, here's the gold: his nonfiction is deeply researched, bullet proof accurate yet reads like populist pulp. Gobble it! It's great! We can say more about Mannix, like he wrote the Disney classic "the fox and the hound" and so on, but let's on to the review of "The way of the Gladiator".

Surprise, it's about gladiators. You think you know but you don't. Not like this. The depth, the detail, the variety. It's staggering stuff. His knowledge, historical veracity and structure of presentation are artworks of informed and informing.

Get down in the guts and the sand and prepare to go "whaaa...? I did not know that." This is his very best work, The One. For lovers of action, of history, of Mannix, or crazy sh*t that's 100% true and 105% outrageous.

[Alex Kenjeev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wonder how they got lions to eat people in Roman times? Or how they got bears to eat people? Did you know they also got bears to fight lions? And that they had people train for years, only to fight each-other to the death, in huge productions with moats and alligators and boiling oil? Did you know they got animals to rape women on stage? Did you know it was a huge part of their economy, to the point where they'd have hundreds of days of this per year? Why on earth did they do these horrible things? And what would it have been like to be there? This book seems absolutely insane until you realize that it's actually just doing a wonderful job of describing an insane part of our history, in a style that's both literary and cautious, and thus is thoroughly immersive without departing from historicity.

[n0s4a2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro interesante para todo el que disfrute de la historia de Roma. Aquí se cuenta todo lo que rodea al circo Romano, desde los gladiadores (los tipos que había), carreras de aurigas, animales que se empleaban, batallas navales… la evolución de los juegos y como fue degenerando con el paso del tiempo hasta convertirse en un espectáculo desproporcionado, sangriento, sin honor y depravado.

Narrado de una forma muy amena, como si de pequeñas historias se tratase, con algunos de sus protagonistas que existieron en la realidad y de los cuales hay documentadas algunas se sus peripecias.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an eye opening look into one of the darkest chapter's of humanity: the Roman Games. The book begins with the Games humble beginnings and takes us through the long and awful history until reaching the colossal and nightmarish Games we all thought we knew. The depravity and horror people are willing to put someone else through for entertainment is astounding. While this might seem like a history lesson, Mr Mannix, makes it interesting by telling parts of the story like a fictional narrative about certain historical persons pertaining to individual jobs within the games. One thing that I took away from this book was the staggering amounts of deaths both human and animal. At one point Mr. Mannix states some animals were driven into extinction from their popularity in the games. Who needs a Devil when man is capable of every type of wickedness imaginable?

[Olethros · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Sus fortalezas se aprovechan de sus debilidades.-

Género. Ensayo.

Lo que nos cuenta. Trabajo que se acerca a la supuesta realidad de los gladiadores en la Antigua Roma o, más exactamente a los juegos en Roma en general, espectáculos salvajes de verdad en sus distintas expresiones, un aspecto que el autor se encarga de resaltar en todo momento.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review is simply this.

This is mostly historical fiction. And while entertaining in a lot of ways, it's a history with a lot of fictional, made-up stories and narratives.

Granted, when this book was written the idea of historical fiction didn't exist as much so it was easy to get away with a book embellishing a lot of historical events was pretty normal. But in today's world this doesn't fly. There are a lot of stories the author just plain made up.

Now, are they entertaining and interesting? Sure. But don't expect much in the way of citing sources or even referencing stories. The author does some, but not enough. Just enough to probably sell it as history for 70 years ago.

Did I learn things about gladiators and such? Sure. There was enough historical sources to cause me to look more into the topic. But to fill out the story by embellishing other facts was unnecessary.

[Sarah Ashwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. To appreciate the scope, the cruelty, and the sadism of the games, one must read this book. I was hoping there would be more insight into the gladiatorial aspects of the games, as I'm gathering info for my next novel and need more background on the gladiator schools, way of life, etc. If anybody can recommend some good books on that subject, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

[Emilio Minichiello · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.4 stars) This book is a short history of Gladiator battles and more generally the circus in the Roman empire. It is a fascinating subject, and the author did some really interesting things I hadn’t seen before. For example, the first and last third of the book are told in a typical nonfiction narrative style, the middle of the book is told in the fashion of a fiction book, with us following the story of a beast handler at the coliseum. At first I really enjoyed this, but it went on for too long, and the scenes of depravity and gore were so numerous and disgusting that I just wanted the book to be over. Rather than have these long detailed horrifying descriptions I would have rather had the author go into more detail about the psychology of the mob who attended the games and pushed them into more horrifying and extreme territory. That is talked about at the end, but I would have liked a whole chapter on it and maybe what other thinkers had to say on the matter. Nonetheless, it was really fascinating, and I learned a lot of history as well. I can’t say I recommend this book however.

[Giovanna L Eekhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mannix, while not a professional historian, offers a thorough and intriguing analysis of the gladiatorial games of Ancient Rome in this book. Given that he's a journalist and author, I feel that he was well suited to the task of creating a narrative of this rather expansive period of history that your average person can understand and enjoy, while also providing a more in-depth analysis on the evolution of the gladiatorial games in conjunction with the downfall of the Roman Empire. If you enjoyed the films 'Gladiator' and 'Gladiator II,' or the TV show 'Those About To Die,' I think you could appreciate this book. Please note that it is a much more brutal and gruesome subject material than the storylines portrayed in the aforementioned films and does not contain the same hero's journey plotline.

[Taryn Prisk · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's a lot of speculation there, bud.

At one point, Mannix says, "What happened to Carpophorus? I don't know so I'll invent an ending suitable for this strange man." And there were many other instances of speculation and make-believe. Not really a fan of that, so.

I didn't expect this to be an easy read, for obvious subject matter reasons, but if the focus had been more on the gladiators and how their training, time in the arena, and freedom/retirements looked, and less on the bestiarii and various human and animal cruelties, I would have appreciated it a lot more.

[Mirza Baig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening reading

Brilliant writing and insightful comments relating to our times. Amazing research based accounts of the Roman Circus and its origin and consequences that are worth thinking about.

[Thomas Gammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this in some of the most beautiful spots in the world. I found the book just as intriguing as the places around me.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idk how historically accurate this is, but definitely entertaining

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3789061.html

Starts off as a historical survey of Roman games and then becomes two short stories, the first longer than the second, about men who worked in and around the arena. In fact the book is much less about gladiators and more about the people who arranged fights with animals in the arena, particularly the arrangements for torture and execution by damnatio ad bestias. Mannix has a bit of a fixation with the unpleasant things a trained animal can do to a woman prisoner. But he also makes interesting comparisons with the showmanship of the twentieth century, and although it's really not all that interesting a subject he covers it breezily enough.

[Allie Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd had this book sitting on my shelf for years, and finally got around to it. The first few chapters were interesting, but soon it descended into page after page of something close to torture porn - describing in detail the horrific treatment of millions of animals and humans in centuries of the Roman games (after the mid-point it's increasingly focussed on the animals). At first it was horrifying, but by the end it was almost, scarily, normalised. If you really want to know more about the games and their relationship with Roman society, dip into it, but don't go out of your way.

[Laura Wingfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining but very much like listening to someone tell you a very tall tale. It's a fictional take on various gladiators who fought during Roman times. There ARE grains of truth in here, and the fictional take is entertaining, however, some story lines are grossly exaggerated ad nauseam, and Mannix refers to grotesque beastiality and subsequent mauling too many times. Further, some of his references are legitimate historical references, however, some are fictional stories he appears to take for historical reference.

[Flowers4Algernon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trashy salacious bit of cod history which owes more to the author’s imagination than historical research plus a nice bit of misogyny and racism thrown in for good measure. Avoid.

[Jackspear217 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gladiatora traktuję jako reportaż o walczących na rzymskich arenach ludziach, ich charakterystykę, obszerny opis i to jak na przestrzeni wieków zmieniały się igrzyska, pod panowaniem nowych cesarzy, choć trzeba przyznać, że w pewnym momencie Those about to die zyskują pewną fabułę i ocierają się o dobrą powieść historyczną. Fakty tu przytaczane są pełne realizmu i brutalności i nie dziwota, że posłużyły za kanwę do filmów i seriali. Wydaje mi się jednak, że obrazy na srebrnym i małym ekranie lepiej pobudzają wyobraźnie i są lepiej przyswajalne niż taka antyczna literatura faktu. Wszystko się tu zgadza i nawet zachwyca, co nie powinno dziwić, bo lubię antyk i czytanie o nim, ale nie tego się spodziewałem. Liczyłem na historię, która porwie. Dostałem lekcję historii, cenną ale chyba tylko tyle. Wiadomo jak z każdej, coś wyniosłem i pogłębiłem swoją wiedzę, ale bawiłem się umiarkowanie. Liczyłem po prostu na coś innego, zachęcony uprzednio zaprezentowanym tematem i fantastyczną okładką. To jest dobra książka i fani historii będą nawet bardzo usatysfakcjonowani, ja wolę powieści, które dzieją się w tamtych czasach, które zapadają w pamięć i o których mogę pamiętać i do nich wracać. Historia gladiatorów i tym samym narodu rzymskiego, to dla mnie trochę za mało. Miałem inne oczekiwania, może stąd to moje kręcenie nosem. Zdecydowanie zdecyduję się na serial na podstawie tej książki i z zaciekawieniem zobaczę jak jego twórcy stworzyli opowieść na bazie faktów, które właśnie przeczytałem. Czy polecam? Nie wiem, chyba musicie przekonać się sami czy jest to rzecz dla Was czy nie...
Za książkę dziękuję @wydawnictworeplika

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 12 of Those About To Die by Daniel P. Mannix begins as follows.

“Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman emperor and philosopher, remarked: ‘I wouldn’t mind the games being brutal and degrading if only they weren’t so damned monotonous.’”

That statement could also be applied to this book.

I admit that this book appears to be well researched although people are made up here and there as a way to describe “occupations” involved in the production of the Roman games. The book has a beginning and end as the period of these games had a beginning and an end. There is a sequence of events.

The back of the book lists some details from the book followed by this statement.

“These are some of the astounding facts from Daniel P Mannix’s full story of the ancient Roman games … which started as gladiatorial contests between warriors and were degraded through the centuries into the wildest public massacres in the history of perverted pleasure.”

I did find this history of the Roman games interesting although, after a while, all the details of the arenas and how people and animals were killed seemed to blur together. It took me some time to read this book because I had other things going on in my life at the time. Maybe if I sat down and read the book in a short period of time I would feel differently, but I can’t rate Those About Top Die highly. Still, I am glad that I read this book. I learned from it.

[Tessa {bleeds glitter} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny enough I remember coming out of school thinking the Roman Empire was pretty cool, brutal but elegant. And, like, I took Latin for 5 years. Even though I was horrible at it, I do think maybe we shouldn't teach our kids that the Romans were cool when this was when they got up to. I was downright nauseous at so many points of this book and I am beyond terrified what the TV show makes out of this. We should all abhor this level of violence and spectacle, but sometimes I fear this is exactly what a lot of people actually want to see.
Mannix does a great job of bringing this (horrifying) part of history to live, his reminders that this isn't fiction are gentle but recurring enough to keep the sheer horror of these stories alive and well throughout. Maybe if you, like me, don't remember much or anything overtly negative or critical about the Roman Empire from your school days learning Latin, you could also need a little reminder. I feel like there's not even a point in writing a trigger warning list because it feels like pretty much every trigger is in here. From brutal deaths and slavery to women being raped by jackasses to insane feats of engineering to the abhorrent animal abuse, I'm feeling sick just thinking about it. Wouldn't recommend (because it's upsetting), but maybe this is something that should be widely known. To what true depravities in the name of entertainment humans are capable of.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

General Overview
An interesting biopic/historical retelling and history of the Roman Games, Those About to Die is a truly graphic retell of the most violent and shocking parts of Roman culture.

Style
Mr Daniel P Mannix really brings to light the sordid nature of the games, in graphic detail. A mix of biopic narrative and history book, the blend works well, and speaks to the authors skill. I am sure some of the details they cover are dated/disproven now, but looking past this, it is a fine read.

The dialogue is strong, and the scenes well pictured.

Substance
Covering the games from their funeral origins to eventual ban, the book covers in most detail the sorted nature and depravity they fell into, in the day of the Empire, as opposed to the Republic.

This leds to a grim view of them, with a clear slant by the author. However, the characters he creates, or builds on from actual historical figures is great. The reader learns about the colour history, whilst also treated to some fun narrative.

Final Thoughts
A good book, if a bit graphic in places. Dated, but a fun read.

[Alex Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and easy to read blend of history, historical recreation and application of the novelist’s art applied to the Roman Gladiatorial Games era by a rather intriguing author whom I had not been previously familiar with.

Mannix himself appears to have been a kind of savage renaissance character, an ex-circus employee, sword swallower, explorer, seemingly Hemingwayesque sort of character and prolific author was, in fact, also a keen autodidactic student, observer of animal psychology and behaviour, who, in addition, maintained his own private zoo.

This fascinating and explicitly descriptive account of the games has received, no doubt, heavy criticism from academics and “true” historians for going-over-the-top in it’s imaginary and creative explication of events. I probably wouldn’t argue this point. It will, no doubt, also be unpopular with readers with anal-retentive tendencies. Fans of sadomasochism and torture, however may get a kick out of it.

The rest of us will probably find the reading of this work compatible with the following sentiment:

But that’s sort of what art is, isn’t it…a lie that gets to the heart of the truth?

[Vaconafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Za egzemplarz książki do recenzji w ramach współpracy barterowej dziękuję bardzo wydawnictwu.

Serial którego twórcy zainspirowali się tą książką, bardzo mi się podobał więc z przyjemnością sięgnęłam po tą książkę. Moja ciekawość była ogromna co w niej znajdę... Autor odwołuje się w swoim dziele do różnych źródeł i historii. Książka bardziej przypomina mi podręcznik do historii niż powieść - choć znajdziemy tu odrobinę historyjek dotyczących różnych postaci z tamtego okresu, przy których autor dopowiada zakończenie i te historie są najfajniejszym elementem tej książki.

Na pewno jest to książka historyczna, ale raczej nie nazwałabym jej powieścią. Zawiera mnóstwo ciekawostek na temat tamtych czasów, gdy to Rzym był potęgą, a Igrzyska bardzo ważnym elementem kultury, ale i zgubym. Dzięki tej książce możemy lepiej zrozumieć idee oraz działanie igrzysk, ale i łatwo zaobserwować powody upadku tego ogromnego cesarstwa.

Jeśli ciekawi Was tamta kultura i cywilizacja, a ogrom faktów nie jest Wam straszny to będzie to lektura dla Was. Jeśli lubicie klimat gladiatorów i wyścigów rydwanów zerknijcie na serial inspirowany tą książką.

[Daria (jezykowy.koneser) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Gladiator. Those about to die" napisany przez Daniela P. Mannixa, to książka, która była inspiracją dla twórców filmu "Gladiator" oraz serialu "Those about to die". Jest to pierwsze polskie wydanie tego tytułu.

Książkę czyta się szybko, jest bardzo ciekawa. Całkowicie w niej przepadłam. Dowiedziałam się wielu interesujących i nowych rzeczy.

O czym jest ten tytuł? O igrzyskach. To one były spoiwem państwa, imperium. Początkowo była to nagroda, rozrywka dla mieszkańców Rzymu, potem uznali to za swoje prawo. I nie ważne kto i jak sprawował rządy, dopóki miały miejsce krwawe, oryginalne i zajmujące igrzyska. Stąd nawet mamy powiedzenie "chleba i igrzysk".

Przeczytamy tutaj o konkretnych dziedzinach, widowiskach, które miały miejsce w ramach igrzysk, jak wyścigi rydwanów, walki gladiatorów, czy bitwy morskie na zakmniętych i sztucznych akwenach. Ale również o konkretnych postaciach, które zapisały się w historii igrzysk.

To naprawdę dobra i fascynująca lektura. Zdecydowanie polecam!

[Bernadette Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm usually pretty generous with stars, but this book was a tad too pulpy even for me. I bought this book 9 years ago on a recommendation from someone on a Todd Browning's Freaks forum. I remembered my initial dabble into this book being shocking, but i never finished it: not a good sign. Then this week i noticed that there was a new show based on this book so i decided to re-read it. It took longer for me to get through this 183 page book the 2nd time around than it did to binge the 10-hour series! 🤣 Still, there are some historical nuggets and great lines buried in the convolutedly meandering narrative filled with fanciful fiction. I still think it's worth a read, but there is some graphic content many will not want to consume, including gratuitous and cruel violence towards children, women, animals, and slaves. The show was fun, but i doubt it will get a 2nd season. I'll watch it if it does, though! I really wanted to see more stuff from the book in the show.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange one to rate as it's difficult to ascertain genre. It's a bit like meeting a very knowledgeable person in a pub who goes on to spin you tall tales about a subject you know little about and so convincingly that it feels true. The bibliography is short, there are no references and the author's sources are interesting at the very least.

You can tell Mannix was an entertainer as his profession. His lived experiences mean he dives particularly deeply on the aspects related to his fields of expertise - the role of animals and logistics related to putting on a horrific performance. His background as a magician, sideshow performer and animal handler means these sections are written convincingly and he does bring to life the immensity of the effort the Roman leaders may have gone to in the pursuit of pleasing the masses at the games.

Entertaining despite it's flaws: those about to die is a brutal read that pulls no punches.

[Esteban Martos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un excelente libro histórico, realmente cambia la forma de ver este fenómeno del Coliseo Romano; se hicieron cosas terribles a mucha gente y animales inocentes, era una total falta de conciencia de la gente que vivió en ese tiempo, ahora podemos ver reminicencias de esto en las corridas de toros en la que hacen sufrir a los pobres toros hasta matarlos o la gente que va al box que en lugar de apreciar las habilidades atléticas de los contendientes les gusta que se lastimen, o en el Futbol que los gobiernos aprovechan para desviar la atención de la gente se los problema que afrontan los gobiernos.
Es un libro que causa horror de tan solo imaginarse todo lo ocurrido en esos lugares durante siglos, pero me parece un trabajo extraordinario de investigación y de una gran narrativa.

[Rob Ballister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book for the gritty, raw explanations of what could have been at the time of gladiators.

Honestly, not sure why I like this book so much. It switches back and forth between third and second person, and the author admits that where he can't find the answers, he makes things up to fit.

Still, I seem drawn to it with the same passion the Roman mob was drawn to the games described in its pages. The scale by which the supposedly civilized Romans murdered people is mind boggling, and the part that games played in the destabilization of Rome is significant. While Mannix's book might be a bit short on facts, it holds the attention of the reader and is thought provoking to be sure.

[Elizabeth Prata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was extremely engaging informative, and makes the Roman times come to life.

And that was my problem. When Mannix was explaining how the Circus Maximus or Colosseum were built from the architecture point of view, great. How the complicated acts in the arena were able to be pulled off with precision, super. Gladiator training, amazing. But when he described in detail the actual goings on inside the Games, the constant stream of blood, nudity, gore, inhumanity was not something I wanted to have inside my head. So I stopped reading about the perversity and brutality for the sake of my conscience.