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A Brief History of the Private Lives of the Roman Emperors
Anthony Blond moves away from the idea of the Roman emperors as noble rulers and instead paints a scandalous picture. The book focuses on six emperors and also devotes sections to Roman society and to the city itself.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 19, 2025
I enjoyed this rather light reading about the Roman emperors. Actually, the author concentrates on Julius Caesar and the Julio-Claudian dynasty of Augustus, Tiberias, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. What a bunch! He has some interesting points to make. Caligula was not mad, merely very bad. Anyway, his successor, Claudius, was not the benevolent figure of the famous TV series, "I, Claudius," but the most ruthless of all the Julio-Claudians! He was poisoned by a dish of mushrooms and succeeded by a "golden boy," Nero. In some ways, I found Nero to be the most interesting of all the first five emperors. He was a charmer and an aesthete--and also cruel. The author does not blame Nero for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D. But, of course, he did begin the persecution of the Christians by blaming them for setting the fire. It all came to an end as revolts broke out against him...
The author also writes about various aspects of Roman life--sex, slavery, the army, the bloody games, food, and so on. I'll make one comment about food in Roman society-the gluttony went so far that some diners tickled their throats with a feather during the dinner so that: "Vomunt ut edant, edunt ut voment ( they vomit to eat and eat to vomit)." Imagine if the Romans had "discovered" America and they could have had tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, turkey, tobacco...
I've given this review some more thought since writing the above. I'm changing the rating from 4 stars to 3. As much as I enjoyed this "Brief History," I realize there are much better books to read about the Romans, their Republic and Empire. A rating of 3/5 stars is good enough for this book, especially considering that the editing is poor.
The author also writes about various aspects of Roman life--sex, slavery, the army, the bloody games, food, and so on. I'll make one comment about food in Roman society-the gluttony went so far that some diners tickled their throats with a feather during the dinner so that: "Vomunt ut edant, edunt ut voment ( they vomit to eat and eat to vomit)." Imagine if the Romans had "discovered" America and they could have had tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, turkey, tobacco...
I've given this review some more thought since writing the above. I'm changing the rating from 4 stars to 3. As much as I enjoyed this "Brief History," I realize there are much better books to read about the Romans, their Republic and Empire. A rating of 3/5 stars is good enough for this book, especially considering that the editing is poor.
October 10, 2013
Having recently returned from Italy, I've been indulging my nostalgia by re-watching that excellent HBO series Rome. While I love the series, I've never been fully convinced by the major female characters and their relationships, so I've always been curious to find out more about them. I found this book while idling by a bookshop's bargain table and snatched it up. However, as with most impulsive actions, it proved unsatisfactory.
This book is decidedly disappointing, and fails to fulfil any of the promises in its title except, perhaps for 'brief'. Of its 230 pages, fewer than half are devoted to the emperors, while the rest of the book is about Roman society in general. According to the acknowledgements, this book started as magazine reviews of these emperors' biographies, and unfortunately little, if nothing, was done to reshape these articles into a readable book.
Written in a 'racy' style which consists of long, convoluted and bewildering sentences, the biographical chapters are disappointingly brief, lacking in detail and badly edited. One sentence was missing a 'not' so that it said the contrary to what was intended. And after calling Nero's mother (correctly) Agrippina for a whole chapter, in the next chapter he refers to her as Messalina (Claudius' previous wife). Needless to say I found no answers to my initial questions.
All in all a book I could not recommend.
This book is decidedly disappointing, and fails to fulfil any of the promises in its title except, perhaps for 'brief'. Of its 230 pages, fewer than half are devoted to the emperors, while the rest of the book is about Roman society in general. According to the acknowledgements, this book started as magazine reviews of these emperors' biographies, and unfortunately little, if nothing, was done to reshape these articles into a readable book.
Written in a 'racy' style which consists of long, convoluted and bewildering sentences, the biographical chapters are disappointingly brief, lacking in detail and badly edited. One sentence was missing a 'not' so that it said the contrary to what was intended. And after calling Nero's mother (correctly) Agrippina for a whole chapter, in the next chapter he refers to her as Messalina (Claudius' previous wife). Needless to say I found no answers to my initial questions.
All in all a book I could not recommend.
February 3, 2017
There was a lot of good information in this book but the author was not great at organizing his ideas in an order that the reader could understand. Introducing facts about characters that had died in a previous sentence, for example. Even the biography chapters were not in chronological order. The author made many grammatical errors as well. Again, in the end: facts were as interesting as the writing was horrid.
February 20, 2014
This book very nearly opens with an apology, and this was probably a very good idea. In the apology Blond admits to not being an 'expert' this was already somewhat apparent given his earlier calling Boudicca "Commander-in-Chief of the English".
The first four of the last five chapters should have been in the beginning.
The bulk of the information was interesting, but I'm uncertain of the accuracy.
the very last chapter didn't really belong in the book at all, but was very enjoyable. Heck If it was a book unto itself I'd read the crap out of it.
My Major problem is the chapter on Sex. Now when it comes to books I am no prude, and I even enjoy reading about historical sexual mores and so on. It is the tone that bothers me. The topic is handled with all the maturity of high school jock stereotype gleefully reciting a naughty limerick in the locker room. I shared a few passage with my sisters to be certain that it was not just me being snobbish, one thought he was being gross on purpose, and the other a far more liberal girl than I found it downright offensive, and when I showed her the first item of the index (THE INDEX FOR HEAVAN'S SAKE)"Acte, a freedwoman, Nero's first lay" we both agreed it was rude, and unnecessary.
The first four of the last five chapters should have been in the beginning.
The bulk of the information was interesting, but I'm uncertain of the accuracy.
the very last chapter didn't really belong in the book at all, but was very enjoyable. Heck If it was a book unto itself I'd read the crap out of it.
My Major problem is the chapter on Sex. Now when it comes to books I am no prude, and I even enjoy reading about historical sexual mores and so on. It is the tone that bothers me. The topic is handled with all the maturity of high school jock stereotype gleefully reciting a naughty limerick in the locker room. I shared a few passage with my sisters to be certain that it was not just me being snobbish, one thought he was being gross on purpose, and the other a far more liberal girl than I found it downright offensive, and when I showed her the first item of the index (THE INDEX FOR HEAVAN'S SAKE)"Acte, a freedwoman, Nero's first lay" we both agreed it was rude, and unnecessary.
February 21, 2016
Entertaining read! Great for those who like history, but don't know much about it.
September 12, 2025
4/5
A Brief History of the Private Lives of Roman Emperors by Anthony Blond was a good read overall. It’s a nice little book if you want a whistle stop tour of Roman emperors, spanning from Julius Caesar to Nero, with plenty of interesting factoids about their private lives. I especially appreciated learning new details about Roman social and sexual customs that I hadn’t come across before. For that reason, I give it four stars.
That said, the book does suffer from some organizational issues. The author often introduced facts about people who had already died in the previous sentence, which made the narrative feel jumbled. Even the biographical chapters were not always presented in chronological order, which could be confusing.
In the end, the facts were engaging, but the writing and structure left much to be desired. Still, if you’re looking for a light, entertaining read filled with quirky details about Rome’s emperors, this book is worth picking up.
A Brief History of the Private Lives of Roman Emperors by Anthony Blond was a good read overall. It’s a nice little book if you want a whistle stop tour of Roman emperors, spanning from Julius Caesar to Nero, with plenty of interesting factoids about their private lives. I especially appreciated learning new details about Roman social and sexual customs that I hadn’t come across before. For that reason, I give it four stars.
That said, the book does suffer from some organizational issues. The author often introduced facts about people who had already died in the previous sentence, which made the narrative feel jumbled. Even the biographical chapters were not always presented in chronological order, which could be confusing.
In the end, the facts were engaging, but the writing and structure left much to be desired. Still, if you’re looking for a light, entertaining read filled with quirky details about Rome’s emperors, this book is worth picking up.
April 5, 2021
When the author starts out with an apology that says he doesn't know much about the subject. Believe him. The chapters on the four emperors were blessedly short with no new information, and much bad information included. The chapters on general aspects of Roman lives were far more interesting though also riddled with inaccuracies.
Not recommended.
Not recommended.
September 24, 2023
Interesting book about the lives of the emperors and about Roman life: layout of the domus, religion, sex, and the food especially. Did not like the layout of the book and sometimes quotes were not interweaved into the book adequately. But overall it was an interesting read and may interest those who interested in learning more about Roman life.
October 27, 2019
Nice little book if you want a whistle stop tour of Roman Emperors from Julius Caesar to Nero.
Some interesting little factoids on the private lives of the said emperors.
Four stars due to the fact I learned somethings about Roman social and sexual mores that I had not previously known.
Some interesting little factoids on the private lives of the said emperors.
Four stars due to the fact I learned somethings about Roman social and sexual mores that I had not previously known.
April 30, 2020
Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top ten books that make references out of nowhere, have grammatical mistakes, go on weird tangents and get the facts wrong. Number 1:
November 18, 2020
An occasionally interesting book that assumes you already know all of the history it’s teaching you.
December 31, 2024
I thought it would be more gossipy so kinda disappointed but I liked all the characters about Roman life especially Roman food!
May 10, 2013
This book touted itself as "history without the boring stuff." You know boring stuff like citations, sources, and in some cases--facts.
I don't mind "popular history." I actually enjoy it most of the time. What I don't like is "history for the stupid and ill-informed." And I think this falls in the latter category.
The book opens with a full chapter on sex in the Roman times. It might as well had a big neon sign "PREPARE TO BE PANDERED TO." Let's think about this for a moment. A book on Roman Emperors. And their private lives (fyi a theme that was only adhered to by the weakest of glues), and your FIRST chapter is sex. It's one thing to add salacious detail, it's another just to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
The book goes trudgingly along from there, covering the relationship Romans had with Jews (yep, that's "private lives of the emperors") and what the common people ate (again, see the title), and then the daily life of a senator (see...TITLE). There's brief bios of the Julio-Claudian emperors inserted.
This book truly feels like the author wrote down what he thought people would read, put it haphazardly into a book, and then sold it to unsuspecting readers who picked it up in a bookstore while on a trip and thought it would be interesting (like, say, me.)
I just checked and BN is selling it from affiliated sellers for $1.99. That's overpriced by a good bit.
I don't mind "popular history." I actually enjoy it most of the time. What I don't like is "history for the stupid and ill-informed." And I think this falls in the latter category.
The book opens with a full chapter on sex in the Roman times. It might as well had a big neon sign "PREPARE TO BE PANDERED TO." Let's think about this for a moment. A book on Roman Emperors. And their private lives (fyi a theme that was only adhered to by the weakest of glues), and your FIRST chapter is sex. It's one thing to add salacious detail, it's another just to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
The book goes trudgingly along from there, covering the relationship Romans had with Jews (yep, that's "private lives of the emperors") and what the common people ate (again, see the title), and then the daily life of a senator (see...TITLE). There's brief bios of the Julio-Claudian emperors inserted.
This book truly feels like the author wrote down what he thought people would read, put it haphazardly into a book, and then sold it to unsuspecting readers who picked it up in a bookstore while on a trip and thought it would be interesting (like, say, me.)
I just checked and BN is selling it from affiliated sellers for $1.99. That's overpriced by a good bit.
August 31, 2016
I thought this book was an interesting read, and there are things I liked and things I did not like. So for this review, I'm going to list the pros and the cons of this book:
Pro: an overall good general history of a period of Ancient Rome! The book was interesting and had some good points, and would definitely be good for someone who wants a brief history.
Cons: the title is misleading as it only delves into 6 emperors. I was hoping for a more in depth history, but this was still good, although too general for my liking. Blond also discussed the emperors for only a section of the book, and then talks about Roman food, housing, and gladiators; which, in my opinion, should have been at the beginning. And then, to top things off, the author sites a source in French, with no English translation. I wish I could read in French. But I can't. So that was frustrating!
I gave the book 3/5 because I still think it would be an ok book for someone looking for a very general partial history.
Pro: an overall good general history of a period of Ancient Rome! The book was interesting and had some good points, and would definitely be good for someone who wants a brief history.
Cons: the title is misleading as it only delves into 6 emperors. I was hoping for a more in depth history, but this was still good, although too general for my liking. Blond also discussed the emperors for only a section of the book, and then talks about Roman food, housing, and gladiators; which, in my opinion, should have been at the beginning. And then, to top things off, the author sites a source in French, with no English translation. I wish I could read in French. But I can't. So that was frustrating!
I gave the book 3/5 because I still think it would be an ok book for someone looking for a very general partial history.
August 13, 2015
A light, bouncy tour through the Roman Empire with chapters on aspects of daily life - food, religion, law, games, etc. - and various naughty emperors. The author occasionally compares Romans with slightly more recent history, which might puzzle you if (like me) you've forgotten who William Pitt the elder was. At one point the author calls Gore Vidal egregious, which I thought a bit harsh. Overall, though, this was a diverting read and one that really puts the horrors of our modern rulers in perspective... though I'll bet a President Trump (may the gods spare us!) could give Caligula a run for his money.
July 19, 2016
While a little bit of an awkward read - there are a lot of asides like this one - the compilation of facts and the details described are worth it.
I would not recommend this as an introductory book given that the author makes a lot of references and assumptions that the reader is already well versed in Roman history. However, the final chapter where the book describes a day in the life of a typical Roman Patrician is fascinating and absolutely worth the price if admission.
I would not recommend this as an introductory book given that the author makes a lot of references and assumptions that the reader is already well versed in Roman history. However, the final chapter where the book describes a day in the life of a typical Roman Patrician is fascinating and absolutely worth the price if admission.
August 16, 2009
I picked up this book because I needed some light reading during a relaxing weekend vacation in the mountains. Although this served it purpose (I enjoyed it) I would only reccomend it to someone who knows very litle about Ancient Rome and it's first 5 emperors.
I also have a disagreement on how the author portayed Rome's forth emperor, Claudius. But that's a argument for another day.
I also have a disagreement on how the author portayed Rome's forth emperor, Claudius. But that's a argument for another day.
December 27, 2015
The book is not very well written: jumpy and not very informative. However, the main failure - the book is not about private life of Emperors. Some general, mostly well known, historical facts about everything at once. There are no personalities in the book as you've might expected from the title. There is nothing in the book that should sway to read it.
August 15, 2014
Good info. Quick read. Not what I expected, though. I thought this was going to be a juicy tell-all of the flagrant debauchery of Rome's finest, but it was tame. The lack of said debauchery let me down, but it was still a worth-while read.
July 14, 2009
Qwirky book. The author is a fan of history and does a good job pulling together research with his comments. Enjoyed it.
Read
August 7, 2011Another commentary on 2000 year old ancient dudes. This one is witty and his first chapter is "sex." Which is a good way to start a book, I think!
January 1, 2016
Poorly written. Some good information available if you're willing to wade through poorly crafted sentences and strange formatting.
September 16, 2016
It is a messy and busy composition. I know that if the writing is acceptable, I can learn a lot about these ancient people. I just can't appreciate Blond's writing.
November 11, 2014
Amusing overview of the first five emperors of Rome and their millieu.
April 9, 2017
Please stay away from this book!
If the author had compiled all of the information he needed for this book as the first draft and then never got around to organising that mess, this book must be the result of it.
I could not even pass the 50-page mark and stopped trying to read this jungle of information. It is impossible to follow the set of information presented in such an unnecessarily complicated way.
Additionally, I finished reading too many paragraphs so confused that I believe the author thought his readers would possess some certain knowledge about issues he was referring to. I do not understand the logic behind such a requirement. It should be the author's aim to be able to clearly convey all the information to the reader in a coherent way.
Although the book's title suggests that it is about the 'private lives of the Roman emperors', in fact, the first couple of chapters are about other topics such as the Roman army, Roman law, 'the Romans and their Jews'. I don't know why the author thought these are of interest to the prospective reader.
I was trying to read this book while watching the first season of the HBO series, Rome. I truly believe that I learned more while watching that show than while reading this book.
Next on my to read list is SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I am sure that would be fabulous read and will take away the bitter taste this book has left on me.
If the author had compiled all of the information he needed for this book as the first draft and then never got around to organising that mess, this book must be the result of it.
I could not even pass the 50-page mark and stopped trying to read this jungle of information. It is impossible to follow the set of information presented in such an unnecessarily complicated way.
Additionally, I finished reading too many paragraphs so confused that I believe the author thought his readers would possess some certain knowledge about issues he was referring to. I do not understand the logic behind such a requirement. It should be the author's aim to be able to clearly convey all the information to the reader in a coherent way.
Although the book's title suggests that it is about the 'private lives of the Roman emperors', in fact, the first couple of chapters are about other topics such as the Roman army, Roman law, 'the Romans and their Jews'. I don't know why the author thought these are of interest to the prospective reader.
I was trying to read this book while watching the first season of the HBO series, Rome. I truly believe that I learned more while watching that show than while reading this book.
Next on my to read list is SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I am sure that would be fabulous read and will take away the bitter taste this book has left on me.
February 3, 2019
A good, compact read - an "Imperial primer", if you will. The title "Roman Emperors" is a tad misleading - it does not cover ALL the emperors - but the selection it covers are all colourful and intriguing characters. The byline "with all the boring bits cut out" is very fitting, as the book also covers the daily life, social structures and culinary habits of early Imperial Rome. Even I, as somewhat of a history buff, had not heard about Julius Caesar's stint as a priest of Jupiter - a post he was assigned to by his uncle by marriage, Marius, in order to keep his military talents in check (and maintain Marius' position of power). Definitely worth a read if you come across it (and like ancient history).
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews