Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 11, Roman

Morris, Charles, 1833-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0
Word count
474K words
Chapters
48

Tags

English Originals World History Historical ReappraisalLegendary LivesRise and FallImperial DramaHeroismPopular NarrativeAncient Rome

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 11 (of 15), Roman by Charles MorrisAuthor: Morris, Charles, 1833-1922,Language: English, Class: DG: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Italy, Vatican City, Malta, Release Date: Jun 1, 2008

Editor's review

This book is the Roman volume of Charles Morris's fifteen-volume Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality, a work of popular history released as an English electronic edition by Project Gutenberg. Its characteristic is to narrate Roman history in a storytelling, narrative manner, linking institutions, wars, and figures into highly readable chapters, suitable for readers who want an overall impression first. It is not a scholarly work of source criticism; the narrative tends toward popularization and romanticization, and readers should remain alert to checking specific facts. The whole book is in English, and each volume stands independently and can be read on its own. It is suitable as a first English book for beginning Roman history, as leisure reading for history enthusiasts, or for teachers selecting excerpts for classroom introductions. It is advisable to read with maps and chronological tables, building a framework of time and geography as you go.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Browse the table of contents first, make a timeline ordered by figure or event, then read chapter by chapter.
  2. Keep a Roman map and a basic chronology at hand, and check them when place names and battles come up.
  3. Verify key facts against an authoritative general history, distinguishing popular narrative from historical conclusions.
  4. Pick chapters of interest to read first; there is no need to start from page one in order.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48

FAQ

How reliable are the historical sources in this book? It is a collection of history stories for a general audience, emphasizing fluent narrative and readability, with romanticized treatment; it is not a strict academic work. The events generally have a historical basis, but details and causal explanations should not be taken directly as research conclusions; reading alongside an authoritative general history of Rome is recommended.
Can I read it without knowing Roman history? Yes, but you need background material. The book links history through stories, so beginners can gain an overall impression; it is advisable to first learn the rough periodization of the Republic and the Empire and to have maps and a chronology ready, or you may get lost among figures and place names. Your English should also be at a level that allows reading long narratives.
Do I need to read this volume in the order of the whole set? No. The volumes in the series are relatively independent, and this one is devoted to Rome and can be read on its own. If you have questions about the preceding or following periods, consult other volumes or a general history; it does not affect understanding this volume.

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About the author

Morris, Charles, 1833-1922 Author

Charles Morris (1833–1922) is an English-language author about whose life relatively little is publicly documented; his nationality and education are not well recorded, and 18 of his works are currently held in the collection. Judging from these works, he excelled at history and general knowledge writing for ordinary readers. His representative works include the Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality series, whose volumes treat such subjects as King Arthur, America, Spanish America, Spain, and Scandinavia, presenting historical events and legends in a lively and readable manner. He also wrote A New History of the United States, a general account of American history; The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire, a record of the San Francisco earthquake and fire; and Man And His Ancestor: A Study In Evolution, which concerns evolutionary themes. His writing draws on a wide range of materials and balances narrative interest with the popularization of knowledge.