--- product_id: 4909107 title: "The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics)" price: "B/.72" currency: PAB in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/4909107-the-annals-of-imperial-rome-penguin-classics store_origin: PA region: Panama --- # The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics) **Price:** B/.72 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics) - **How much does it cost?** B/.72 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.pa](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/4909107-the-annals-of-imperial-rome-penguin-classics) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description His last work, regarded by many as the greatest work of contemporary scholarship, Tacitus' The Annals of Imperial Rome recount with depth and insight the history of the Roman Empire during the first century A.D. This Penguin Classics edition is translated with an introduction by Michael Grant. Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome recount the major historical events from the years shortly before the death of Augustus up to the death of Nero in AD 68. With clarity and vivid intensity he describes the reign of terror under the corrupt Tiberius, the great fire of Rome during the time of Nero, and the wars, poisonings, scandals, conspiracies and murders that were part of imperial life. Despite his claim that the Annals were written objectively, Tacitus' account is sharply critical of the emperors' excesses and fearful for the future of Imperial Rome, while also filled with a longing for its past glories. Michael Grant's translation vividly captures the emotional patriotism of Tacitus' moral tone, offset by a lucid understanding that Rome is doomed, and conveys with cinematic vigour the lives of the great Emperors who laid the foundations of modern Europe. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Review: Wicked fun - This is a gossipy insiders account, which I found very entertaining. The translation by an English don is quite readable. Review: An Oldie but a very Good one!!! - Tacitus is without doubt one of my favorite historians on any subject matter. this translation is very very good. I Highly recommend it from all angles. if you want to start toread a work of the great ancient historians i would start with this one. there is a lot hee but he delves deep into veryday life and you feel it from a man who is still living it. A patriot who is not affraid to show it but also not woried to point out what went wrong and what should be fixed. Human to the core. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #106,381 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #32 in Classic Roman Literature #131 in Ancient & Classical Literature #817 in Judaism (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 400 Reviews | ## Images ![The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81wZVugal5L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wicked fun *by J***Y on February 5, 2024* This is a gossipy insiders account, which I found very entertaining. The translation by an English don is quite readable. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Oldie but a very Good one!!! *by P***P on January 22, 2013* Tacitus is without doubt one of my favorite historians on any subject matter. this translation is very very good. I Highly recommend it from all angles. if you want to start toread a work of the great ancient historians i would start with this one. there is a lot hee but he delves deep into veryday life and you feel it from a man who is still living it. A patriot who is not affraid to show it but also not woried to point out what went wrong and what should be fixed. Human to the core. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Brilliant Account Marred Only by Missing Years and Bias *by R***U on December 15, 2000* Tacitus (AD c.55-117), a Roman senator of the 2nd Century AD and famed historian, has written a brilliant year-by-year account of the Roman Empire from 14 AD to 66 AD. The book begins with the last year of Augustus and the assumption of power by the new emperor Tiberius and concludes with the final years of Nero. While certainly not the fault of either Tacitus or the contemporary editor, it is unfortunate that the book is missing vital chapters that have been lost over the centuries. This is particularly galling because the gaps come in vital transitional years. Thus, the loss of the chapters covering 30 and 31 AD leaves us without a description of the fall of Sejanus, commander of the Praetorian Guard under Tiberius. It gets worse, with the nine years of 38-47 AD also missing. This excludes the entire reign of Caligula and the first six years of Claudius' reign. Finally, the last chapter is missing the years 67-69 AD which cover the fall of Nero and the beginning of civil war. These missing years make the book painful to read because just as a particular section is reaching a climax, the main even is deleted. Thus what remains of the history is mostly the middle years of Tiberius, Claudius and Nero. There is no doubt that Tacitus is a biased historian, despite his claims to impartiality. According to him, Tiberius, Claudius and Nero were all pretty poor emperors, marred by gross personal and moral flaws. This is far too simplistic, particularly given that nowhere does Tacitus espouse pro-Republican or anti-oligarchical opinions. Claudius in particular comes off worse than most readers would expect, after a generally favorable modern image due to Robert Graves' I Claudius. Tiberius is a highly controversial figure due to his aloof personality, but the portrait of him as a paranoid sex-obsessed maniac is more hostile than objective. Tacitus fails to mention that the last century of the Roman Republic was marred by violence that affected most if not all of Roman society. One man rule had given rulers the ability to eliminate most opposition but it had also centralized violence. The beginning of the Pax Romana - the greatest gift of the principate to World history - is not apparent to Tacitus. The book does have interesting chapters on Germanicus' retribution campaign in Germany, a cohort that is decimated for cowardice in Africa and the revolt of Queen Boudicca in Britain. When the British are defeated in 60 AD and 80,000 are slaughtered, Tacitus proudly notes that, "the Romans did not spare even the women. Baggage animals too, transfixed with weapons, added to the heaps of dead. It was a glorious victory..." Some of Nero's part-time hobbies make interesting reading, too. Nero liked to disguise himself and go out with a gang of thugs into the city of Rome at night and harass or assault people at random. After several incidents where he himself was roughed up by his intended victims, Nero began taking gladiators along as bodyguards. There is also a brief mention of Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate, the only Roman mention of this trial. However the book tends to drag down in places, like the treason trials of Tiberius and the purges of Nero. As far as this translation by Michael Grant, the translator has taken far too many liberties. Readers familiar with the Roman Empire will be annoyed by Grant's clumsy use of "brigade" instead of "legion", "battalion" instead of "cohort" and "company commander" instead of "centurion". Grant drifts further from the true meaning by referring to a legion plus its auxiliaries as a "division" and there are a number of other substitute terms. These substitutions add nothing to reading clarity and it gets confusing when he refers to brigades and divisions simultaneously. On the plus side, the maps at the end of the book and the appendices were quite useful. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/4909107-the-annals-of-imperial-rome-penguin-classics](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/4909107-the-annals-of-imperial-rome-penguin-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart Panama* *Store origin: PA* *Last updated: 2026-10-11*