The Agricola and the Germania (100 Copy Collector's Edition)

Book excerpt: The Agricola and the Germania were written by the Roman historian Tacitus around 98 AD. The Germania describes the lands, laws, and customs of individual Germanic tribes. The Agricola, recounts the life of Tacitus' father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola, an eminent Roman general and Governor of Britain. It also covers, briefly, the geography and ethnography of ancient Britain. As in the Germania, Tacitus favorably contrasts the liberty of the native Britons to the corruption and tyranny of the Empire; the book also contains eloquent and forceful polemics against the rapacity and greed of Rome. Tacitus's writings are known for their dense prose that seldom glosses the facts, in contrast to the style of some of his contemporaries. In most of his writings he keeps to a chronological narrative order, only seldom outlining the bigger picture, leaving the readers to construct that picture for themselves. Tacitus's historical style offers penetrating--often pessimistic--insights into the psychology of power politics, blending straightforward descriptions of events, moral lessons, and tightly focused dramatic accounts. This cloth-bound book includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket, and is limited to 100 copies.