Here are a bunch of books that are oldies (and mostly goodies).  You probably know many of them, but I hope there are a few gems you haven’t read.  If you know of others, please send them to me (treasurer@canewb.org) so we can compile a new list for a future blog.

A character in a book I once read said that she particularly looked for books that hadn’t been checked out recently, so that they would still stay on the shelves and not be discarded.  Here’s your chance to keep old books happy!

Robert Graves

He’s a wonderful writer, even if sometimes he gets carried away.  Almost any of his books are worthwhile reading.  Here are his two most famous ones about Rome.

I Claudius – a wonderful novel dealing with Claudius’ youth, with an enormous cast of characters – Augustus, Livia, the historian Livy, Germanicus and many others.  

Claudius the God – not as good – sequels often aren’t, unfortunately.  Claudius is no longer a sympathetic character.

The White Goddess – Graves’ take on runes and ancient mythology.  Fascinating, but true?  Oh well, it’s worth looking at.

Mary Renault

A brilliant woman who writes really well.  Her sequels aren’t always the best (see below), but I think it’s because her characters lose their charm (see Claudius the God above).

The King Must Die – retelling of the first part of the Theseus myth.  Really good.

The Bull from the Sea – sequel and, quite frankly, I don’t like Theseus here.

The Last of the Wine – great novel that takes place around the time of the Peloponnesian War.

Most of her others are worthwhile, too.

Steven Saylor

The Gordianus novels are very good, and I suggest sticking to the first 5 or so.  He writes very well and has an excellent knowledge of the ancient world.

John Maddox Roberts

     SPQR series is a total fun romp through Ancient Rome.  His hero, Decius, is an irreverent young man who is always dashing about and getting into and out of trouble.  Murders abound and he solves them.  This is a series that really doesn’t fade over time.

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Her novels are excellent, both dealing with Cassandra and then, moving ahead 2-3,000 years, King Arthur.

Firebrand: Cassandra is the main character here.  It’s beautifully told, and in places so very sad but true to what happens in war.

Gillian Bradshaw

Bradshaw writes novels about the ancient world but also does other eras very well.

The Sand-reckoner: this deals with Archimedes, and is so good that I gave it as the Latin prize.

Her other books are absolutely worth reading, too.

Lindsay Davis

I know that she has many fans, and I was one with her first few novels, but then it got tiresome.  However, the first bunch are definitely worth reading.

Mika Waltari

     Talk about an oldie!  The Etruscan is a work of imagination but really interesting, where the gods speak directly to the protagonist.  

By Ruth Breindel, who taught Latin, Greek, Linguistics and Mythology at Moses Brown School for 30 years.