Vespasian (Roman Imperial Biographies)

Hardcover Cloth 310 pages. Condition Very Good Dust Jacket Very Good. Presumed First edition 1999. Handsome black boards and gilt embossing shows off this Clean, tight, square copy with no marks, highlights or bookplates. Book Well kept and carefully stored in unread condition. Slight shelf wear. An unclipped dust jacket smooth, clean and brilliant with slight shelf wear - a few wrinkles and chips. Not an ex-library, book club or remainder copy.

From a pre-eminent biographer in the field, this well-documented and illustrated biography examines the life and time of the emperor Vespasian and challenges the validity of his perennial good reputation and universally acknowledged achievements. Examining received opinions on Vespasian, Barbara Levick examines how this plebeian and uncharismatic Emperor restored peace and confidence to Rome and ensured a smooth succession.

Outlining how he gained military experience and political skills, Levick goes on to explore how Vespasian coped with the military, political and economic problems of his reign, and his evaluation of the solutions to these problems, before she finally examines his posthumous reputation.

Part of the bestselling Roman Imperial Biographies series, Vespasian will engage, enthral and inform both students of classical studies and history, and the general classical enthusiast alike.

Barbara M. Levick is a British historian, specializing in ancient history. She was educated at St Hugh's College, Oxford, and, since 1959, has been a Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford (now emeritus). She is a prolific writer and occasional broadcaster on Roman history.

Levick is best known to the general public for her biographies of Roman emperors.