How to Be a Bad Emperor: An Ancient Guide to Truly Terrible Leaders (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)

Wonderful! Listened on audible

Book was a watered down and bowdlerized list of all the most awful of the emperors from Augstus' line. Not a lot of context provided; and, the worst was yet to come emperor wise...

I've now finished eight volumes in the Princeton University Press series Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers, and like the other seven, I have thoroughly enjoyed this book.This volume contains excerpts from Suetonius's biographies of four 'Caesars': Caesar himself, Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero. But rather than focusing on their political legacies and accomplishments, the excerpts highlight negative traits that rendered these men infamous. What is left are stories of vanity and violence.How to be a Bad Emperor is edited by Josiah Osgood, who does a good job introducing the book, as well as the excerpts, while keeping his comments to a minimum to let Suetonius speak for himself.This is an excellent introduction to Suetonius's writings. 4.5 stars.