Since I was interetsed in ancient military and Roman history I picke dup this title. Not a good place to begin if you are new to Roman history due to the highly detailed mannner of this book's layout. I strongly recommend that before tackling this book you start out with the idiots guide to the Roman Empire. That way you'll at least have some background. Well about this book:gives a detailed account of how the Roman army performed their daily rituals, camp formations, battle tactics, etc. But overall well worth the Amazon.com price and well worth your time.

I admit other than Cesar and Augustus I knew little about the Roman Empire, but this book was a great start to my education of the Romans. It starts off with the Beginnings of the Roman Republic and goes through the eventual sucession of Emperors and their heirs. Also talks about the sexcapades and offers personal insights of each highlighted Emperor. The book concludes with the decline and fall of the empire and the Barbarian Invasions. My only complaint that fails to make it a 5 star selection is the lack of depth of each period of the Empire. But then again it is an idiots guide and a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about one of the greatest and most influential empires in world history.