frankq Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Has anyone read the book Caligula, Divine Carnage, by Barber? I was checking around at Amazon and read a few blurbs. Is this guy kidding? Can authors get away with this kind of sensationalism? Already from a few pages I can see that he's an outright liar. This isnt fiction he's abusing, it's history. Sacred Roman history! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Has anyone read the book Caligula, Divine Carnage, by Barber? I was checking around at Amazon and read a few blurbs. Is this guy kidding? Can authors get away with this kind of sensationalism? Already from a few pages I can see that he's an outright liar. This isnt fiction he's abusing, it's history. Sacred Roman history! The amazon member reviews alone are enough to steer me away. I wonder how Mr. Barber and Mr. Reed are actually perceived among their peers. At any rate Anthony Barret's book 'Caligula : The Corruption of Power' is much more academic even if proving some of his revisionist theories are as difficult as proving Caligula's various debaucheries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankq Posted March 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Barrett's book was what led me to this monstrosity. I just finished reading Barrett's excellent work, superb indeed. I had seen it listed alongside Barber's book, was quickly steered away, got Barrett's history instead, read it, and in going back for more Caligula stuff, delved deeper into Barber's piece and was appalled. This kind of exploitation riles my blood. In fact, it got me about as angry as watching Pearl Harbor. Messing with history and not respecting facts is a red carpet rolled out for propagandists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hus Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I bought this book, drawn in by the title and supposed serious pretence of research, but it's a shocking work of avaricious and sensationalist fiction. What on earth other historians thought of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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