Books by Ross King
Ross King is the author of numerous bestselling and acclaimed books, including The Shortest History of Italy, The Bookseller of Florence, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, and Leonardo and the Last Supper. He lives just outside Oxford.
The Shortest History of Ancient Rome
by Ross King
The Shortest History of Ancient Rome by Ross King is a highly readable book about Roman history, as short as the title promises but full of interesting information.
“If you like Italy and history, one book that’s a lot of fun is The Shortest History of Italy, by Ross King, author of Brunelleschi’s Dome. In 234 pages, it covers the entire history from Aeneas’s mythical arrival and the founding of Rome to the present. It’s really satisfying to have Italy’s history told as a whole rather than the Roman Empire/Renaissance/Risorgimento etc. as separate history books.” Read more...
Notable Nonfiction Books of Mid-2024
Sophie Roell, Journalist
Interviews with Ross King
The Best Roman History Books, recommended by Ross King
To write The Shortest History of Ancient Rome, bestselling author Ross King went back to the insightful and often entertaining accounts Roman and Greek historians gave of the city’s past. He talks us through some of his favourites, from Polybius—who wrote during the Roman Republic’s heyday—to Cassius Dio, who penned his magnum opus as the Roman Empire was in its decline.
Interviews where books by Ross King were recommended
-
1
The Cleopatras: The Forgotten Queens of Egypt
by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones -
2
The Roads to Rome: A History of Imperial Expansion
by Catherine Fletcher -
3
Spice: The 16th-Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World
by Roger Crowley -
4
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
by Erik Larson -
5
Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring
by Gregory Makoff
Notable Nonfiction Books of Mid-2024, recommended by Sophie Roell
Notable Nonfiction Books of Mid-2024, recommended by Sophie Roell
From a dynasty that ruled ancient Egypt to the 1986 space shuttle disaster, from the fight to get rich from spices in the 16th century to making billions from bankrupt countries in the 21st century, Five Books editor Sophie Roell gives an overview of the new nonfiction books that have appeared since April.
-
1
King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah, the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Unmaking of the Modern Middle East
by Scott Anderson -
2
The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom
by David Woodman -
3
The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century
by Tim Weiner -
4
The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World
by Selena Wisnom -
5
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb
by Garrett Graff -
6
The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life
by Sophia Rosenfeld
New History Books
New History Books
It’s a golden age for historical writing, as well-researched and sometimes quite specialist books by historians are written in an engaging style for a broad audience. History books out in recent months range from ancient Assyria to the CIA in the 21st century.
