Letters to Atticus, Volume II: Letters 90–165A

by Marcus Tullius Cicero, D.R. Shackleton Bailey (Translator)

In letters to his dear friend Atticus, Cicero reveals himself as to no other of his correspondents except, perhaps, his brother. These letters, in this four-volume series, also provide a vivid picture of a momentous period in Roman history‒years marked by the rise of Julius Caesar and the downfall of the Republic.

When the correspondence begins in November 68 BCE the 38-year-old Cicero is a notable figure in Rome: a brilliant lawyer and orator, who has achieved primacy at the Roman bar and a political career that would culminate in the Consulship in 63. Over the next twenty-four years‒to November 44, a year before he was put to death by the forces of Octavian and Mark Antony‒Cicero wrote frequently to his friend and confidant, sharing news and discussing affairs of business and state. It is to this corpus of over 400 letters that we owe most of our information about Cicero's literary activity. And taken as a whole the letters provide a first-hand account of social and political life in Rome.

Genres: History, Classics, Politics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 44

About the author

Born 3 January 106 BC, Arpinum, Italy
Died 7 December 43 BC (aged 63), Formia, Italy

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

Alternate profiles:
Cicéron
Marco Tullio Cicerone
Cicerone

Note: All editions should have Marcus Tullius Cicero as primary author. Editions with another name on the cover should have that name added as secondary author.

Reviews

[AB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touch slow in the beginning with Cicero recounting his governorship but then became a real page turner as Cicero waits outside of the city to see about his Triumph and news of Caesar crossing the Rubicon arrives.

[John Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing is perhaps too strong a rating but it's in the first person present by a great writer who gives his perspective on the beginning of the civil war started by Caesar as it's occurring. He's clear his choice is between two despots, one of whom he's more attached to than the other for personal reasons as well as the only hope for a restoration of the republic as he knows it. As bonus, at the end, there are letters from Pompey himself. No, it is amazing.