From the Gracchi to Nero is a great book. My Roman history professor last spring said that it is THE modern monograph on Roman history. And since I've read it, I agree. It's pretty awesome.

I second "From the Gracchi to Nero", as it does a great job of explaining the changes to the Republic from city-state to empire. As far as the Punic wars, I enjoy the "contemporary" (I use the term losely) accounts of Livy and Polybius, particualrly the latter. The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire is an interesting read because Polybius was outside the Roman state but had access to the upper strata of the Roman people, and many of his accounts of the war with Hannibal come from veterans of those battles.

Has anyone read Scullard's History of the Roman World? I'm only familiar with "From the Gracchi to Nero."

Hear hear!

I'd recommend both Holland's Rubicon and Christopher Meier's Caesar. The former is more of a pulpy, non-historical overview of the Roman state, and the latter is a very sharp, well-written book about the man and the political situation surrounding his life (and death).

If you're interested in the decline of the late Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine, I'd go with J.J. Norwich's Short History of Byzantium. Its a condensed version of his three volume work, and while it can be alittle... I dunno... 'all over the place' at times, it is a very good book.

Haven't read from the Gracchi to Nero, but based on the suggestions, I'll definitely look into it.

I agree, and on a broader scale. I think you're probably better off going with contemporary works, and then stepping back from those to read modern surveys. Or reverse that. Read the modern ones, and then go back to read the accounts of events you find interesting.

If I can recommend one or two, Caesar's works on the Civil and Gallic Wars are great. Fantastic reads.

I would start with Julius Caesar's account of the Gallic Wars. It is incredibly self-serving and reads much like Kissinger's White House Years.

I second the Norwich single-volume version. Though the full set is exhaustive, the "Short History" is better written. He had to be less florid to cut the length, and it helps to focus his prose.

I should probably try these again in translation - I can't say I particularly enjoyed his ego in latin.

Yet another pick - A.J. Langguth's A Noise Of War. Though there are some factual flubs (transpositions of names and such), it does do a very good job of laying out the who and what of the transition from republic to empire. A bonus is that it is an engaging read.

Actually, I think it's Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide

One more suggestion: Josephus's "The Jewish War" (available in an excellent Penguin (or Oxford?) translation). It's among the very best sources for the Roman army in action, and has lots of interesting history in it.

One of the best books about the Empire and it's border policies is Edward Luttwak's: The Grand Stategy Of The Roman Empire From The First Century A.D.to the Third

Dates from the early 1980s; slim volume, but man oh man, what a brilliant synthesis....he's huge in a DC thinktank these days (I forget which one) and has contributed to the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal...

Also, for the Varusschlacht (Teutobuerger Wald disaster; three legions lost "Varus, Varus, bring back my Legions!"):

The Quest For the Lost Roman Legions: Discovering the Varus Battlefield by Tony Clunn

He actually, verifiably, and undeniably, found the site of the battle(s) and has a vivid retelling of his theory (which is very sound). Book is hard to get hold of, however.

Steven Pressfield - a great author. His Virtues of War on Alexander the Great is pretty good. I know you said Roman but his Gates of Fire on the Greeks is one of the best books I've read.

He has another one on Alexander the Great, this one on his effort to invade Afghanistan - The Afghan Campaign. I haven't read it yet.

I'll second or third that vote. In fact, I need to dig that back out and reread it.

I wanted to suggest Gates of fire but since that is about the greeks I didn't. It's a very great read tho, I liked it alot. Lot's of gory details and very good description of the battle. And very in your face language, wich I like more then the soft talk all over the place while meaning to say f*ck.

I'll third this suggestion. It's incredibly well written, and at times you forget that you're reading a history book. His recounting and description of the final defense of Constantinople against the Turks was almost moving, and the book as a whole was immensely satisfying. Even though you realize you're getting the "short version" of events, it is still feels pretty complex. I guess that happens when you're trying to condense 1000+ years of history in ~400 pages.

Check out Seutonius' The 12 Ceasers - biographies of the first 12 Roman emperors written in the I think 3rd century AD - great read. Fairly short and readable, lots of juicy details and gossip. highly recommended