Who is Titus Livius from The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic and what is their importance?

Titus Livius, often referred to as Livy, was a storyteller. He authored 142 books of which 32 survived. In ten of those books, Cannae is the main subject. Born in 59 B.C., Livius began writing at the age of 30, during the time of Augustus Caesar. He researched the battles, rewrote them, and used a dramatic flair that went far beyond the battles themselves. Livius wasn't a soldier, a tactician, or a politician. He enjoyed intrigue, and like Polybius, his work is filled with speeches he could never have heard.