Perspective

The book is written, translated and edited. It is a preservation of historical facts. There is a small amount of uncertainty or myth in it, to which the author or translator clearly points. The information is well over two thousand years old. The work was saved by re-publication, and the politicians of the city of Rome, then later their efforts were added to by foreign as well as native scholars.

The author writes in the third person. The translator gives readers the sense that his prose style was clear and pleasant, not too dry but not distorted by any excess of his individuality. Both the author and the translator have done their work with their personalities muted, which is the normal method for objective works.

The presentation is factual. This has fortunately not made it dreadfully dull. It is actually quite impressive that the author has been able...