{"product_id":"suetonius-lives-of-the-caesars-1671-elzevir-press-12mo-pocket-edition","title":"Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, 1671 — Elzevir Press, 12mo Pocket Edition","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCollectanea de Vita et Scriptis Suetonii Tranquilli\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Lives of the Caesars)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGaius Suetonius Tranquillus · Amsterdam · Daniel Elzevir · 1671\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis small, travel-worn volume contains one of antiquity's most influential and unsettling works of political biography: \u003cem\u003eThe Lives of the Caesars\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten in the early second century by \u003cstrong\u003eSuetonius\u003c\/strong\u003e, a court insider under the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, these portraits of Rome's rulers are not heroic histories. They are intimate, often scandalous studies of power — tracing how absolute authority distorts character, morality, and truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuetonius was among the first writers to treat rulers as psychological subjects. He documented habits, rumors, private vices, cruelty, and paranoia alongside public deeds. In doing so, he shaped the way power has been narrated ever since — influencing Renaissance political thought, Enlightenment historians, and modern biography alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy This Book Mattered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne of the foundational texts of political biography\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA primary source for understanding Roman imperial culture and governance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeeply influential on later historians, political thinkers, and writers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA warning, across centuries, about unchecked authority\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Edition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmsterdam: \u003cem\u003eApud Danielem Elzevirium\u003c\/em\u003e, 1671.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a \u003cstrong\u003esmall-format Elzevir duodecimo (12mo)\u003c\/strong\u003e, produced by one of the most celebrated printing families of the seventeenth century. The Elzevirs specialized in compact, affordable, and intellectually serious books intended for wide circulation and private reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir editions helped classical and political texts travel across borders — fitting into pockets, saddlebags, and private libraries rather than remaining ceremonial folios.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCondition \u0026amp; Completeness\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContemporary calf binding, worn and time-darkened, with visible patina and use. Internally toned, with early annotations and ownership markings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImportant:\u003c\/strong\u003e This copy is \u003cstrong\u003eincomplete\u003c\/strong\u003e. Some leaves are missing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite its incompleteness, the book remains a compelling historical artifact — a physical witness to how classical political texts were read, carried, annotated, and used over centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Atelier Zweig Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47052453707964,"sku":null,"price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0736\/1285\/3436\/files\/s-l1600_2c6bc643-c6a3-4b54-878d-d82b60b48d6d.jpg?v=1783111636","url":"https:\/\/atelierzweig.com\/products\/suetonius-lives-of-the-caesars-1671-elzevir-press-12mo-pocket-edition","provider":"Atelier Zweig Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}