THE HISTORY OF ROME, VOLUME 1 Books 1-5

Livy’s dramatic history of Rome includes the myths, tales, and history of the city from its founding in 753 BCE by Romulus to the defeat of the Gauls in 396 BCE. Charlton Griffin narrates with crisp tones and a steady pace. As he delivers William Roberts’s 1923 translation, Griffin’s stentorian voice sometimes becomes hoarse when reaching the end of long, dramatic phrases. The older translation—verbose and a little stilted—is well suited to Griffin’s careful enunciation. This audiobook is marred by silent spots between each chapter, some as long as a full minute. An extremely faint cadence of drums can be heard in these silent places. M.B.K. 2011 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]