Augustus was born Gaius Octavius in a town south of Rome.  Since he was related to Julius Caesar by marriage, Caesar took a great interest in the promising youngster and left provisions in his will to adopt Octavius. Everitt goes on to chronicle the life of the child, Gaius Octavius, as he grows into a young man, groomed to follow in Caesar's footsteps and lead the Roman people.  After the assassination of Caesar, but only after long wars that included the defeat of Pompey, were Gaius Octavius, Marcus Antonius, and Aemilius Lepidus appointed as the Triumvirate to govern Rome.  The power struggle among the three ended with the deaths of Mark Antony and Cleopatra and Octavius' ascent to imperator and princeps, or first citizen of Rome. Taking the name Caesar Augustus, the young man implemented many sweeping changes to take Rome from the unstable republic it was to thriving empire.

Everitt makes Augustus' rapid rise through Roman society a bit more comprehensible to contemporary readers, deftly shifting through the major phases of his life based on extensive research and solid evidence. He sheds new light on Augustus' complex personality as he brings Rome's first Emperor to life in this extensive biography which reads like a good novel.

Despite his standing in the shadow of the great Julius Caesar, Augustus' great achievements in altering Roman history stand alone, as he served as Emperor for over 45 years while ruthlessly pursuing personal power and manipulating the lives of his relatives and contemporaries, for the greater good of Rome.  It's unfortunate that his deft balancing act couldn't be maintained by the weaker men who came after him in the succession of Roman Emperors.

Everitt includes a bibliography of sources, an extensive index, chronology, maps, and a family tree of the Julio/Claudian dynasty.

This book is simply a must-read biography for anyone interested in the history of Rome, the dissolution of the Republic, and the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. It's always exciting to find an author who presents new insights into a great historical person, and Everitt's vivid representation of the greatest emperor who ever lived is engrossing and compelling...he makes it feel like it's happening here and now.