A Most Dangerous Book: Tacitus's Germania from the Roman Empire to the Third Reich (Paperback)

A Most Dangerous Book: Tacitus's Germania from the Roman Empire to the Third Reich By Christopher B. Krebs Cover Image
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Description


"In every way, A Most Dangerous Book is a most brilliant achievement." —Michael Dirda, Washington Post


When the Roman historian Tacitus wrote the Germania, a none-too-flattering little book about the ancient Germans, he could not have foreseen that centuries later the Nazis would extol it as “a bible” and vow to resurrect Germany on its grounds. But the Germania inspired—and polarized—readers long before the rise of the Third Reich. In this captivating history, Christopher B. Krebs, a professor of classics at Stanford University, traces the wide-ranging influence of the Germania, revealing how an ancient text rose to take its place among the most dangerous books in the world.



About the Author


Christopher B. Krebs, a classics professor at Harvard University, has published widely on the Roman historians and their afterlives. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Praise For…


It is an extraordinary tale, and [Krebs]…tells it with great verve and charm…Entrancing.
— Ferdinand Mount - Wall Street Journal

Tacitus's ghost, and the ghosts of those martyred in supposed obedience to his theories, still haunt us, as they should. Warm thanks to Christopher Krebs for feeding them the blood that has enabled them to speak.
— Anthony Grafton - London Review of Books

Fascinating…[Krebs] lays out the recovery, of Germania, in 1455, like a detective story…He has a light touch and a dry sense of humor.

— Cullen Murphy - New York Times Book Review

Clever, learned…[Krebs] synthesizes a great deal of classical scholarship and intellectual history into a concise, accessible story.
— Adam Kirsch - Slate


Product Details
ISBN: 9780393342925
ISBN-10: 0393342921
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication Date: August 27th, 2012
Pages: 304
Language: English