Here are some of the books and documentaries that have helped in my research for the Gladiators of the Empire series, along with comments about each. Near the bottom you’ll also find a list of other authors of Roman fiction you’ll want to check out:

Auguet, Roland, Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games. London: Allen & Unwin, Ltd., 1972. A top reference work on the games, but perhaps a bit too academic for some readers.

Baker, Alan, The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome’s Warrior Slaves. New York: St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books, 2000. Despite the overblown title, it’s a fairly good reference work. "Chapter 12: A Day at the Games" is worth the price of admission alone. It’s an exciting minute-by-minute account of a typical venatio/gladiatorial event.

Grant, Michael, Gladiators. New York: Barnes & Nobel Books, 1995. I happen to like Grant, although some feel his research is sometimes dated or lacking. This is a good, short (124 pages) introduction to the life of gladiators and the history of the games.

Kohne, Eckart (ed.) and Ewigleben, Cornelia (ed.), Gladiators and Caesars. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. Originally produced as a companion to a special exhibition at the British Museum, this book contains seven lengthy chapters on different aspects of the games written by various authors. Contains excellent photos of hundreds of Roman antiquities. Three of the chapters were written by world-renown gladiator expert Marcus Junkelmann.

A well-written book with plenty of contemporary photos of gladiator sites, armor, antiquities, and other items.

Kyle, Prof. Donald G., Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome. London: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Books, 2000. A well-researched and heavily footnoted book that delves into the details of the games and their bloody aftermath.

Mannix, Daniel P., The Way of the Gladiator. New York: ibooks/Simon & Schuster, 2001. Originally published as Those About To Die in 1958, this book is part reference manual, part novel. Mannix breathes life into this reference work by creating fictionalized fighters and hunters whom he uses to take us through the backstage cells and tunnels and into the arena. Some of the material and information is outdated, but this book is still a good read.

Plass, Paul, The Game of Death in Ancient Rome. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1995. Informative academic work which focuses on the political aspects of the games.

Wiedemann, Thomas, Emperors and Gladiators. London: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Books, 1995. A heavy emphasis on the significance of the gladiatorial games to Roman culture.

Wisdom, Stephen and McBride, Angus, Gladiators 100 BC - AD 200. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, Warrior Series, 2001. Although many devoted gladiator fans have found inaccuracies in the text, this book is well worth the reasonable price just for the outstanding paintings of gladiators and ludus life by historical artist extraordinaire Angus McBride.

Non-Fiction: Ancient Rome & The Empire

Bunson, Matthew, A Dictionary of the Roman Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. The perfect quick reference, desktop manual on the Empire. Arranged alphabetically by person, place, and item.

Christ, Karl, The Romans. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Informative, if somewhat dry, reference work. Very good chronological table featuring political history, literature, art & entertainment, public works, and thought.

Connolly, Peter and Dodge, Hazel, The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. An excellent visual resource with beautiful illustrations by Connolly.

Cowell, F.R., Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Perigee, 1961. An excellent look at ancient life, well organized into easy-to-reference categories. Includes 85 black & white illustrations, from earrings to funeral processions.

De Franciscis, Alfonso, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Villa Jovis, Capri: Past and Present. Rome: Vision Publications, 1964. A small-size acetate overlay book, featuring the ancient sites of Southern Italy.

Gangi, Giuseppe, Rome Then and Now in Overlay. Rome: G&G Editrice. Contains 24 illustrations of ancient monuments on clear acetate which overlay onto modern photographs of Roman ruins. A perfect companion for a walk through the ancient sites to help travelers visualize the original Roman Forum, Colosseum, and other icons of the Empire.

Grosvenor, Melville Bell (ed.), Greece and Rome: Builders of Our World. National Geographic Society, 1968. Focuses on the quest for knowledge of ancient civilizations through archeology, primarily for the period from 1200 BC to the death of Julius Caesar, with a few jumps forward into the Empire period. Modern photographs of life in Greece and Italy are interspersed with beautiful National Geographic paintings of ancient life in those regions.

Lewis, Jon E. (ed.), The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Rome. New York: Carroll & Graf/Avalon, 2003. An extensive compilation of excerpts from the writings of the classical historians, including Pliny, Tacitus, Juvenal, Suetonius, Caesar, Claudius, and many others. Organized by time period and subject matter.

Liberati, Anna Maria and Bourbon, Fabio, Ancient Rome: History of a Civilization That Ruled the World. New York: Barnes & Nobel Books, 2000. Large coffee-table book filled with beautiful photographs and illustrations.

Magi, Giovanna, All Pompeii. Bonechi Editore-Firenze. Good photographic reference of the ruins of Pompeii, including period mural paintings and mosaics.

Majno, Guido, The Healing Hand: Man and Wound in the Ancient World. Cambridge: Howard University Press, 1975. Fascinating reference on natural remedies and surgical procedures in the ancient world.

Suetonius, Robert Graves & Michael Grant, The Twelve Caesars. New York, Penguin Books, 2003 (reissue). A fascinating, classical look at the Roman leaders from Julius Caesar to Domitian, written primarily by the historian Suetonius, a contemporary of many of the Emperor subjects.

Zienkiewicz, David, Roman Legion. National Museum of Wales, 1994. Features colorful photographs of The Ermine Street Guard, the top Roman reenactment group in Britain. Contains detailed information about Roman armor, weapon, and battle tactics. A must for any ancient military buff.

Non-Fiction: Children’s Books

Dowswell, Paul, The Roman Record. London: Usborne Publishing, Ltd., 1997. A tongue-in-cheek view of Roman life and times, written as a tabloid periodical ("Still only IV denarii!"). Dowswell’s text is funny, yet informative. The short columns and articles make for quick reading.

Green, John and Kaufman, William, Life in Ancient Rome. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1997. This is part of the excellent Dover Coloring Book series, which are so much more than pictures to color. Each of the 48 pages also contain two or three paragraphs of well-written text by Kaufman, designed to pique the interest of young people. The line drawings are highly detailed and well researched for authenticity.

Miquel, Pierre and LeGall, Yvon, Life in Ancient Rome. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group/Silver Burdett Picture Histories, 1978. It’s a shame this book is out of print and very hard to find, because it’s a wonderful introduction to the ancient world. The 53 pages of color illustrations by LeGall are beautifully rendered and present an intimate view of hundreds of daily activities. Highly recommended, if you can find it.

Roberts, Dr. Paul C. (ed.), Ancient Rome. New York: The Nature Company Discoveries Library/Time-Life Books, 1997. An excellent, easy-to-read children’s reference book filled with colorful artwork featuring daily life in ancient Rome.

Watkins, Richard, Gladiator. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. This is perhaps the best introduction to gladiator life for children (and many adults). Watkins’ black and white illustrations are superb.

Video/DVD

Gladiators: Bloodsport of the Colosseum, Questar DVD Collection, 2000. Produced by Palatine Productions of Rome, this 90-minute documentary capitalizes on the popularity of the feature film, Gladiator. It features fight reenactments by an Italian gladiator living history troupe. The disc also includes six interesting featurettes.

Gladiators: The Brutal Truth, BBC/The Learning Channel, 1999. A fun and informative documentary hosted by Monty Python’s Terry Jones.

Rome: Power & Glory, Questar DVD Collection, 1998. Originally produced by Discovery Communications for The Learning Channel, this is a six-part program on two discs, narrated by Peter Coyote.

Secrets of the Colosseum, Discovery Channel/Channel 4, 2001. A well-done American/British co-production focusing on the games and events in the Colosseum.

· John Maddox Roberts: Author of the long-running SPQR mystery series.

· Conn Iggulden: Author of the best-selling Emperor series on the life of Julius Caesar.

· Steven Saylor: Author of the Roma Sub Rosa mystery series featuring Gordianus the Finder.

· Colleen McCullough: Author of the best selling Masters of Rome series focusing on the last 50 years of the Republic.

· Michael Curtis Ford: Author of Gods & Legions, The Last King, and Sword of Attila

· Simon Scarrow: Author of the highly-acclaimed Eagle series

· Caroline Lawrence: Author of the Roman Mysteries series for young adults.