On Suetonius, and TV about Roman Art.

Dear Group,

I have been watching a 3 part series about Roman art.
In part 2 the presenter - Alistar Sooke - mentions "Seutonius" on the first 12
emperors. Since I know very little of Roman history I will ask you:

1) Is the book worth reading for a novice?
2) Is it an accure history, or is the bias too extreme?
3) Are there any other books you would recommend before it?

Just changed my initial message to delete the link I had to the show from a local TV station (which only had copyright for 1 week per episode) to Utube.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars

Thanks Ammianus, I did look at the wiki entry for Suetonius before I posted my OP, but in my great excitement I didn't read the wiki for the book :-)

I guess that answers my 2nd question.

Guido.

I read it a couple of years back and really enjoyed it. If you're like me, you'll get bogged down sometimes, but I certainly think it's worth the read.

Maybe it depends on level of noviceness? I love reading about ancient Rome and I have a basic knowledge of that period, but I'm definitely still a novice. I also think it's worth reading biased sources though, because it tells us quite a bit anyway.

Indeed. I would not omit it from anyone's attempt to learn more about Rome as a part of self-directed study.

Personally I would always recommend Suetonius for that period - not because I think he was more truthful or even better informed, but because he didn't skip the nasty bits.

Suetonius was the first book on Roman history I read, barring the texts we got in school. As long as you pick an edition with some good extra material, I think you're likely to enjoy it. There's certainly no shortage of interesting incidents in it.

You should remember that it's biography, though. It is not really interested in presenting the history of the Roman Empire, so if that's what you really want, you should look elsewhere.

Thanks group, just ordered a Penguin copy (cheap) from my LOCAL bookstore.
Almost 2000 yo. and still in print :-)

I hope someone enjoyed that TV show?