Anthony Everitt brings a judicious sense to the weighing of the sketchy sources that are inevitable in a biography of Augustus. Everitt also gives perspective, as in his observation that neither Augustus nor his privileged colleagues were aware of the most important event of his long reign as emperor: the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The psychology of the ancient Romans is fascinating. Especially for a Christian, it is fascinating to see what was the mentality of the most successful and powerful at the time of Christ's birth and to contrast that mentality with the radically different ways of the Nazarene. Contrast is a great teacher. Many times we learn much from those we do not wish to imitate at all and who, in fact, repel us. Wisdom has many teachers. History is one of them, and Mr. Everitt has helped to transmit that wisdom.