A Most Dangerous Book

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.

“"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."”

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

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

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.