There is no modern commentary on the whole of Valerius Maximus' Facta et dicta memorabilia, though commentaries on books 1 and 2 have been published by, respectively, David Wardle (1998) and Andrea Themann-Steinke. Progress is likely to be made by further commentaries on individual books and John Briscoe contributes to this with a commentary on Book 8, of particular interest because of the variegated nature of its subject matter. The commentary, like those of Briscoe's commentaries on Livy Books 31-45 (OUP, 1973-2012), deals with matters of content, textual issues, language and style, and literary aspects. An ample introduction discusses what is known about the author, the time of writing, the structure both of the work as a whole and of Book 8 itself, Valerius' sources, language and style, the transmission of the text, editions of Valerius, and the methods of citation used in the commentary. The commentary is preceded by a text of Book 8, a slightly revised version of that in Briscoe's edition in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana (1998), with an apparatus limited to passages where the commentary discusses a textual problem. The book will give readers an understanding of an author once very popular, then long neglected and now enjoying a revival.

There is no modern commentary on the whole of Valerius Maximus' Facta et dicta memorabilia, though commentaries on books 1 and 2 have been published by, respectively, David Wardle (1998) and Andrea Themann-Steinke. Progress is likely to be made by further commentaries on individual books and John Briscoe contributes to this with a commentary on Book 8, of particular interest because of the variegated nature of its subject matter. The commentary, like those of Briscoe's commentaries on Livy Books 31-45 (OUP, 1973-2012), deals with matters of content, textual issues, language and style, and literary aspects. An ample introduction discusses what is known about the author, the time of writing, the structure both of the work as a whole and of Book 8 itself, Valerius' sources, language and style, the transmission of the text, editions of Valerius, and the methods of citation used in the commentary. The commentary is preceded by a text of Book 8, a slightly revised version of that in Briscoe's edition in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana (1998), with an apparatus limited to passages where the commentary discusses a textual problem. The book will give readers an understanding of an author once very popular, then long neglected and now enjoying a revival.

Livy (Titus Livius), the great Roman historian, was born at Patavium (Padua) in 64 or 59 BC where after years in Rome he died in AD 12 or 17. Livy's history, composed as the imperial autocracy of Augustus was replacing the republican system that had stood for over 500 years, presents in splendid style a vivid narrative of Rome's rise from the traditional foundation of the city in 753 or 751 BC to 9 BC and illustrates the collective and individual virtues necessary to achieve and maintain such greatness. Of its 142 books, conventionally divided into pentads and decads, we have 1-10 and 21-45 complete, and short summaries (periochae) of all the rest except 41 and 43-45; 11-20 are lost, and of the rest only fragments and the summaries remain. The third decad constitutes our fullest surviving account of the momentous Second Punic (or Hannibalic) War, and comprises two recognizable pentads: Books 21-25 narrate the run-up to conflict and Rome's struggles in its first phase, with Hannibal dominant; Books 26-30 relate Rome's revival and final victory, as the focus shifts to Scipio Africanus. This edition replaces the original Loeb edition by B. O. Foster.

Written as a companion volume to the author's Oxford Classical Texts edition of Livy, Books 21-25 (OUP, 2016), Liviana consists in large part of detailed discussions of 175 passages which present particular textual difficulties. The aim of these discussions is to elucidate the issues and aid readers in navigating the apparatus criticus of the edition, though the volume also expands on the edition by including a discussion of the conjectures in British Library manuscript Harley 2493 which have been attributed to 'Az' in the Oxford Classical Texts edition as well as five brief chapters listing information deliberately omitted from it: readings of the Puteaneus, identification of the manuscripts described merely as 'det(t)', and precise references for the conjectures ascribed to Weissenborn, Madvig, and H. J. Muller. These sections are preceded by a survey of the editing of Livy from the editio princeps in 1469 up to the present day, and the treatment of the edition is rounded off by a comprehensive list of addenda and corrigenda: in a brief second part, John Briscoe returns to his commentaries on and editions of Books 31-45, with discussion of a textual problem in Book 34 and the text of the fourth decade known to the pre-humanist Lovato Lovati. The volume concludes with further addenda and corrigenda to both his Teubner edition of the fourth decade and the commentaries on Books 38-40 and 41-45, followed by a brief Appendix correcting an error in the entry in Sisenna in Fragments of the Roman Historians.

Livy's History of Rome covers the city's foundation to 9 BC in 142 Books of which only 1-10 and 21-45 survive. This is the fourth and final volume of John Briscoe's commentary on the last fifteen surviving Books of Livy. Books 41-45 cover the years 178-167 BC and deal with the Third Macedonian War which lasted from 171-168 BC, and resulted, as had been the senate's intention, in the destruction of the Macedonian monarchy. Livy's text depends on a single manuscript of late antiquity, which is not only considered as highly corrupt but has also suffered substantial physical losses.
The volume's introduction contains a discussion of the causes of and events leading to the outbreak of war, as well as sections on Livy's sources, the text, chronology, and Roman legions in service during the period. Briscoe's final commentary also looks in detail at the historical, textual, linguistic, and stylistic matters of Livy's narrative and eschews the narratological approach of much recent work on Livy.

Books XXXI - XXXIII of Livy cover the period of the second Macedonian War, the critical years which marked the beginning of Rome's domination of the Hellenistic World. This new paperback edition of Briscoe's standard commentary (the first on these books since the nineteenth century) is largely historical, but it also attempts to deal with stylistic matters. Where Polybius survives Livy's version is compared in detail with its source. Introductory sections contain discussions of Livy's use of his sources, his language and style, the speeches, the political situation in Rome at the time of the Second Macedonian War, and Livy's account of the origins of the war.

Livy's Ab urbe condita Book XXII narrates Hannibal's massive defeats of the Romans at Trasimene (217 BC) and Cannae (216 BC). It is Livy's best and most dramatic book, and the one most likely to appeal to students at every level. Livy drew on the Greek historian Polybius, but transformed his drier treatment into a rhetorical masterpiece, which by a series of insistent thematic contrasts brings out the tensions between the delaying tactics of Fabius and the costly rashness of Flaminius, Minucius and Varro. A substantial and accessibly written introduction by two experienced commentators covers historical, religious, literary and linguistic matters, including the place of Book XXII in the structure of Livy's long work. A new text by Briscoe is followed by a full commentary, covering literary and historical aspects and offering frequent help with translation. The volume is suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, and scholars.

Books 38-40 of Livy's History of Rome cover the years 189-179 BC. They contain two famous and much-discussed episodes: the trials of the Scipios, and the so-called Bacchanalian conspiracy. Other notable matters described are the end of the war with the Aetolian League and Manlius Vulso's campaign in Asia Minor, the censorship of the elder Cato, and the fatal quarrel in the Macedonian royal house. This commentary, conceived on the same scale as Briscoe's earlier commentaries on Books 31-33 and 34-37, aims to elucidate historical, literary, textual, and linguistic aspects of Livy's narrative. When Polybius, Livy's main source for events in the Hellenistic world, full references to the relevant passages of the former are given, with citation of the opening and closing words. A substantial Introduction discusses sources and methods of composition, language and style, the manuscripts, the calendar and chronology, Roman policy in northern Italy, and the Roman legions of the period.

Livy's Ab urbe condita Book XXII narrates Hannibal's massive defeats of the Romans at Trasimene (217 BC) and Cannae (216 BC). It is Livy's best and most dramatic book, and the one most likely to appeal to students at every level. Livy drew on the Greek historian Polybius, but transformed his drier treatment into a rhetorical masterpiece, which by a series of insistent thematic contrasts brings out the tensions between the delaying tactics of Fabius and the costly rashness of Flaminius, Minucius and Varro. A substantial and accessibly written introduction by two experienced commentators covers historical, religious, literary and linguistic matters, including the place of Book XXII in the structure of Livy's long work. A new text by Briscoe is followed by a full commentary, covering literary and historical aspects and offering frequent help with translation. The volume is suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, and scholars.

Look. Smell. Taste. Judge. Crush is the 200-year story of the heady dream that wines as good as the greatest of France could be made in California. A dream dashed four times in merciless succession until it was ultimately realized in a stunning blind tasting in Paris. In that tasting, in the year of America's bicentennial, California wines took their place as the leading wines of the world. For the first time, Briscoe tells the complete and dramatic story of the ascendancy of California wine in vivid detail. He also profiles the larger story of California itself by looking at it from an entirely innovative perspective, the state seen through its singular wine history. With dramatic flair and verve, Briscoe not only recounts the history of wine and winemaking in California, he encompasses a multidimensional approach that takes into account an array of social, political, cultural, legal, and winemaking sources. Elements of this history have plot lines that seem scripted by a Sophocles, or Shakespeare. It is a fusion of wine, personal histories, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects. Crush is the story of how wine from California finally gained its global due. Briscoe recounts wine's often fickle affair with California, now several centuries old, from the first harvest and vintage, through the four overwhelming catastrophes, to its amazing triumph in Paris.

Oxford Classical Texts, also known as Scriptorum Classicorum Bibliotheca Oxoniensis, provide authoritative, clear, and reliable editions of ancient texts, with apparatus criticus on each page. In this volume, Briscoe provides readers with a revised critical edition of the original Latin text of books 21 to 25 of Livy's history of Rome-which cover the first eight years (218-211 BC) of Rome's war with Hannibal-and with the key information required to understand and appreciate the depth and historical relevance of these important writings. Commencing with a substantial English preface, the volume assembles a large number of conjectures, both within the detailed critical apparatus which accompanies the Latin text, and within an extensive appendix. Briscoe draws on the body of research which has accumulated since the previous edition, and utilizes a broad range of manuscripts - some unknown to most or all previous editors of the text - which are organized into designated groups through the use of Greek sigla, enabling the reader to easily identify the stage at which a reading entered the tradition. The volume also includes a comprehensive list of editions and other sources of conjectures, and an extensive index nominum, featuring personal, ethnic, and geographical names.