Written in the author's maternal Greek, the Roman History of the third-century A.D. historian Cassius Dio is our fullest surviving historical source for the reign of the Emperor Augustus. In The Augustan Succession Peter Michael Swan provides an ample historical and historiographic commentary on Books 55-56 of the History. These books recount Augustus's last twenty-three years (9 B.C.-A.D. 14), during which the aging monarch, amid dynastic tragedies and military setbacks, orchestrated the continuation of the constitutional and imperial system developed under his leadership, which ended in his transmission of power to his son-in-law Tiberius. The Augustan Succession is the first commentary since the eighteenth century to offer full and fresh treatment of this segment of Dio's work.
This commentary pays close critical attention to Dio's historical sources, methods, and assumptions as it also strives to present him as a figure in his own right. During a long life (ca. 164-after 229), Dio served as a Roman senator under seven emperors from Commodus to Severus Alexander, governed three Roman provinces, and was twice consul. An acute and interested contemporary observer of wide experience, positioned close to the seat of imperial power, he was a self-assured personality who embodied deeply conservative political and social views and prejudices. All these factors inform the pages of Dio's Augustan narrative, as does, above all, his doctrine that the best remedy for the troubles of his own age of "rust and iron" was rule on the model of Augustus. This is an historical commentary on Books 55-56 of Dio's Roman History. These books recount the last half of the reign of the Emperor Augustus, above all his orchestration of the first imperial succession. Addressed to both students and scholars, the new commentary is the first since the eighteenth century to offer full and fresh treatment of this segment of Dio's work.

Learner English is a well-established and successful reference book for teachers of British English. This new edition builds on the success of the original book. It has been rewritten and extended to provide information on the typical problems and error patterns of a wide range of learners of English from particular language backgrounds. It compares the relevant features of the students' own language with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems that students have. The new book has twenty-two chapters dealing with learners who speak Dutch-Flemish, Scandinavian languages (except Finnish), German, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Polish, Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, South Asian languages (with a separate chapter on Dravidian languages), West African languages, Swahili, Malay/Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai. The book is accompanied by a cassette and CD with authentic examples of the various accents described in the book.

Practical English Usage has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Now revised and updated for the fourth edition, it answers the questions that teachers and learners ask about English grammar and vocabulary with clear, corpus-informed explanations and examples.

Practical English Usage has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Now revised and updated for the fourth edition, it answers the questions that teachers and learners ask about English grammar and vocabulary with clear, corpus-informed explanations and examples.

In order to read effectively in English, advanced learners need to develop a range of skills. Effective Reading provides a wide variety of interesting, up-to-date reading material with challenging and motivating exercises which develop the relevant skills. All the texts are authentic and come from many different sources including contemporary British and American novels, newspapers, magazines and advertising. Each unit contains one or two reading passages, four or five skills exercises, and suggestions for further work. The Teacher's Book gives useful background information on the texts, answers to exercises and more ideas for follow-up work.

Practical English Usage has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Now revised and updated for the fourth edition, it answers the questions that teachers and learners ask about English grammar and vocabulary with clear, corpus-informed explanations and examples.

Learner English is a well-established and successful reference book for teachers of British English. This new edition builds on the success of the original book. It has been rewritten and extended to provide information on the typical problems and error-patterns of a wide range of learners of English from particular language backgrounds. It compares the relevant features of the students' own language with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems that students have.The new book has twenty-two chapters dealing with learners who speak Dutch-Flemish, Scandinavian languages (except Finnish), German, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Polish, Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, South Asian languages (with a separate chapter on Dravidian languages), West African languages, Swahili, Malay/Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.An audio cassette and audio CD are available separately. These contain authentic examples of the various accents described in the book .

Explains what grammar really is, why languages have to have it, and how different languages exploit it. An introduction by leading grammar expert Michael Swan on the theoretical and pedagogical approaches to grammatical description, the notion of 'universal grammar', the role of grammar in establishing social and educational norms, and the possible future grammar of International English. The author shows that grammar need not be tedious at all, but provides fascinating insights into the different ways in which we conceive of the world and communicate with others.