The Ides of March: A Novel

The classic
Thornton Wilder novel that
recreates the dazzling ancient Roman empire of Julius Caesar—now
with a new introduction by Jeremy McCarter, author of Young
Radicals and co-author (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution.  

First published
in 1948, The Ides of March is a brilliant epistolary novel of the Rome
of Julius Caesar. Through imaginary letters and documents, Wilder brings to
life a dramatic period of world history and one of its magnetic personalities. 

In this novel,
the Caesar of history becomes Caesar the human being as he appeared to his
family, his legions, his Rome, and his empire
in the months just before his death. In Wilder’s inventive narrative, all Rome
comes crowding through his pages: Romans of the slums, of the villas, of the
palaces, brawling youths and noble ladies and prostitutes, and the spies and
assassins stalking Caesar in his Rome. 

Vivid,
compelling, and engaging, The Ides of
March showcases
Thornton Wilder’s unique storytelling genius. This special edition also includes an afterword by Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating documentary material about the novelist and story.

“Wilder has brought to his character the warmth which was totally lacking in the Caesar of schoolbooks and Shakespeare, and in his hero’s destruction there is the true catharsis.” - Atlantic

“No one but a boldly imaginative writer would have ventured to do this, and no one without Mr. Wilder’s extraordinary literary power and his adequate scholarship would have succeeded so brilliantly. The Ides of March is a fascinating book, and while it owes some of its fascination to the period with which it deals, perhaps the most exciting of our history, a great deal of its charm is entirely the author’s, who manages to depict with high effectiveness a number of vivid, glowing and powerful personalities who meet in crowded conflict in the last few months of a great man’s life.” - New York Herald Tribune

“What distinguishes [The Ides of March] is a rich, shrewd and glowing characterization of Caesar’s restless mind.” - New York Times

“Not only the stature of Caesar but also his tragedy is suggested, and the tragedy is the more impressive because it is never stated. It arises from the total impression of this short, witty and extremely serious book.” - Times Literary Supplement [London]

“Full of the wisdom of the ages—as well as satirical observations on man’s political instability, loves, joys and terrors. . . . The Ides of March has that incomparable quality plus the qualities which make a good historical novel always popular. There is emotional intrigue in it, illicit as well as devoted love, and a rich and highly colored background.” - Chicago Tribune