Mary Beard is so much fun to read. She has an engaging, down-to-earth writing style that belies her standing as one of the foremost classicists working today. She is able to translate her vast knowledge of ancient Rome into text that's downright fun to read. This book gives a great overview of the life and times of two and a half centuries of Roman emperors. It's organized well, touches on details of several emperors' reigns, and reads fairly briskly for a history book. She does a great job analyzing the old sources and interpreting what they said, even if it wasn't factual per se. I loved all of the inset images that supported the text, too. To me, this is a must-read for anyone looking for a high-level overview of what it was like to be the Emperor of Rome.