Thursday, April 02, 2026
And Speaking of Novels Related to Rome
In addition to the obvious, here's my short list:
Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem
Claudius the God by Robert Graves
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Julian by Gore Vidal
Pompeii by Robert Harris
The Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough [All of the books in her series are excellent.]
[Photo by iam_os at Unsplash]
Out for Easter
A nifty (tuck it in a briefcase or purse) sized paperback of Pilate's Magician is now out on Amazon. [It's also out in e-Book form.]
Although I am a tad biased, the short novel contains aspects of the trial of Jesus which most people don't know.
A Roman lawyer and his capable assistants seek a clear view of what really happened when Pontius Pilate decided whether a verdict by the highest court in Judea warranted the uniquely Roman punishment of crucifixion.
I hope the novel gains a wide general readership, of course, but religious leaders and lawyers who may not be acquainted with the technical aspects of the case will also find it to be illuminating.
It is not, however, a somber or dry read.
Check out the sample on the Amazon page and you'll see what I mean.
The Unregretted
- Strong coffee.
- A reading addiction.
- Chocolate mint ice cream.
- Unread books.
- Dickens.
- C.S. Lewis.
- Swimming.
- Bacon.
- War and Peace.
- Old friends.
- The scent of wet creosote.
- Cognac and Cuban Cigars aftershave.
- A valid passport.
- Dingbats journals.
- Fountain pens.
- Swiss Army knives.
- People I've helped.
- Things I didn't say.
- Stonehenge.
- The C.I.D.
- My enemies.
- Orange marmalade.
- Poetry.
- Proverbs.
- BBQ.
- Legal pads.
- Dogs.
- Horses.
- Ginger tea.
- Rib-eye steak.
- Consulting.
[Photo by John Vowles at Unsplash]
Wednesday, April 01, 2026
The European Sophisticates
I was in Germany for an Army investigation back in the Seventies.
Frankfurt. Heidelberg. Kaiserslautern.
The German highways had a lot of military traffic in those days. The big emphasis, of course, was on being able to thwart a Soviet invasion. Everything else was secondary.
It was accepted that if anything bad was going to happen, it would happen quickly and would require a very strong response.
The American commitment was enormous but there was a sense of gratitude from the German people. We felt they truly appreciated our presence in those days along with that of the British and the French.
The size of the European defense budgets was much higher then, even though the nations were poorer than today.
If the current European leaders think that Americans do not notice their mild levels of military and diplomatic support, they are making a huge mistake.
The Iranian missile program was designed to bring pressure on Europe and only ultimately on the United States. There should be clear and strong support from Europe.
To borrow an old line once used by Winston Churchill with regard to the Russians, if this is how they behave in the green wood, how will they behave in the dry?
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