Classic Biography

Phocion, known as "The Good", was one of the most beloved Greek politicans. He was elected military stratego numerous times. Listen to the noble life and death of this Greek hero.

Athens was in the throes of tyranny as a troop of murderous madmen stalked the streets. Who would break the city free from the horrid results of war? Listen as Thrasybulus puts everything on the line to save the city he loves.

Epaminondas was known better for his way with words than his way with a sword. He used his wits on the battlefield to lead armies and took the honor of himself and his men most seriously. Nepos here admires the Theban orator who could out-speak any Athenian.

Timotheus was a great general but was known more for his statecraft. Like an honorable man taken from an ancient version of Game of Thrones, see how he maneuvers through the courts of ancient Greece. Finally, in his old age, politics catch up to him, but his son works to carry on his honor.

Walk in the steps of King Aegesilus, leader of Sparta and conquerer of Corinth. Cornelius Nepos recounts the life of a man who was loyal when it suited him and merciful when the mood struck him. He was one of the greatest kings Sparta ever had, yet he almost lost the title to another.

Dive into the unique and powerful kingships in Sparta, where not one man ruled, but two. Learn the ways and lives of the men who rose above the rest to be elected leader of the most feared and respected city-state of ancient Greece. Who managed to embody the fullness of Spartan values, and who fell to the side, enticed by the finer things kingship could bring?

Here we find a history of a historian, the great Roman statesman Cato who was one of the few who resisted the Hellenization brought about by Alexander the Great. A man of many talents, he soon garnered the title of "Cato the Wise" and carried out every job from treasurer to military leader. Witness his valiant fight for Roman culture and customs in the face of enroaching outside influence.

Though Nepos largely focused on the Greco-Romans in his writings, some men accomplished so much he was willing to break this rule. Datames was a commander of armies, man of the kings of Persia and Egypt, and outwitter of plots. Follow his intricate and exciting life as he attempts to outpace the powerful men around him.

Hannibal, called by Nepos "the greatest of generals", is most remembered today for being the man who marched a contigent of battle elephants over the Alps. But this was only one of his many victories and strategems. Listen in wonder as Hannibal manages, again and again, to repel the army no other man could repel: the ancient Romans.

Eumenes lived in the shadows of conquerers - Philip and Alexander the Great - until he rose up to claim his own title. He was one of the many who grappled for power in the wake of Alexander's sudden death. Dive into his life and the machinations behind the thrones of ancient Greece and Egypt. Will Eumenes be victorious, claiming a crown of his own, or will he fall prey to the wiles of others?

Conon the Athenian (not the Barbarian of a similar name) was the general who set Greece free. March along the shores of the Peloponese and launch attacks at sea with him as Nepos regales the life of this famed hero. Here is the man who would see the great walls of Athens rebuilt but find his own life finished in prison.

How could a man be reviled, even assassinated, during his own life, and yet have people's opinion of him change after his death? Explore the life of Dion, a wealthy Syracusian aristocrat of great learning whose life brutally ended on a feast-day. How could a man of acclaimed courteous temperment be accused of such horrible crimes?

In this epic history, find yourself on the eons-old battlefield between Athens and Sparta. Lysander will appear on the scene as a genius commander who changes the course of history. Will he conquer Athens? Or will he himself be conquered?

Cimon was forced into prison because of his father's debts, but rescued by his wife. From then, he sought great heights, battling the Persians on land and sea within the same day. His power grew so great he was kicked out of Sparta; would he manage to make a triumphant return?

Hamilcar was a Carthaginian so brilliant and so brutal that even a Roman like Cornelius Nepos - one of Carthage's sworn enemies - could not help but respect him and write of him. Hamilcar, much like Philip the Great, was a great father of an even greater son. Explore Spain and Carthage with him and Hannibal as he trains his son in the arts and wiles of war.

The biography of Titus Pomponius Atticus was one of Nepos' greatest writings during his life. Considered by many to be one of the most upstanding men in ancient history, and the friend of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, he lived during one of the most turbulent and important periods of ancient Rome. Learn how a politican could actually manage to maintain honor and fulfill his duty without being swayed or tempted by personal interest and gain.

Cornelius Nepos greatly admired Timoleon, a man of wisdom and patience who knew evil when he saw it. He was ready and willing to do right by his homeland of Corinth, even when it meant betraying his own brother, the dictator. Timoleon stands through time as a model citizen and leader who, in his old age, became blind just like true justice.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Born in the Republic of Genoa under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Those voyages and his efforts to establish settlements on the island of Hispaniola initiated the permanent European colonization of the New World. At a time when European kingdoms were beginning to establish new trade routes and colonies, motivated by imperialism and economic competition, Columbus proposed to reach the East Indies (South and Southeast Asia) by sailing westward.

John Pollen (1855-1923) was an official in the Indian Civil Service. A keen linguist, he learned Russian, Esperanto, and Persian and in 1915 published an English translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. His collection contains 158 quatrains and includes a set of seven prefatory quatrains by Andrew Lang and a foreword by the Aga Khan.

In this Notorious USA collection, Death of a Cheerleader, New York Times best-selling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan write about notorious crimes in the Bluegrass State. In a scene right out of Hitchcock's "Rear Window", a young woman vanishes from a beach on a summer day and a neighbor views the abduction through his telescope. A newlywed disposes of his bride but doesn't know what to do with her head. Selling tickets at a drive-in movie theater proves deadly.