{"title":"Books by Lee Fratantuono","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781399020893","title":"The Battle of Actium 31 BC","description":"A good argument could be made that the Battle of Actium was the most significant military engagement in Roman history. On a bright September day, the naval forces of Octavian clashed with those of Antony and Cleopatra off the coast of western Greece. The victory Octavian enjoyed that day set the state for forty-four years of what would come to be known as the Augustan Peace, and was in no small way the dawn of the Roman Empire.   Yet, despite its significance, what exactly happened at Actium has been a mystery, despite significant labours and effort on the part of many classicists and military historians both amateur and professional. Professor Lee Fratantuono re-examines the ancient evidence and presents a compelling and solidly documented account of what took place in the waters off the promontory of Leucas in late August and early September of 31 B.C.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298227630453,"sku":"9781399020893","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399020893_07636110-242c-46c7-87ab-69c1afb5c6a2.jpg?v=1786019839"},{"product_id":"9781473883611","title":"Lucullus: The Life and and Campaigns of a Roman Conqueror","description":"The military achievements of Lucius Licinius Lucullus (118-57\/56 B.C.) have been the subject of admiration and great respect throughout the history of the study of warfare.  Yet there have been few studies dedicated to a comprehensive examination of exactly how Lucullus conquered the Roman East and made it a more or less cohesive part of the empire. Lee Frantantuono considers every aspect of Lucullus life, starting with the training and education of a future Roman officer, but the greatest emphasis is on his military strategy and tactics during the Third Mithridatic War and his military adventures in Armenia. His most famous achievement was his victory against immense odds at the land battle of Tigranocerta. We are also reminded that he one of the most formidable naval strategists of the Roman Republic.  Lucullus complicated relationship with Sulla and Crassus is explored and the study concludes with the retirement of the man Pliny the Elder memorably referred to as 'Xerxes in a Toga', a patron of the arts and master of a life of horticulture and reflection.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301012910453,"sku":"9781473883611","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473883611_fbe958f7-e8f6-46f1-80d0-243bda0a625b.jpg?v=1786020518"},{"product_id":"9781526795700","title":"Pompey the Great","description":"Pompey’s career in command began at a young age, taking control of his deceased father’s legions in support of Sulla during the civil war with Marius. A precocious and ambitious talent, he held repeated commands before he was the legal age. Sulla called him ‘the teenage butcher’. He served in the Sertorian War in Spain (recovering from an early defeat), helped crush Spartacus’ revolt then freed the Eastern Mediterranean from the depradations of Cilician pirates in a matter of weeks. He brought a victorious end to the long-running Third Mithridatic War and brought the whole of Asia Minor, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Judea under Roman influence by a mix of force and diplomacy. For good reason he was hailed even in his own lifetime as the ‘Roman Alexander’ and Lee Fratantuono gives these events the detailed coverage they deserve.All this came before the events for which he is usually remembered: his great civil war against Julius Caesar. There is detailed analysis of the opening moves in Italy, Pompey’s victory over Caesar at Dyrrhachium and the climactic battle at Pharsalus in September 48 BC. Pompey was defeated, fled ignominiously and was assassinated, leaving his two sons to carry on the war.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303303983477,"sku":"9781526795700","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526795700_89de08d9-bf39-4f7f-acd2-e256135a2295.jpg?v=1786022033"},{"product_id":"9781036141691","title":"Battlestar Galactica","description":"Few television science fiction series have had the enduring appeal of the original, late 1970s Battlestar Galactica. Despite lasting only one season (1978-1979), almost half a century later Battlestar remains a cultural touchstone and major influence on genre productions in a variety of media. For all its popularity, however, Battlestar remains a largely unstudied series, with relatively few resources available for those interested in learning more about the show, including both its development and its afterlife.This companion is the definitive resource for fans of the series. It contains all the essential facts that fans would expect, such as plot and other details of each episode, but uniquely also explores the scholarly and philosophical influences on the series. Battlestar Galactica borrows extensively from classical mythology and biblical sources, as well as from myths and folklore associated with nation-building and the timeless wonder of travel stories. In many regards, Battlestar is nothing less than an Aeneid in outer space, telling the story of how an exiled, defeated people seeks a return to their ancestral home, surmounting countless perils along the way. Fratantuono brings his expertise in classical mythology and ancient history to bear on the series.There are new interviews with stars Dirk Benedict (Lt. Starbuck) and Cathey Paine (the voice of Galactica's computer, C.O.R.A). Comprehensive information is provided on series merchandise, a concise overview of the short-lived Galactica, 1980), and the connection of the series to Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. There is no comparable guide available.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367918514549,"sku":"9781036141691","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781036141691_ea77bf11-2f09-4570-b29f-afc98d021db9.jpg?v=1786017184"},{"product_id":"diocletian-and-the-military-restoration-of-rome","title":"Diocletian and the Military Restoration of Rome","description":"The third century AD was one of unprecedented crisis and chaos for the Roman Empire. Nightmares both internal and external threatened to spell the end of Rome's thousand-year history. Diocletian was born either a slave or a freedman, and he grew up to become the saviour of Rome in her hour of crisis, a powerful military and political leader who transformed the Roman Empire from a hotbed of unceasing strife and turmoil into a renewed, restored, revivified and stable polity. His more than twenty years of power were marked by the ill-fated Great Persecution of the Christians, an undertaking that would prove to be one of the less successful initiatives of his reign, even as in its own way it helped to pave the way for the coming of an equally famous, successful emperor in the person of Constantine the Great. The present study seeks to provide an introduction to the life and times of Diocletian for the general reader, offering a balanced portrait of an immensely talented man in a time of trial and tumult, an accomplished emperor who knew when it was time to retire to his gardens.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57484303892853,"sku":"9781526771834","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526771834.jpg?v=1786266360"},{"product_id":"sons-of-pompey-the-great","title":"The Sons of Pompey the Great","description":"While the military exploits of Pompey the Great are well known to students of Roman history, the impressive deeds of his sons Sextus and Gnaeus are less well known. After the defeat and death of their father in 48 BC, the sons of Pompey carried on the struggle against Julius Caesar in Spain, Africa, and Sicily. In 45 BC the brothers were defeated at the epic battle of Munda, which Caesar rated the hardest-won victory of his career, and Gnaeus was killed. Sextus Pompey, however, escaped and went to Sicily, from where he continued the war against the Caesarian faction for a further ten years. He developed the island as his own private de facto kingdom, a secure naval base that supported his powerful fleet in far-flung operations. Allying himself with Caesar’s assassins, he fought the forces of the Second Triumvirate, not least Caesar’s adoptive son Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus) and his master admiral Agrippa, until finally caught and executed in 35 BC. Lee Fratantuono skilfully narrates the role of the sons of Pompey in these dramatic events: politics, diplomacy and epic battles by land and sea.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57492340310389,"sku":"9781526795663","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526795663.jpg?v=1786529177"},{"product_id":"80s-twilight-zone-discovering-the-tv-series","title":"The 80s Twilight Zone: Discovering the TV Series","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe revival of \u003ci\u003eThe Twilight Zone\u003c\/i\u003e that debuted in the US in the autumn of 1985 was a reboot of Rod Serling’s highly successful 1960s anthology series of paranormal\/sci-fi\/horror stories. While it never achieved quite the same ratings as the original, it was a critical success, ran for three seasons and, forty years on, still has its own cult following on both sides of the Atlantic. Each episode was an original dramatization (usually multiple stories per episode) of the writing of such acclaimed writers as Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King and George R. R. Martin. Add top directors such as Wes Craven, and a stellar cast including the likes of Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren, and there was a lot to love about this gem of 80s TV.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLee Fratantuono gives a synopsis and plot outline of each of the sixty-five episodes, along with new interviews with actors and others involved in the show. He explains how ratings were hit by the second-season decision to air it at 10pm due to concerns about the mature nature of the content. Some episodes were considered groundbreaking in their treatment of social issues (nuclear war\/arms race, LGBT rights, women and family, racism), rendering the show significantly ahead of its time and anticipatory of later social movements and developments. Above all, they were great tales of the strange and unsettling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 'twilight zone' is definitely a place best entered with a good companion. This is it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57502138499445,"sku":"9781036180836","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781036180836.jpg?v=1786780956"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-lee-fratantuono.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}