The private correspondence of the most productive public figure in Rome. In his letters to his beloved friend Atticus, Cicero reveals himself as he does to no one else among his associates except his brother. In the "Letters of Cicero to Atticus," we get an intimate look at his motives and beliefs as well as his reactions to what is happening in Rome. These letters also provide a vivid picture of a pivotal period in Roman history, characterized by the rise of Julius Caesar and the fall of the Republic.

When the correspondence begins in November 68 B.C., the 38-year-old Cicero is an iconic figure in Rome: a brilliant lawyer and orator, he has reached the pinnacle of the Roman legal community and a political career that will culminate in the consulate in 63. Over the next twenty-four years—until November 44, a year before his death at the hands of Octavian and Mark Antony—Cicero wrote frequently to his friend and confidant, sharing news and opinions and discussing business and political matters.

In this body of over 400 letters, we owe most of our information about Cicero's literary activity. Here, too, is a revealing picture of the changing stance of the fervent Republican toward Caesar. Overall, the letters provide a direct testimony to the social and political life in Rome. The authorized edition and translation by D. R. Shackleton Bailey of the "Letters to Atticus" is a revised edition of the Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries series, with full explanatory notes.