Livy was a Roman historian in the time of Augustus. He felt that, while the Romans had held thrift and plain living in high esteem for a long time, they began to develop the vices of avarice and luxury. As he saw it, "the study of history was the best medicine for a sick man." History of Rome was the result of more than 40 years of his immensely laborious task.

This is the first five books of his History of Rome, and deals with the period from the foundation of Rome in 753 BC to the capture of Rome by the Celts in 386 BC. In this highly entertaining book, Livy recounts the interesting legends and events including a she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus on the bank of the Tiber, the abduction of Sabine women and the rape of Lucretia, which triggered the end of monarchial government. It is both informative and interesting.