Selected Letters of Cicero

What it is

This book, published in 1897 as part of the College Series of Latin Authors, presents a selection of Cicero's letters. It was edited, with an introduction and notes, by Frank Frost Abbott, a professor of Latin at the University of Chicago, and printed by Ginn & Company in Boston and London.

Why it matters

Cicero's letters are some of the richest surviving evidence of daily life, politics and friendship in the late Roman Republic. Unlike his public speeches, they show his private thoughts, worries and relationships, giving historians direct insight into the man behind the politician. Editions like this one made his correspondence accessible to generations of Latin students.

Look closer

• How might letters reveal a different side of Cicero than his public speeches do?
• Why would an editor choose only a selection of letters rather than all of them?
• What does the book's preface suggest about the challenge of representing Cicero fairly?