TQ gets his MA

You could write an historically accurate novel. How refreshing that would be - true realistic fiction. Add romance and suspense elements, and you'll be writing in the hottest genre of today's market. Write a few as a series and you can indeed make a living through writing while waiting for the ideal job. Just sayin'

Congrats Casper!!!!

ThomasQuinn wrote: Thanks, everyone.

As to where I go from here: how should I know? I'm an historian now, so if you ask me after I've been there, I'll probably be able to tell you ;-P

But seriously, I don't know. With the recent depression the market for history and historians has molten, but interest is slowly starting to return to history, so I'm waiting and hoping until research grants start returning my field again, because I cannot compete with established names for those very few subjects that remain - at the very least I'd already need to have my Ph.D. and one book in general circulation to compete there.

Whatever the scenario, I'll have to have a 'day job' to go with it, as you just can't live on writing unless you're either a journalist or Dan Brown, and in either case the negative aspects outweigh the positive. A job in journalism tends to be extremely time-consuming, whilse being Dan Brown involves writing like Dan Brown. So I'm be looking for a steady job that will allow me to do research on the side, so ideally something in a library or archive of some kind, but it could of course be something quite unrelated which I happen to qualify for and gives me sufficient time to do historical work. I'm keeping an open mind for the time being at least.
Congratulations again! I'm sure a dedicated, serious and clever guy as you won't face much difficulty in finding your place in the "scholarly sun"!

By the way, since we're at it, are there good introductions to Roman history that you can think of? I'm taking a course at the Humanities Department this semester, and I have to write a couple of essays on Ancient Rome.

Thanks. Take care!

Wow, Rome. I haven't taken Ancient History since my first year! Anyway, I consulted my textbook and notes from that first-year course, and I did a little browsing.

There is  "A History of Rome: Down to the Reign of Constantine" by Cary, which is probably still the standard work (though it's over a half-century old, if memory serves), but it's rather lengthy and might be a bit on the expensive side.

Then there is "A History of Rome to A.D. 565" by Boak and Sinnigen, which is again long, and not very saucy, but reliable and relatively complete.

The French "Histoire de Rome" by André Piganiol, from the 1930s, is another very good look at Roman history, focussing on politics and culture.

More recent is "The Roman World" (1987) in two volumes, under the editorship of John Wacher, which amounts to an encycopedia covering a wide range of topics throughout Roman history.

I hope this helps, I'm afraid I can't offer any more. I'm only at home in Roman literature, really, as I've primarily studied medieval and modern history.

ThomasQuinn wrote: [i]Wow, Rome. I haven't taken Ancient History since my first year! Anyway, I consulted my textbook and notes from that first-year course, and I did a little browsing.

There is  "A History of Rome: Down to the Reign of Constantine" by Cary, which is probably still the standard work (though it's over a half-century old, if memory serves), but it's rather lengthy and might be a bit on the expensive side.

Then there is "A History of Rome to A.D. 565" by Boak and Sinnigen, which is again long, and not very saucy, but reliable and relatively complete.

The French "Histoire de Rome" by André Piganiol, from the 1930s, is another very good look at Roman history, focussing on politics and culture.

More recent is "The Roman World" (1987) in two volumes, under the editorship of John Wacher, which amounts to an encycopedia covering a wide range of topics throughout Roman history.

I hope this helps, I'm afraid I can't offer any more. I'm only at home in Roman literature, really, as I've primarily studied medieval and modern history.[/i]
Thanks a million! It was very helpful - I checked out the library's database and they have it all! At tibi di bene faciant! : op This is from Plautus. We had to stage a small part of "Miles Gloriosus" at school for the latin class!!!

I think I'm starting with the encyclopedia just to have a general idea of the topics I wish to write about. And then onto Cary's History of Rome! 

Bene vale!

Congratulations Casper! Keep the great work coming.

Congratulations, Casper! Very impressive indeed :-)