Lays of ancient Rome vs The Secret History: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Rome, History
Lays of ancient Rome
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Noteworthy among Macaulay's works are his poems, of which the 'Lays of Ancient Rome' are chief. Here his purpose is to embody his conception of the heroic historical ballads which must have been current among the early…
The Secret History
“BELISARIUS was married to a woman of whom I had something to say in the preceding books.”
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Procopius, the most important of the Byzantine historians, was born at Caesarea in Palestine towards the beginning of the sixth century of the Christian era. After having for some time practised as a Rhetorician, that…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Secret History has the widest readership — 1111437 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Lays of ancient Rome | The Secret History | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (7) | 4.2 (1111437) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (27) | — |
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Reception
| Lays of ancient Rome | The Secret History | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 27 | 1111437 |
| Editions | 176 | 80 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 4 | 5928 |
| Reading it now | — | 285 |
| Written reviews | 2 | 403 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3188 | 40317 |
| Pages | 95 | 149 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Lays of ancient Rome or The Secret History?
The Secret History has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Secret History 4.1/5, Lays of ancient Rome 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: Lays of ancient Rome or The Secret History?
Lays of ancient Rome is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Lays of ancient Rome (95 pages, ≈ 1 h 46 m); The Secret History (149 pages, ≈ 2 h 46 m).
Which is harder to read: Lays of ancient Rome or The Secret History?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Lays of ancient Rome: Demanding; The Secret History: Demanding.