author
Evelyn S. (Evelyn Shirley) Shuckburgh
1843–1906
A gifted classical scholar and translator, this Cambridge academic helped open up the ancient world for general readers as well as students. His books on Rome, Greece, Augustus, Polybius, and Cicero made demanding subjects feel clear and approachable.
1 Audiobook
Augustus: The Life and Times of the Founder of the Roman Empire
by Evelyn S. (Evelyn Shirley) Shuckburgh
About the author
Born in Norfolk in 1843, Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh was educated at Ipswich School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he studied classics and later became a fellow and assistant tutor. He also served as president of the Cambridge Union, taught at Eton for a decade, and later returned to Emmanuel as librarian while continuing to teach and write.
Shuckburgh built his reputation through translations, editions, and histories of the ancient world. He translated Polybius and Cicero, prepared many school editions of Greek and Latin texts, and wrote accessible historical works including A General History of Rome to the Battle of Actium, The Life and Times of Augustus, and Greece from the Coming of the Hellenes to AD 14.
He was known as a careful scholar who could also write for ordinary readers, not just specialists. In 1902 he received the Cambridge degree of Litt.D., and he remained active in education and examining work until his sudden death in 1906 while traveling in Scotland.