This joint biography of Cleopatra and Antony is a great man's (and woman's) history of their times. It is a fast and entertaining read. Diana Preston is not a specialist in the period and appears to take some care in interpreting the imperfect and unreliable ancient sources, but does not always help herself from reprinting the striking and romantic versions of the story as true. Learning more about Egyptian history and the amazingly brutal incest and murders in the royal family puts an interesting counterpoint on what is normally related as a Roman-centric story.