Online databases of ancient literary sources maintained by classical academics and enthusiasts were critical to writing the book.

(00:00:04) Hello, and welcome to The Calm Before the Storm Before the Storm. (00:00:12) By the time you hear this, I will already be back east, preparing for the publication of The Storm Before the Storm, the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic, on October the 24th. (00:00:22) I need not remind you to pre-order it. (00:00:24) I need not remind you to buy it when it comes out. (00:00:27) But my nervous energy is now turning to the tour. (00:00:30) And I wanna run through the itinerary with you one final time and then hope to see you all out there. (00:00:36) So here's how it's gonna go. (00:00:39) On Tuesday, October the 24th at 7 p.m., I will be at the Harvard Bookstore in Boston. (00:00:45) That is the official launch party. (00:00:47) Please bring your friends because it's going to be a party. (00:00:50) Then I move down to New York. (00:00:52) On Wednesday, October the 25th at 7 p.m., I will be at the Book Culture on 112th Street for a shared event with Jared Yates Sexton, who's the author of The People Are Going to Rise Like Waters Upon Your Shore. (00:01:06) It's going to be a conversation about the fate of the Roman Republic and the potential fate of the American Republic. (00:01:13) Then on Thursday, October the 26th at 7 p.m., all of these are at 7 p.m., (00:01:19) I will have another solo event at Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn. (00:01:23) Powerhouse Arena, Brooklyn. (00:01:25) Then I head to Philadelphia. (00:01:27) On Friday, October the 27th, at 7 p.m., I will be at the Rittenhouse Square Barnes and Noble. (00:01:33) And then I will wrap up the East Coast leg of the tour in Washington, D.C. (00:01:37) on Saturday, October the 28th, with an afternoon event at Politics and Prose. (00:01:42) The time for that is 1 p.m. (00:01:44) That is 1 p.m. (00:01:46) I think I said it wrong the first time, but it is 1 p.m. (00:01:49) at Politics and Prose on Saturday, October the 28th. (00:01:52) And I really hope to see everyone out there. (00:01:56) But that is just the first East Coast leg of the tour. (00:01:59) And I would like now to give you details about the rest of the tour so you can make your preparations accordingly. (00:02:05) So after I get back home, I will do some Midwest events. (00:02:08) I will be at the Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison on Saturday, November the 4th at 10:30 a.m., and my slot will be at the Wisconsin Historical Museum. (00:02:18) Then on November the 9th, I will be at Boswell Books in Milwaukee, and then I do a double header in Chicago. (00:02:25) And thank the gods, I finally have details on this. (00:02:28) On November the 16th, I am at the Old Orchard Barnes and Noble in Skokie, and then the next day, November the 17th, I am at the Seminary Co-op, which is right there next to the University of Chicago. (00:02:41) Then I will take a couple weeks off before my final plunge up the West Coast. (00:02:47) On December the 4th, I am in Los Angeles at the Barnes and Noble at the Grove. (00:02:52) On December the 5th, I am in San Francisco at Book Passage. (00:02:56) On December the 6th, I am in Portland, Oregon at the one and only the world's greatest bookstore, no offense to all these other bookstores, but it's the downtown Powell City of Books. (00:03:07) And then so far, my last confirmed date is December the 7th in Seattle at Elliott Bay Book Company. (00:03:14) All of this information can be found at thestormbeforethestorm.com or revolutionspodcast.com. (00:03:22) You can also follow me on Twitter, I'm @MikeDuncan, and I'm sure I will be chronicling all of this in real time. (00:03:28) You can also find me on Facebook @MikeDuncanHistory. (00:03:31) I can't wait to see everyone out there. (00:03:35) Now, the last thing I would like to do here, if you will indulge me, is to read a part of the book that most people are not going to read. (00:03:43) And there's no shame in it, I mean, I don't read this part in most books, but since this is my first book and I'm very proud of it, (00:03:50) I want you all to know about the people who made it possible. (00:03:54) So please indulge me, because yes, my name is on the cover, but believe me, I did not do this alone. (00:03:59) So I want to read you now the acknowledgements from The Storm Before the Storm. (00:04:06) Any list of acknowledgements must begin with my wife, Brandi, to whom this book is already dedicated. (00:04:13) She has been with me every step of the way and been an unfailing source of strength, support, and love. (00:04:19) I would also like to thank my children, Elliot and Olive, who have been wonderful through the entire process and who I hope like the book once they learn how to read. (00:04:29) My parents, Doug and Liz Duncan, have also provided incredible support, not just while the book was being written, but throughout my entire life. (00:04:37) Without them, this book would not exist. (00:04:39) My success is their success. (00:04:43) This book would also not exist without my literary agent, Rachel Vogel, who sent me an e-mail one day asking if I had ever considered writing a book. (00:04:51) She then nursed a half-baked idea from infancy to maturity and guided me through the long and convoluted process of selling, writing, and promotion. (00:05:00) I could not have asked for a better shepherd through the often baffling world of publishing. (00:05:05) I was also lucky enough to have landed with my editor, Colleen Laurie, at Public Affairs. (00:05:10) She not only said yes to the project in the first place, but provided expert advice and guidance as we took the manuscript from blank piece of paper to a completed manuscript. (00:05:20) The rest of the team at Public Affairs has also been fantastic, especially for a first-time author. (00:05:25) Managing editor, Katie Heigler, publicist, Christina Fazolaro, copy editor, Bill Warhop, designer, Linda Mark, marketing coordinator, Miguel Cervantes, and marketing director, Lindsay Fradkoff, were all a pleasure to work with. (00:05:39) The book is better for all their hard work. (00:05:43) For research, I am incredibly grateful to the University of Wisconsin, which is a bastion of enlightened civic engagement. (00:05:50) The University of Wisconsin offers residents of the state of Wisconsin full run of their libraries and unlimited access to otherwise impossible to find academic journals. (00:06:00) Without these resources, I would have been lost. (00:06:03) The Wisconsin idea of fostering a collaborative educational network linking academics, public servants, and citizens is among the most noble endeavors in the history of civilization. (00:06:13) In 1905, University of Wisconsin President Charles Van Hees said, I shall never be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family of the state. (00:06:25) I cannot speak for everyone, but the beneficent influence of the university has certainly reached me. (00:06:32) I'm also eternally indebted to the community of classical academics and enthusiasts who maintain online databases of ancient literary sources, fully searchable and instantly available. (00:06:44) In particular, I relied on the work of the Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University, Jonah Lendering and Livius.org, Bill Thayer and his Lacus Curtius Archives, and Andrew Smith at Atalus.org. (00:06:57) This book would have been a poor effort were it not for their efforts. (00:07:03) Finally, I would like to thank every single listener of the History of Rome and Revolutions podcast who truly made all of this possible. (00:07:12) I will remain forever grateful that you have allowed me to turn a passion for history into a career in history. (00:07:19) I hope you liked the book. (00:07:24) So, I mean all of that very sincerely, especially that last bit at the end. (00:07:28) I would honestly be nowhere without any of you guys. (00:07:31) Thank you so much for always listening to the podcast. (00:07:34) Thank you so much for sticking with me for now over 10 years. (00:07:37) Thank you very much for pre-ordering the book and buying the book. (00:07:39) I know I nagged you about it relentlessly. (00:07:42) I will see you on tour. (00:07:43) And I really honestly do hope you like the book.