What would be the best commentary currently available?
Goodyear + Martin + Woodman in the Cambridge Commentaries series for the whole thing, extending from 1972 (Goodyear, bks.1-2) through 2007 (Woodman, bks.5-6), but it’s a formidable undertaking and if you start on these you’ll never finish. I haven’t, and won’t. Much better, I’d say, to start with the selections from bk.15 put together by Mathew Owen and Ingo Gildenhard, published by the admirable Open Book Publishers; reviewed in BMCR 2014. You may find that more than enough.
Ah, yes, but my seminar is on Book 1. Would it be useful as simply a reference work for select lines as I read through the text?
Well if you’d said you were reading bk.1 I’d have referred you to Norma Miller’s fine commentary. And I heard good things of Ellen O’Gorman’s course at Bristol. But what is this “seminar” of yours, Barry? Is it one you’re offering to your prep school boys, or one you’re taking yourself?
Anyhow, I hope you’ll share problems here.
I really must read more Tacitus. His pungent style and clear-eyed realism are such a delight after Livy (though Livy can tell a good tale).
Tiberii Gaique et Claudii ac Neronis res florentibus ipsis ob metum falsae, postquam occiderant recentibus odiis compositae sunt.
Plus ça change …
I teach at a co-ed Jewish Day school. Good academics, but not exactly a traditional prep school.
It’s a class I’m taking this July. So far, no problems, and I agree with your assessment of the style in what I’ve read so far.