Agricola and Germany (Tacitus)

Tacitus was a Roman historian (among other things). In Germany, he provides an account of Rome's dangerous enemies: the Germans. Tremendously influential, his study is only 25 pages, but the Oxford edition supplements it with a 40-page introduction and 37-page notes section. Written around 100AD, this is "the only surviving specimen from the ancient world of an ethnographic study."

I enjoyed this book, as it was short, amusing, and a brief insight into what this region must have looked like almost two thousand years ago. Of course, the accuracy is unknown- some observations seemed impressively accurate, even today, while others were laughably ludicrous. But since it's so short, if you live in Germany, give it a go. The Oxford version, with its introduction and notes, is very helpful.

Rating: B+