61. I, Claudius

by Robert Graves (468 pgs)

I picked this up because at some point in my youth I watched the BBS mini-series with Sir Derek Jacoby. I expected the book to be good but the best word I can think of is, enthralling.

Claudius is the unfortunate child of Roman aristocracy. Born with a number of small defects he retreats into the pursuits of the mind and manages to survive a very bloody family to eventually become emperor of Rome.