Imperium was published by Hutchinson in 2006, the first volume of a trilogy based on the life of Marcus Tullius Cicero. The novel is narrated by Tiro, Cicero’s slave, secretary, and (according to tradition) the inventor of shorthand. The narrative follows Cicero’s political career from his first major case — the prosecution of Verres, the corrupt governor of Sicily — through his campaign for the consulship, the highest office in the Roman Republic.
Harris’s Cicero is a brilliant, vain, ambitious, fundamentally decent man operating in a political system that is collapsing under the weight of its own corruption and inequality. The Roman Republic of the first century BC, with its oligarchic factions, its demagogues, its electoral manipulation, and its military strongmen, served as a transparent (but never heavy-handed) parallel to modern democratic politics.
The Republican Parallel
Harris’s Rome is deliberately evocative of modern democratic politics: the factional manoeuvring, the populist appeals, the role of money in elections, the tension between republican institutions and strongman ambitions. The parallels are never forced but readers in the age of democratic backsliding find the novel uncomfortably relevant.
Collecting Imperium
First edition (Hutchinson, London, 2006): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- UK first edition, fine in jacket: $25–$60
- US first edition (Simon & Schuster): $15–$30
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation. The trilogy is Harris’s most sustained achievement and collectors seek the complete set.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cicero trilogy reading order? Imperium (2006), Lustrum (2009, published as Conspirata in the US), Dictator (2015). The trilogy follows Cicero’s career from his rise as an advocate through the fall of the Roman Republic. All three are narrated by Tiro, Cicero’s secretary — who historically invented shorthand.