The Coming Caesars

Why it’s on the list: De Riencourt’s 1957 argument by analogy: America is Rome’s republic on the way to empire, and the expansion of executive power is the mechanism. Read as a period artefact as much as a prediction.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @typesfast’s question, “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet). It was listed there as “The Coming Caesars — Amaury de Riencourt”.

Connections

• Rome — The analogy the whole book runs on.
• Democracy — What de Riencourt thinks is being traded away.
• Institutions — The executive power at the centre of the argument.
• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.