Lindsey Davis, historical novelist, was born in Birmingham, England in 1949. Having taken a degree in English literature at Oxford University (Lady Margaret Hall), she became a civil servant. She left the civil service after 13 years, and when a romantic novel she had written was runner up for the 1985 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize, she decided to become a writer, writing at first romantic serials for the UK women's magazine Woman's Realm. An historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, where the time the action takes place in predates the lifetime of the author -- distinguish and contrast the alternate history genre. ... See also Birmingham, USA, and other places called Birmingham. ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, or literature composed in English by writers who are not necessarily from England. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... Georgette Heyer, (pronounced hair), (August 16, 1902 – July 4, 1974) was a historical romance and detective story novelist. ...

Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further fifteen Falco novels have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. She has won many literary awards. The seventeenth Falco novel, See Delphi and Die, will be published in the UK on 2 June 2005. History Forums - History is Happening -Discuss all historical topics, as well as current events, in an academic setting. ... Importance and applicability Archaeology is the study of human nature and attempts to illuminate the question of what it means to be human. ... Emperor Vespasian Caesar Vespasianus Augustus (November 18, CE 9 – June 23, 79), originally known as Titus Flavius Vespasianus and best known as Vespasian, was the emperor of Rome from 69 to 79. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... A detective is an officer of the police who performs criminal or administrative investigations, in some police departments, the lowest rank among such investigators (above the lowest rank of officers and below sergeants), a civilian licensed to investigate information not readily available in public records (a private investigator, also called... Marcus Didius Falco is an endearing character in the novels of Lindsey Davis. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The historical whodunnit is a sub-genre of the historical novel, in which the central plot involves a crime (almost always a murder) and the setting is historical. ... 2 June is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Published Works

Marcus Didius Falco

1. The Silver Pigs (1989)
2. Shadows in Bronze (1990)
3. Venus in Copper (1991)
4. The Iron Hand of Mars (1992)
5. Poseidon's Gold (1993)
6. Last Act in Palmyra (1994)
7. Time to Depart (1995)
8. A Dying Light in Corduba (1996)
9. Three Hands in the Fountain (1997)
10. Two for the Lions (1998)
11. One Virgin Too Many (1999)
12. Ode to a Banker (2000)
13. A Body in the Bath House (2001)
14. The Jupiter Myth (2002)
15. The Accusers (2003)
16. Scandal takes a Holiday (2004)
17. See Delphi and Die (2005)

Omnibus editions:

• Falco on His Metal (1999)
  • Venus in Copper
  • The Iron Hand of Mars
  • Poseidon's Gold
• Falco on the Loose (2003)
  • Last Act in Palmyra
  • Time to Depart
  • A Dying Light in Corduba

Other Novel

• The Course of Honour (1998)

External links

• The official website of Lindsey Davis
• Interview with Lindsey Davis