Steven Saylor Bibliography

STEVEN SAYLOR is the author of the ROMA SUB ROSA® series of historical mysteries featuring Gordianus the Finder and set in the ancient Rome of Cicero, Caesar, and Cleopatra. The novels, in publication order, are: ROMAN BLOOD (1991), ARMS OF NEMESIS (1992), CATILINA’S RIDDLE (1994), THE VENUS THROW (1995), A MURDER ON THE APPIAN WAY (1996), RUBICON (1999), LAST SEEN IN MASSILIA (2000), A MIST OF PROPHECIES (2002), THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR (2004), and THE TRIUMPH OF CAESAR (2008). The next three novels to be published are prequels about the travels and adventures of Gordianus in his youth: THE SEVEN WONDERS (2012), RAIDERS OF THE NILE (2014) and WRATH OF THE FURIES (2015). The series reaches its climax with the assassination of Julius Caesar in THE THRONE OF CAESAR (2018).

Steven is also the author of the international bestseller ROMA: THE NOVEL OF ANCIENT ROME (2007) and EMPIRE: THE NOVEL OF IMPERIAL ROME (2010). These two epic novels comprise a multi-generational saga that spans the first 1200 years of the city, from Iron Age trading post to the height of empire under Hadrian. A third novel to complete the trilogy, DOMINUS (spanning from the reign of Marcus Aurelius to that of Constantine the Great, first Christian emperor) will be published June 2021.

Steven has also written numerous short stories in the Roma Sub Rosa series. The first, “A Will Is a Way,” won the 1993 Robert L. Fish Award from the Mystery Writers of America, given each year for the best debut short story in the mystery genre. All the Gordianus short stories have been collected in two volumes, THE HOUSE OF THE VESTALS (1997) and A GLADIATOR DIES ONLY ONCE (2005).

Outside the Roman books are two novels set in Steven’s native Texas. A TWIST AT THE END (2000) is based on America’s first recorded serial murders, which terrorized Austin, Texas in 1885. The chief protagonist is young Will Porter, who later became famous as O. Henry. HAVE YOU SEEN DAWN? (2003) is a contemporary thriller set in a small Texas town not unlike the one where Steven grew up. A TWIST AT THE END received the Violet Crown Award from the Writer’s League of Texas. In 2014 Steven was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

Translations & travel

Steven’s books have been published in 22 languages: English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Czech, Russian, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Brazilian-Portuguese, Polish, Greek, Magyar (Hungarian), Serbian, Swedish, Turkish, Danish, Korean, Indonesian, Romanian, and Thai.

Book tours have taken him to many cities in the United States and the United Kingdom, and to Berlin, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Budapest, Oslo, and Madrid.

TV appearances & speaking engagements

Steven has appeared in two television documentaries shown internationally on The History Channel: the series ANCIENT ROME: STORY OF AN EMPIRE, first broadcast in 1998, and CRIMINAL HISTORY: ANCIENT ROME, first shown in 2005. In 2014, as author of A TWIST AT THE END, he appeared as an “expert witness” in the episode "The Texas Servant Girl Murders” on the PBS series HISTORY DETECTIVES: SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS.

Steven has spoken at Stanford, Rice University, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, San Francisco State University, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Texas at Austin (his alma mater), the University of Oslo in Norway, and the University of Hull in the UK (hosted by the Philip Larkin Centre). He has addressed national and state conventions of the American Philological Association, the American Classical League, the Junior Classical League.

In 2002, Steven delivered the inaugural commencement address to the Classics Department at the University of California at Berkeley. (Click here to read his speech.) In 2008, he spoke at the Getty Villa (to see the discussion, click here) and was an invited speaker at ICAN, the International Conference on the Ancient Novel, in Lisbon (click here to read his paper). In 2014, he delivered the keynote address at the 110th annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, meeting in Waco. Also in 2014, he was an invited speaker at the conference “From I, Claudius to Private Eyes: The Ancient World and Popular Fiction” at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv.

Why ancient Rome for a setting?

“The final years of the Roman Republic offer a treasure trove of all the stuff that makes for a good read,” Steven says. “There’s political intrigue, courtroom drama, sexual scandal, extremes of splendor and squalor, and no shortage of real-life murder mysteries. Beginning with RUBICON, the arena extends to open warfare and espionage. Through it all, Gordianus has managed not just to keep his head above water, but to raise a very unconventional family. And always, eventually, he gets to the truth of the puzzle, no matter how great the danger or disturbing the revelation.”

Professional & personal

Steven has been a newspaper and magazine editor, and a literary agent (most notably for Lars Eighner’s classic memoir of homelessness, TRAVELS WITH LIZBETH, and also for erotic author Aaron Travis). Steven is not much given to autobiography, but three very personal essays can be found in the eBook MY MOTHER’S GHOST, including one about his relationship with Rick Solomon, his partner since 1976. (Steven and Rick were married in California in 2008.)

Steven was born in Texas in 1956 and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics. He divides his time between homes in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas.

Clockwise from upper left: Chilling on Lake LBJ, August 2005 • With Roman legionnaires in Kensington High Street, London, July 1999 • On the steps of his boyhood library in Goldthwaite, Texas, in November 2007; Steven spoke at a fundraiser to build a new library on the site of the Saylor Hotel • Blowing off steam at Barton Springs in Austin, August 2001.

(* denotes part of the ROMA SUB ROSA® series featuring Gordianus the Finder; † denotes a volume of the ROMA trilogy)

*Roman Blood, St. Martin’s Press, 1991; Ivy Books paperback, 1992; Minotaur paperback, 2000; Minotaur trade paperback, 2008; Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged audiotape, 1996; UK paperback editions, 1997, 2005, 2011; Isis Audio Books unabridged audiotape (UK), 2003; German hardback edition (Das Lächeln des Cicero), 1993, German paperback editions, 1995, 1996; new German edition (Weltbild), 2006; German ebook forthcoming from Weltbild; Dutch edition (Romeins Bloed), 1993; Dutch pocketbook, 1996; Dutch hardback omnibus edition (combined with Dood van een slavendrijver), 2000; Spanish trade paperback edition (Sangre Romana), 1991; Spanish hardback book club edition (Círculo de Lectores/Detectives en la Historia), 1993?; paperback uniform edition (numbered), 1998; Planeta/Booket Spanish edition, June, 2006; French trade paperback edition (Du Sang sur Rome), 1997; French hardback book club edition (Club France Loisirs), 1998; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 1998; new French edition (Les Mystères de Rome, tome 1 : Du sang sur Rome), 2002; Succès du Livre French edition, date unknown; ; new French edition 2015; Russian edition (Rimskaia krov), 1996; Czech edition (Rimska Krev), 1998; Portuguese Quetzel paperback (Sangue Romano), 2000; Portuguese Bertrand paperback, 2008; Portuguese “Best-seller” pocketbook edition, 2010; Norwegian edition (Romerblod), 2000; Norwegian paperback, 2001; Polish edition (Rzymska Krew), 2001; Polish omnibus edition with House of the Vestals (Zagadki Gordianusa: Rzymska Krev, Dom Westalek), 2011; Hungarian edition (Római vér), 2003; Swedish hardback edition (Romarblod), March 2005; Swedish pocket edition, 2006; new Swedish hardback, 2007; Swedish trade paperback, 2007; Swedish pocket edition, 2007; Danish edition (Romersk Blod), 2005; Danish audiobook forthcoming; Italian edition (Sangue su Roma), 2007; Italian paperback edition, 2008; Korean edition, 2010; new Russian edition forthcoming; Serbian edition forthcoming; winner, 2005 Flintyxan (Flint Axe) award for historical crime fiction from Jury magazine, Sweden; Roman Blood 25th Anniversary Pages

*Arms of Nemesis, St. Martin’s Press, 1992; Ivy Books paperback; Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged audiotape, 1997; 1993; Spanish edition (El Brazo de la Justicia), 1993; Planeta/Booket Spanish edition, June, 2006; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), date unknown; Dutch edition (Dood van een slavendrijver), 1993; Dutch hardback omnibus edition (combined with Romeins Bloed), 2000; German edition (Die Pforten des Hades), 1995; new German edition (Weltbild), 2006; German ebook forthcoming from Weltbild; French edition (L’Etreinte de Nemesis), 1997; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 1999; new French edition, 2015; British edition, 1997; Russian edition (Orudie Nemezidy), 1997; Czech edition (Rimska msta), 1999; Norwegian edition (Sendebud Fra Nemesis), 2000; Norwegian paperback edition, 2002; Polish edition (Ramiona Nemezis), 2001; Polish omnibus edition with Catilina’s Riddle (Przygody Gordianusa: Ramiona Nemezis, Zagadka Katyliny), forthcoming; Portuguese edition (O Abraço de Némesis), 2000; new Portuguese edition, 2008; Portuguese 11x17 paperback, October, 2013; Isis Audio Books unabridged audiotape (U.K.), 2003; Hungarian edition (A Végzet Fegyvere), 2004, with an introduction by the author; Greek edition, 2005; Swedish edition (I Hades käftar), 2006; Swedish trade paperback, 2007; Swedish pocket edition, 2007; new Swedish hardback, 2007; Italian edition (Lo Schiavo di Roma), 2008; Italian paperback edition, 2009; new Russian edition forthcoming; Danish hardcover, paperback, and large-print editions forthcoming; Korean edition, 2010

*Catilina’s Riddle, St. Martin’s Press, 1993; Ivy Books paperback, 1994; Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged audiotape, 1997; Spanish edition (El Enigma de Catilina), 1994; Planeta/Booket Spanish edition, June, 2006; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), date unknown; Dutch edition (Catilina’s Wapen), 1994 (also included in the Dutch omnibus Vier Historische Misdaden, 1998); German edition (Das Rätsel des Catalinas), 1996; French edition (L’énigme de Catilina), 1997; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 1999; British edition, 1998; Russian edition (Zagadka Katiliny), 1997; Polish edition (Zagadka Katyliny), 2002; Polish omnibus edition with Arms of Nemesis (Przygody Gordianusa: Ramiona Nemezis, Zagadka Katyliny), forthcoming; Portuguese edition (O Enigma de Catilina), 2000, reprinted 2014; Isis Audio Books unabridged audiotape (U.K.), 2004; Hungarian edition (Catilina Rejtélye), 2004; Greek edition, 2005; Swedish edition (Catalinas gåta), 2007; Italian edition (L’enigma di Catilina), April 2009; Italian smaller paperback edition, May 2010; new Russian edition forthcoming; Korean edition, 2010; winner, 1993 Lambda Literary Award/Gay Men’s Mystery; nominee, 1994 Hammett Award from the International Association of Crime Writers

*The Venus Throw, St. Martin’s Press, 1995; large print edition (G.K. Hall & Co)., 1995; Dead Letter paperback, 1996; Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged audiotape, forthcoming; Spanish edition (La Suerte de Venus), 1995; new Spanish edition (Planeta/Booket), 2007; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), date unknown; Dutch edition (De Venusworp), 1995; German edition (Romischer Lorbeer), 1997; French edition (Un Egyptien dans la Ville), 1998; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 1999; British edition, 1999; Russian edition (Kogda Venera smeetsja), 1997; Finnish edition (Egyptilainen Vieras), 2000; Portuguese edition (O Lance de Venus), 2000, reprinted 2015; Polish edition (Rzut Wenus), 2002; Polish omnibus edition wtih A Murder on the Appian Way (Historie Gordianusa: Rzut Wenus, Morderstwo na Via Appia), 2013; Greek edition, 2002; Czech edtion (V rukou bohyně), 2004; Hungarian edition (Venus Kezében), 2005; Swedish edition (Venuskastet), 2008; Italian edition (Delitto sul Palatino), April 2010; Italian smaller paperback edition, July 2011; new Russian edition forthcoming; Danish edition forthcoming; Korean edition forthcoming; winner, The Critics’ Choice Award, 1995; named “Best Mystery Novel of 1995” by the Portland Oregonian; nominee, 1995 Lambda Literary Award/Gay Men’s Mystery

*A Murder on the Appian Way, St. Martin’s Press, 1996; Dead Letter paperback, 1997; Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged audiotape, 1996; Spanish edition (Asesinato en la Vía Apia), 1997; Planeta/Booket Spanish edition, February, 2007; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), date unknown; Dutch edition (Moord op de Via Appia), 1997; British edition, 1997; German edition (Mord auf der Via Appia), 1998; Portuguese edition (Crime Na Via Apia), 2001, reprinted 2015; French edition (Muertre sur la Voie Appia), 2001; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 2002; Finnish edition (Murha Via Apialla), 2002; Greek edition, 2002; Finnish paperback (Loisto), 2006; Polish edition (Morderstwo na Via Appia), 2003; Polish omnibus edition wtih The Venus Throw (Historie Gordianusa: Rzut Wenus, Morderstwo na Via Appia), 2013; Italian edition (Omicidio sull via Appia), July 2011; Isis Audio Books unabridged audiotape (U.K.), 2004; Hungarian edition (Gyilkosság a Via Appián), 2005; Romanian edition (O Crimă pe Via Appia), 2010; Russian edition forthcoming; new Spanish edition (Planeta/Booket) forthcoming; Danish edition forthcoming; Korean edition forthcoming

*Rubicon, St. Martin’s Press, 1999; British edition, 1999; Dutch edition, 2000; French edition, 2001; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 2003; Portuguese edition (Rubicão), November 2001; Polish edition (Rubikon), 2003; included in the Polish omnibus edition Tajemnice Gordianusa, 2013; Greek edition, 2005; Finnish edition (Arpa on Heitetty), 2006; German edition (Kein Zurück vom Rubikon), 2006; Spanish edition (Cruzar el Rubicón, Salamandra hardback, Barcelona), July 2006; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), 2008; Hungarian edition (Rubicon), 2006; Serbian edition forthcoming; Korean edition forthcoming; winner, Herodotus Award from the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society

A Twist at the End: A Novel of O. Henry, Simon & Schuster, March 2000; St. Martin’s Minotaur paperback edition, 2001; British edition (titled Honour the Dead), 2001; UK paperback edition, 2002; Portuguese edition (Volte-Face), 2004; Hungarian edition (A Holtek Méltósága), 2013; winner, Violet Crown Award from the Writers League of Texas; excerpted in Lone Star Sleuths: An Anthology of Texas Crime Fiction ed. by Cunningham, Davis, & Newsom (University of Texas Press, Nov. 2007); Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle and Nook editions, 2014; iBooks edition, 2015.

*Last Seen in Massilia, St. Martin’s Press, October 2000; UK edition, October 2000; Dutch edition (Vermist in Massilia) Sept. 2001; Portuguese edition (Desaparecido em Massilía), February 2002; French edition (Le Rocher du Sacrifice), 2002; French paperback (Editions 10/18, Grands Detectives), 2004; Polish edition (Ostatnio Widziany w Massilii), 2003; included in the Polish omnibus edition Tajemnice Gordianusa, 2013; Hungarian edition (Eltünt Massiliában), 2006; Czech edition (Hříšné Město), 2006; German edition forthcoming; Spanish book club edition from Círculo de Lectores(El Cerco de Massilia), 2008; Greek edition, 2006; Korean edition forthcoming; Shortlist, CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award

*A Mist of Prophecies, St. Martin’s Press, May 2002; Minotaur paperback, May 2003; UK edition, July 2002; UK paperback, May 2003; Large-print editions (Wheeler, US; Windsor/Paragon, UK), 2006; Dutch edition (De Dood van Cassandra), March 2003; Portuguese edition (Névoa de Profecias), May 2003; French edition (La dernière prophétie), October 2003; French book club edition (Le Club du Grand Livre du Mois), 2003; French 10/18 edition, 2005; Polish edition (Mgliste Proroctwa), 2004; included in the Polish omnibus edition Tajemnice Gordianusa, 2013; Czech edition (Mlhavá věštba), 2006(?); Hungarian edition (Prófékiák Köde), November 2007; Spanish edition (La Adivina de Roma), 2007; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), 2008(?); Greek edition, 2009; Romanian edition (Vălul Profeƫiilor), 2009; Russian edition forthcoming; Korean edition forthcoming

Have You Seen Dawn?, Simon & Schuster, February 2003; UK edition, March 2003; US large-print editon (Thorndike Press), 2003; UK large-print edition (Chivers Press), 2003; UK audiobook, forthcoming; Dutch edition (Amethyst Texas), April 2004; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle, Nook and Ibooks editions, 2015.

*The Judgment of Caesar, St. Martin’s Press, June 2004; US large-print edition (Wheeler Publishing), 2004; UK edition (The Judgement of Caesar), June 2004; UK large-print edition (Isis), February 2006; Portuguese edition (Sentença de César), 2004; Polish edition (Werdykt Cezara), 2004; included in the Polish omnibus edition Ostatnie Sprawy Gordianusa, 2013; Dutch edtion (Het oordeel van Caesar), 2004; Czech edition (Caesarův soud), 2005; Spanish edition (El Ateneo, El veredicto de César), March 2006; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), 2008?; French edition (Le Jugement de César), April 2006; French paperback (10/18 Grand détectives), May 2007; Brazilian edition (A Decisão de César), 2007; Norwegian edition (Caesars Dom), 2008; Norwegian Press Pocket edition, 2009; Hungarian edition (Caesar Itélete), 2008; Turkish edition forthcoming; Korean edition forthcoming; Shortlist, CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award

† Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome, St. Martin’s Press (March 2007); Books on Tape (unabridged library edition, 2007; available for download from audible.com or iTunes); Bookspan book club editions (Book of the Month Club, History Book Club, Insight Out, 2007); UK edition (March 2007); Australian edition (Constable/The Migdal Press), 2007; Hungarian edition (Róma), May 2007; Dutch edition (Rome), 2007; Norwegian edition (Forlaget Press), September 2007; Norwegian Press Pocket edition, 2008; Norwegian pocket edition, 2008; Portuguese edition, January 2008; Spanish edition (La Esfera de los Libros), February 2008; Brazilian edition (Editora Record), 2008; Swedish edition, 2008; Romanian edition (Oameni si Semizei: Povestea Romei antice), in two volumes, 2011; Korean edition, in two volumes, 2011; Polish edition (Rzym), 2008; Polish hardback edition, 2013; Indonesian edition, 2014(?); Russian edition (Рим. Роман о древнем городе, publisher Azbooka-Atticus/Азбука-Аттикус), 2016

*The Triumph of Caesar, St. Martin’s Press, May 2008; trade paperback, July, 2009; Blackstone Audio edition 2009; UK edition, May 2008; UK trade paperback, March, 2009; Isis Audio Books unabridged audiotape/CD (U.K.), October, 2008; Portuguese edition (O Triunfo de César), July, 2008; Spanish book club edition (Círculo de Lectores), 2008; Polish edition (Triumf Cezara), 2009; included in the Polish omnibus edition Ostatnie Sprawy Gordianusa, 2013; Dutch edition (De Triomf van Caesar), April 2009; second Dutch edition, 2013; Hungarian edition (Caesar Diadala), June 2009; Norwegian edition (Caesars triumf), 2009; Norwegian Press Pocket edition, 2010; French edition (Le Triomphe de César), 2015; Korean edition forthcoming

† Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome, St. Martin’s Press, August 31, 2010; Book of the Month edition, 2010; UK edition, September 31, 2010; Norwegian hardback edition (Imperiet), 2010; Norwegian Press Pocket edition, 2011; Hungarian edition (Birodalom), 2011; Polish hardback edition (Cesarstwo), 2011; Spanish edition, October 2011; Portuguese edition, October 2011; Brazilian edition, 2015; Russian edition (Империя. Роман об имперском Риме, publisher Azbooka-Atticus/Азбука-Аттикус), 2016

*The Seven Wonders, St. Martin’s Press, June 2012; US audiobook (Recorded Books), 2102; UK edition, June 2012; Portuguese edition (As Sete Maravilhas do Mundo), November 19, 2012; Polish edition, 2012; Hungarian edition, 2012; Spanish editon, La Esfera de los Libros (Las Siete Maravillas), 2014; Thai edition, NokHook Publishing, 2013; French edition (Les Sept Merveilles), May 2016

*Raiders of the Nile, St. Martin’s Press, February 2014; US paperback September 2015; UK edition, February 2014; UK paperback, 2015; Recorded Books audiobook, 2018; Hungarian edition (A Nílusi Rablók), June, 2014; Portuguese edition (Os Salteadores do Nilo), October, 2014; Polish edition (Złoczyńcy znad Nilu), 2015; Spanish editon, La Esfera de los Libros (Corsarios del Nilo), 2015; French edition (Les pilleurs du Nil), 2016

*Wrath of the Furies, St. Martin’s Press, October 2015; Recorded Books audiobook, 2015; Hungarian edition (Gniew Furii), 2015: UK edition, March 2016; Portuguese edition (A Ira das Fúrias), November, 2016; Spanish edition (La ira de las Furias), May 2017; French edition (Sous l’Aile des Furies), November 2017; Polish edition, fothcoming

*The Throne of Caesar, St. Martin’s Press, Ides of March 2018; Recorded Books audiobook, 2018; UK edition, 2018; Portuguese edition (O Trono de César), 2018; Hungarian edition (Caesar trónja), 2018; Czech edition (Caesarův trůn), 2018; Spanish edition (El trono de César, Los Esfera de Los Libros), 2019; Polish edition forthcoming

*The House of the Vestals: The Investigations of Gordianus the Finder, St. Martin’s Press, 1997; Dead Letter paperback, 1998; Wheeler large-print edition, Sept. 2006; Spanish edition (La Casa de las Vestales), 1998; new Spanish edition (Planeta/Booket), May, 2007; British edition, 1999; Portuguese edition (A Casa das Vestais), 2002; Portuguese “Best-seller” pocketbook edition, 2011; 2011; Polish edition (Dom Westalek), 2004; Polish omnibus edition with Roman Blood (Zagadki Gordianusa: Rzymska Krev, Dom Westalek), 2011; Hungarian edition (A Vesta-Szüzek Háza), 2007; contents: “A Will Is a Way,” “Death Wears a Mask,” “The Lemures,” “The Treasure House,” “The House of the Vestals,” “The Disappearance of the Saturnalia Silver,” “The Alexandrian Cat,” “Little Caesar and the Pirates,” “King Bee and Honey”; with foreword, chronology, and historical notes

*A Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder, St. Martin’s Press, June 2005; British edition, July 2005; British paperback, March 2006; Dutch edition (Een Gladiator Sterft Slechts een Keer), 2006; Dutch omnibus edition (with Pompeii by Robert Harris) forthcoming; Portuguese edition (Um gladiador só morre uma vez), 2006; Portuguese pocket edition May 2013; Polish edition (Gladiator umiera tylko raz), 2006; included in the Polish omnibus edition Ostatnie Sprawy Gordianusa, 2013; Spanish edition (La muerta llega a Roma; El Ateneo, Argentina), 2006; Hungarian edition (Egy Gladiátor Csak Egyszer Hal Meg), 2008; Czech edition forthcoming; contents: “The Consul’s Wife,” “If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye,” “The White Fawn,” “Something Fishy in Pompeii,” “Archimedes’s Tomb,” “Death by Eros,” “A Gladiator Dies Only Once,” “Poppy and the Poisoned Cake,” “The Cherries of Lucullus”; with foreword, chronology, and historical notes

Short Stories (in order of first U.S. publication)

EQMM = Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
* = featuring Gordianus the Finder
+ = included in The House of the Vestals anthology
§ = included in A Gladiator Dies Only Once anthology
∞ = part of the Seven Wonders of the World series of stories incorporated in the novel The Seven Wonders

“Insecticide,” The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, December 1986; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“Kinder, Gentler,” The San Francisco Bay Guardian, May 10, 1989 (vol. 23 #31); reprinted in The James White Review, vol. 16, no. 3, Summer 1999; reprinted in A Casualty of War: The Arcadia Book of Gay Short Stories, edited by Peter Burton (Arcadia Books, London, 2008); Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

*+“A Will Is a Way,” EQMM, March 1992; anthologized in The Year’s Best Mystery and Suspense Stories 1993, ed. Edward Hoch, Walker & Co. (1993); anthologized in Dutch translation as “Het veerdwenen testament” in Vier Historische Speurders, De Boekerij, Amsterdam (1999); winner, Robert L. Fish Memorial Award from Mystery Writers of America, 1993

*+“Death Wears a Mask,” EQMM, July 1992; anthologized in The Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson (London), 1995, Carroll & Graf, 1995; reprinted in Crime Time, issue 2.1 (1998); translated into German as “Der Tod trägt eine Maske” for the German edition, Räuber, Schurken, Lumpenpack, Bergisch Gladbach (1998); anthologized in Dutch translation as “De gemaskerde dood” in Vijf Historische Speurders, De Boekerij, Amsterdam (1996); anthologized in Swedish translation as “Döden bär mask” in 13 lektioner i brott (13 Lessons in Crime), edited by Lilian & Karl G. Fredriksson, En bok för alla, Stockholm (2002), p. 216–252.

*+“The Lemures,” EQMM, October 1992; anthologized in Once Upon a Crime, ed. Janet Hutchings, St. Martin’s Press, 1994 (German edition, Es war einmal ein Mord, 1998); anthologized in Murder for Halloween, Mysterious Press, ed. Michele Slung & Roland Hartman, 1994; anthologized in German translation as “Lemuren” in Götter, Sklaven und Orakel: Antike Mordgeschichten, ed. Doris Mendlewitsch, ECON Verlag, Düsseldorf; anthologized in Italian translation as “I Lemuri” in Estate Gialla 1994, ed. Arnoldo Mondadori, Mondadori, Milan

*+“The Treasure House,” The Armchair Detective, Spring 1993; Shots (Great Britain), Summer 1998

*+“The House of the Vestals,” EQMM, April 1993; anthologized in Italian translation as “La Casa delle Vestali” in Inverno Giallo 1993-94, ed. Arnoldo Mondadori, Mondadori, Milan; 2nd Place, 1993 EQMM Readers Award

*+“The Disappearance of the Saturnalia Silver,” EQMM , Mid-December 1993; anthologized in Dutch translation as “De verdwijning van het Saturnaliazilver” in Vier Historische Detectives, De Boekerij, Amsterdam (2000)

*+“The Alexandrian Cat,” EQMM, February 1994; anthologized in Mystery Cats 3, ed. Cynthia Manson, Signet, 1995; anthologized in Feline Felonies, ed. Abigail Browning, Galahad Books, 2001

*+“Little Caesar and the Pirates,” EQMM, March 1995; anthologized in Dutch translation as “De piraten van een jonge Caesar” in Vier Historische Zaiken, De Boekerij, Amsterdam (2002)

*+“King Bee and Honey,” EQMM , October 1995; anthologized in Once Upon a Crime II, ed. Janet Hutchings, St. Martin’s Press, 1996

“Murder Myth-Begotten,” EQMM, April 1996; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

*§“Archimedes’ Tomb,” Crime Through Time, ed. Miriam Grace Monfredo and Sharan Newman, Berkley, 1997

*§“The White Fawn,” Classical Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson (London) 1996; Carroll & Graf, 1997; first US publication, EQMM, Dec. 1996; 3rd Place, 1996 EQMM Readers Award

*§“Poppy and the Poisoned Cake,” EQMM, December 1998; anthologized in Creme de la Crime, ed. Janet Hutchings, Carroll & Graf, 2000; anthologized in The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Constable & Robinson (London), 2001 (US edition published by Carroll & Graf under the title The Mammoth Book of More Historical Whodunnits, 2001)

*§“Death by Eros,” Past Poisons: An Ellis Peters Memorial Anthology, ed. Maxim Jakubowski, Headline (London), original trade paperback, December 1998; mass market paperback, 1999; Ibooks, Inc. reprint edition, 2005. First US publication, EQMM, August 1999; anthologized in Death Comes Easy: The Gay Times Book of Murder Stories, ed. Peter Burton (Millivres Prowler Group, London), Oct. 2003

*§“The Consul’s Wife,” Crime Through Time III, ed. Sharan Newman, Berkley, 2000

*§“If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye,” Candis, Sept. 2002 (UK); first US publication, EQMM, August 2003

*§“A Gladiator Dies Only Once,” The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Constable & Robinson (London), August 2003; Carroll & Graf edition (US) November 2003; Czech edition (Velká kniha římských detektivek), Euromedia Group k.s.-Knižní klub, 2005 (Czech title: “Gladiátor umírá jen jednou”)

*§“Something Fishy in Pompeii,” Candis, July 2003 (UK); first US publication, EQMM, March/April 2004

“The Eagle and the Rabbit,” in the anthology Warriors, ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, Tor Books, March 16, 2010; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

*“Ill Seen in Tyre,” Rogues, ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, June, 2014. This is an original Gordianus story that takes place during his youthful journey to see the Seven Wonders of the World. From the editors’ storynote: “Set in the fabled city of Tyre in 91 B.C., ‘Ill Seen in Tyre’ is a previously untold episode from the journeys of the young Gordianus. As Gordianus discovers, Tyre was also the location, a hundred years before his visit, of the only known earthly adventure of two of the greatest rogues in literature, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (as recounted in Fritz Leiber’s 1947 novella Adept’s Gambit, later included in the Leiber collection Swords in the Mist). This mulit-dimensional crossing of paths in Tyre might seem a mere coincidence, but as Gordianus learns, on earth as in Nehwon, all stories and storytellers are subtly, even magically, connected.”

*“The Staff of Asclepius,” EQMM, July 2016; a second previously untold episode from the journeys of the young Gordianus set on the island of Rhodes, written especially for inclusion in this 75th Anniversary issue of the magazine featuring mystery authors who made their debut in EQMM (as Steven did with the story “A Will Is a Way”).

First publication data for The Seven Wonders of the World short stories
(all incorporated into the novel THE SEVEN WONDERS, published June 2012 by St. Martin’s Press in the US, Constable in the UK)

*∞“The Monumental Gaul,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, August 2011; the setting is the Colossus of Rhodes in 92. B.C.

*∞“The Witch of Corinth,” Fantasy & Science Fiction, July-August 2011; an interlude in the sequence, set not at a Wonder but at the ruins of Corinth in 92 B.C.

*∞“Something to Do with Diana,” The Mammoth Book of Historical Crime Fiction, ed. Mike Ashley, published August 2011 by Constable & Robinson in the UK; published September 2011 by The Running Press in the US; the setting is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in 92. B.C.

*∞“Styx and Stones,” Down These Strange Streets, ed. George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, Ace Books, October 2011 (also available in the UK); published as “Estige e pedras” in the Brazilian Portuguese edition, Ruas Estranhas, published 2012 by Casa da Palavra, Rio de Janeiro; the setting is Babylon (site of both the Walls and the Hanging Gardens) in 91 B.C.

*∞“The Widows of Halicarnassus,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012; the setting is the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in 92 B.C.

*∞“O Tempora! O Mores! Olympiad!,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 2012; the setting is the Temple of Zeus at Olympia during the Games of 92 B.C.

*∞“The Return of the Mummy,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2012; the setting is the Great Pyramid in Egypt in 91 B.C.

“Amethyst, Texas,” in Hometowns, ed. John Preston, Dutton, 1991; excerpted (as “A World of Possibilities”) in Growing Up Gay, ed. Bennett L. Singer, The New Press, 1993; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“My Mother’s Ghost,” The Threepenny Review, Fall 1991; anthologized in A Member of the Family, ed. John Preston, Dutton, 1992; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“Thom Gunn: Love in the Time of AIDS,” San Francisco Review of Books, March 92 (vol. 16 #4); Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“A Marriage Manual,” Frontiers (as “Married Men”), September 24, 1993 (vol. 12 #11); anthologized in Friends and Lovers, ed. John Preston, Dutton, 1995; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“On Writing the Historical Mystery,” The American Classical League Newsletter, Fall 1995 (Vol 18, No. 1)

“A Novel Approach,” Prospects (newsletter of the National Committee for Latin and Greek), Winter 1995

“Some Ramblings About Roman-Set Fiction,” Texas Classics in Action, Winter 1996; reprinted in The Augur (newsletter of the Illinois Classical Conference), May 1996

“A Murder, Now and Then” (Preface), Classical Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson (London), 1996

“Tarl Cabot Through the Looking Glass” (Introduction), Outlaw of Gor by John Norman, Richard Kasak Books, 1996; posted with permission in Sept. 2007 at the Web site gorchronicles.com (registration required).

“Monstrous, and True” (a review of The London Monster: A Sanguinary Tale by Jan Bondeson), Philadelphia Inquirer, February 4, 2001; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“A Trifle, a Little, the Likeness of a Dream...” (Introduction), Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie, St. Martin’s Press, April 2002; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“The Long Reach of Rome,” foreword to The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Constable & Robinson (London), August 2003; Carroll & Graf edition (US), November 2003; Czech edition (Velká kniha římských detektivek), Euromedia Group k.s.-Knižní klub, 2005 (Czech title: “Předmluva: Dlouhá ruka Říma”)

“On Big Trucks, Bush and Bikes,” The San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Sunday, October 12, 2003; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“Elöszó a Magyar Kiádashoz,” introduction to A Végzet Fegyvere (Hungarian edition of Arms of Nemesis), 2004

“Caesar’s Legacy and Its Twilight,” foreword to the omnibus edition Rome at War, Osprey Publishing (London), March 2005; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“What Made the Matrons Murder? A Poison Plot in Ancient Rome,” Mystery Readers Journal, Volume 22, No. 1, Spring 2006; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“The Best Books of 2008,” Austin American Statesman, Dec. 28, 2008. Books editor Jeff Salamon asked 36 Austinites to name a favorite book of the year; Steven chose The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, commenting: “One of the most neglected books of 2008. Sapkowski is a god in his native Poland and famed across Europe; his English-language debut got a big roll-out in the U.K., but in the U.S. we were lucky to get this mass-market paperback, and then only because of the success of a related videogame. Here is the rare fantasy that creates a compelling world without even a hint of Tolkien pastiche, because Sapkowski draws not on Anglo-Nordic but Slavic inspirations. Geralt the Witcher, monster-slayer, protects the innocent in a dangerous world of magic and illusion.”

Writers Read: Steven Saylor, posted online Oct. 24, 2010. Steven shares his impressions of the novels of Valerio Massimo Manfredi, and specifically Manfredi’s thriller The Ancient Curse; Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Nook • Ibooks editions, 2013.

“Best Books of 2010,” Austin American Statesman, Dec. 27, 2010. Various Austinites were invited to name a favorite book of the year; Steven chose Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Sam Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade by Justin Spring, commenting: “I was dazzled by Spring’s Secret Historian, and delighted when this biography became a finalist for the National Book Award. As college professor and author, Sam Steward hung out with Gertrude Stein; as tattoo artist, he inked the Hell’s Angels; and as obsessive recorder of his own sex life, he became a source of wonder to Alfred Kinsey. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This was not your ordinary life, and Spring’s book is no ordinary biography.”

Steven provided this advance comment for the novel Budapest Noir by Hungarian author Vilmos Kondor, to be published in English translation in January, 2012, by HarperCollins: “Budapest Noir more than fulfills the expectations piqued by its title. With intrepid news reporter Zsigmond Gordon as our guide, the novel takes us down the mean streets of one of Europe’s most fascinating cities during one of its darkest chapters. Fascism is on the rise and world war looms—but the immediate tragedy is the death of a beautiful young prostitute. In the best noir tradition, a single crime opens a Pandora’s box of deadly secrets. Kondor’s labyrinthine plot kept me turning the pages until the final twist.”

“Gods Among Us,” preface to Dawn of the Gods, a collection of male physique photography by Louis LaSalle, published by Bruno Gmunder, March 2013.

“A Lacuna in the Incunabula, or Oedipus Rex, Mother (-Lover) of Us All,” a presentation at the conference “From I, Claudius to Private Eyes: The Ancient World and Popular Fiction” at Bar-Ian University, Tel Aviv, Israel, 16 June, 2014.

Foreword to A Roman Death by Joan O'Hagan, Black Quill Press, 2017 (new edition of the novel originally published in 1988).

Roma Sub Rosa Press chapbooks: eBooks collecting scattered short stories and essays

Future, Present, Past includes the short stories “Insecticide,” “Murder Myth-Begotten” and “The Eagle and the Rabbit.” Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Ibooks • Nook editions, 2013.

My Mother‘s Ghost includes the essays “My Mother‘s Ghost,” “Amethyst, Texas,” and “A Marriage Manual,” and the short story “Kinder, Gentler.” Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Ibooks • Nook editions, 2013.

A Bookish Bent includes the essays“Thom Gunn: Love in the Time of AIDS,” “Stuart Palmer and Hildegarde Withers,” “Monstrous, and True,” “A Trifle, a Little, the Likeness of a Dream…,” “The Strange Allure of VMM,” “On Big Trucks, Bush, and Bikes,” “All Roads Led to Rome,” “Finding the Good Stuff,” “Caesar’s Legacy and Its Twilight,” “What Made the Matrons Murder?,” “Gordianus Lives! (Beware of Spoilers),” “Know Thy Subject,” and “Why I Write.” Roma Sub Rosa Press Kindle • Ibooks • Nook editions, 2013.

Barry Forshaw, The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction, Rough Guides, 2007 (includes an entry on Steven Saylor and his sleuth Gordianus the Finder).

Rosmarie Günther, “Römische Ermittlungen,” an article comparing the works of Saylor, Roberts, Davis and Stöver, in Die Antike außerhalb des Hörsaals edited by Kai Brodersen; Münster: Lit, 2003, paperback; a collection of papers about mysteries from a conference at Mannheim University.

Annette Korthaus, “Mord in Rom: hard-boiled detectives im modernen historischen Kriminalroman,” in Crimina: Die Antike im modernen Kriminalroman edited by Kai Brodersen; Berlin: Verlag Antike e.K., 2004; a collection of papers about mysteries set in the ancient world, from a colloquium at Mannheim University; the book is reviewed here.

Terrance L. Lewis, “John Maddox Roberts and Steven Saylor: Detecting in the Final Decades of the Roman Republic,” in The Detective As Historian: History and Art in Historical Crime Fiction edited by Ray Broadus Browne and Lawrence A. Kreiser, pp. 22-31; Bowling Green University Popular Press, 200o.

Robin H. Smiley, “What Caesar Saw,” Firsts, volume 5, number 11, November 1995; P.O. Box 65166, Tucson, AZ, 85728; a magazine devoted to collecting first editions of modern books; 12-page article surveys the more popular selections in the genre providing information about the current market values of the various first editions, photos of most of the covers, and short plot descriptions. Works by Irwin, Davis, Roberts, Burns and Saylor are mentioned.

Claire Sonntag, “Pudd’nhead Wilson and Arms of Nemesis: Two Portraits of Slavery,” in Prentice Hall Reference Guide, Sixth Edition by Muriel Harris, pp. 534-38; Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005

Maria Wyke, Caesar: A Life in Western Culture, Granta Books, London, 2007, and University of Chicago Press, 2008; pp. 28-32 include a lengthy excursus on Steven’s short story “Little Caesar and the Pirates” (included in the collection The House of the Vestals)

In the crime novel Phantoms of Breslau (2005), Polish author Marek Krajewski begins the book with a Steven Saylor epigraph: “Truth is like a sentence. How did I deserve it?” A character in the novel also quotes these lines: “Someone once said that at times, truth is like a sentence. You don’t deserve a sentence.” But here’s the brain-twister: Krajewski used a Polish translation of Steven‘s words in the original Polish edition, and then the English translator of that book translated the Polish version of those words back into English. The precise quote is from Roman Blood, in which the distraught prostitute Electra says to Gordianus: “Truth is like a punishment. Do I really deserve it?”