Recently learned that much of what we know about Julius Caesar comes from an autobiography he wrote while in Gaul. My google-fu has failed me and I can't find a recommended english translation of the original. Any pointers? Thanks
You're looking for 'Commentarii de Bello Gallico', 'Commentaries on the Gallic War' in English. It's not really an autobiography, but a propagandic report on his conquests in Gaul, still a very good read though. There are a lot of English translations, even available online. You can find one here:
The Oxford World Classics are usually the best I've come across, though I'm not sure they've published Caesar yet. Penguin Classics would therefore be your best option. There's also the Perseus website, which offers many free translations, though these are old 19thC ones so you may find the language difficult.
For anything classical related get the Loeb version. The benefit to this is that on one side it's in English, the other in Latin. The Gallic Wars are consisted introductory material for Latin students, and I find it helps to just be able to translate it myself if I want further context. They will also have footnotes explaining confusing phrases. It shouldn't too hard even if you've never studied Latin.
It also comes with highly detailed maps of the area, along with the routes his legions took during their campaigns. My favorite extra section included was about how Caesar built the bridge over the Rhine, with drawings so you can know what it probably looked like. The Loeb series was made for amateur classicists.
On a related note, is the Latin close enough to what they teach in schools today that you could read it untranslated without being a lifelong scholar of the language?
Can anyone recommend a good spanish version? thanks
I had to read it for Latin class in college, and I found a great interlinear translation from 1932 published by David McKay Company (no author given).
I really liked the interlinear format: instead of, say, Latin on one page and English on the other, the book had the Latin line with a direct English translation below it (instead of a perfect English translation, it might say something like "Himself hastens hither with the forces of foot"). If I was called on in class to read aloud, and couldn't figure it out myself, I'd just read the book's translation aloud, slowly, as if I were having issues translating it. Best $10 I ever spent! ;)
The Loeb Classical Library editions are good. They have Latin on one side and the English translation on the other.