lius ▁Cic ero ▁to ▁his ▁close ▁friend ▁Tit us ▁Pom pon ius ▁Att icus . ▁The ▁letters ▁in ▁this ▁collection , ▁together ▁with ▁Cic ero ' s ▁other ▁letters , ▁are ▁considered ▁the ▁most ▁reliable ▁sources ▁of ▁information ▁for ▁the ▁period ▁leading ▁up ▁to ▁the ▁fall ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ▁Republic . ▁The ▁letters ▁to ▁Att icus ▁are ▁special ▁among ▁Cic ero ' s ▁works ▁in ▁that ▁they ▁provide ▁a ▁candid ▁view ▁into ▁his ▁personal ▁character ▁— ▁containing ▁conf ession , ▁fran k ▁self - re vel ation , ▁and ▁a ▁record ▁of ▁his ▁m ood s ▁from ▁day ▁to ▁day , ▁without ▁alter ation . ▁Trad itionally ▁sp anning ▁ 1 6 ▁books , ▁the ▁collection ▁features ▁letters ▁from ▁ 6 8 ▁to ▁ 4 4   BC . ▁A ▁notable ▁absence ▁of ▁early ▁references ▁to ▁these ▁particular ▁letters ▁suggest ▁that ▁they ▁may ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁published ▁until ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁century ▁AD , ▁significantly ▁later ▁than ▁Cic ero ' s ▁other ▁letters ▁and ▁quite ▁some ▁time ▁after ▁the ▁death s ▁of ▁both ▁Cic ero ▁( 4 3   BC ) ▁and ▁Att icus ▁( 3 2   BC ). ▁ ▁A ▁manuscript ▁containing ▁the ▁collection , ▁along ▁with ▁Ep ist ula e ▁ad ▁Quint um ▁F rat rem , ▁and ▁Ep ist ula e ▁ad ▁Br ut um , ▁was ▁redis cover ed ▁in ▁ 1 3 4 5 ▁in ▁Ver ona ▁by ▁Pet r arch . ▁ ▁Both ▁the ▁original ▁and ▁Pet r arch ' s ▁copy ▁are ▁lost