City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction | David Macaulay

City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction | David Macaulay | A marvelous book

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City: A Story of R...

	City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction David Macaulay Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books, 1983 - 112 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

another great resource from Macaulay

David Macaulay's works are always entertaining, educational and literate, and this is no exception. A multitude of black-and-white line drawings illustrate the story of Roman urban planners as they design and construct a new city on the Roman empire's frontier. Every stage is explained thoroughly using text, illustrations and charts, from developing a master plan through construction. Tools are explained, cross-sections are used to good effect and specific projects such as a house, a road, a bridge and aqueduct, the forum and central market, public baths, the sewer system and an amphitheater and theater are represented. The book ends with a one-page glossary. If you or a student you know is interested in Roman engineering, this would be a marvelous book to read.

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A marvelous book

I had the good fortune to receive this book as a gift some twenty years ago as a child. The basic premise is simple enough: these people from another time and country are going to build something, and the book is going to show us how they did it. The text itself, as with many children's books, is relatively simple, but the intricate pen-and-ink drawings are spellbinding. Time and again I would go back to CITY, and pore over the pictures, often discovering some previously-overlooked detail that Macaulay had included.

I highly recommend CITY, and Macaulay's other architectural books, to both children and adults. Most children are inherently curious, and interested in how things are made, why they work, and who made them. Macaulay teaches those things in his books, but more importantly, the books draw the reader in and stimulate the imagination. There's a hands-on history lesson inherent in each of these books, a brief glimpse at other cultures around the globe and in different times. Whether it's ancient Egypt, classical Rome, medieval France, or 18th Century America, the worlds in Macaulay's books are always fascinating to visit.

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Excellent resource

As a teacher I constantly seek new resources for the classroom. I teach high school and find this resources reaches all levels. My own college student sat down and devoured this book. You will not be dissappointed as Mr. MacAulay once again dissects the difficult and dry and produces an interesting and accesible resource on Rome.

A "must read" for anyone planning to visit Roman ruins

I read this book before going to Pompeii and Herculeum, and it greatly enriched my appreciation for and understanding of those sites. Guidebooks may help you develop a general idea as to the use of a particular building, usually help you find that building, and may give you an idea as to what that building looked like 2000 years ago. This book gives you a brief, easily accessible account of what life was like in these places and helps you identify and understand little details that you otherwise would have either missed or puzzled over. It will greatly increase your appreciation for the Romans as engineers and urban planners!

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Excellent resource

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