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

City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction | David Macaulay | Roman Architecture Explained: Fascinating!

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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 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Text and black and white illustrations show how the Romans planned and constructed their cities for the people who lived within them.

A Ground Breaking Book

When David Macaulay published this book in 1974, he was following in the path of the great American illustrators Edwin Tunis and Eric Sloane. They produced many memorable history books for young adults in the years following the Second World War. Tunis and Sloane blended well written history with well done pen and pencil illustrations. "City" follows the standard convention of beginning with a parcel of undeveloped land and showing the building process as the project progresses to a completed Roman city.

What makes this book so important is that David Macauley was able to expand the age paremeters and produce a beautiful book that could appeal to both young children and adults. His skills as a story teller and illustrator allowed people to look architecture and history in a new light. There are other illustrators with stronger drafting skills but there is nobody with more imagination. Macaulay is not afraid to enter into an image and tear it apart and look at it from many different viewpoints. There is a sense of movement and playfulness in his illustrations that make him unique.

This book is so important in the history of children's non-fiction literature because David Macaulay opened the doors for a whole series of children's book illustrators who have produced hundreds of illustrated history books.

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Roman Architecture Explained: Fascinating!

In this book, David Macaulay expertly describes and illustrates the construction of the imaginary Roman city of Verbonia. It is based hundreds of real Roman cities built between 300 B.C. and A.D. 150. I was amazed at the planning that went into the city, and the systematic and precise manner that everything was managed. I was fascinated to learn how they built the aqueducts for the city's water supply, even going through hills, and the sewer system underground to keep the city sanitary. The architecture of the forum and baths was so intriguing. Of course, this might be expected from the author of "The Way Things Work"! His detailed drawings are fabulous. This a terrific book for learning about Roman cities in this time period and for studying the way the cities were put together to provide for all the needs of the inhabitants.

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How Romans Built

When taken together as a collection, Macaulay's books, from Castle and Cathedral and Pyramid, Mill, Unbuilding, Mosque, and most definitely this one, City, create what is probably the most readable, retainable, and approachable exploration of the story of architecture that's out there. These books, each highlighting an era and a project, are all a lot of fun to look at, read, and think about, and in this volume, City, the foundation and construction of a Roman population center is detailed. From the explanation for why the Romans built cities from scratch, to the selection and preparation of the site, to the actual erection of a brand new city, Macaulay leaves nothing unexplored or unexplained. These books are as enjoyable for adults as they are for children, and are truly classics of our time.

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David Macauley is brilliant!

This video presentation of the building of the city of Rome is a must for anyone interested in the classics or architecture.
I intend to share it with my Latin classes so that they can appreciate the genius of the Roman civilization. Did you know the Romans invented building arches with cement?
Warmly,
Robert D. Askren,Ph.D.

Another great David Macaulay book

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5 is that David Macaulay has set the bar so high for himself over the years by writing and illustrating some real masterpieces such as Castle and Cathedral. City is also a great book, just not quite as amazing as others he has written. I bought this for my son, who has always been intrigued by construction projects, but I have also enjoyed it quite a bit.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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