S.P.Q.R: A History of Ancient Rome

by Mary Beard

Book Overview

In SPQR, an instant classic, Mary Beard narrates the history of Rome "with passion and without technical jargon" and demonstrates how "a slightly shabby Iron Age village" rose to become the "undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean" (Wall Street Journal). Hailed by critics as animating "the grand sweep and the intimate details that bring the distant past vividly to life" (Economist) in a way that makes "your hair stand on end" (Christian Science...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1631492225
• ISBN13: 9781631492228
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Almost unreadable

I’m 150 pages in and not a mention of anything really Roman; no engineering, no battles, no famous figures. It’s all very meta and conceptual. Writing style is very English; too many bumbling, over thought out sentences without much flow. The final nail for me was the author’s choice to end the story 200 years before the Visigoth’s sacking of the city! I really wanted to like this book but just could not get into it.