The Complete Pompeii

A gloriously illustrated and comprehensive survey of the most famous ancient site in the world.

The dramatic story of Pompeii's destruction has been handed down to us by Roman writers, its paintings and mosaics have astonished visitors since their discovery in the eighteenth century, and its houses and public buildings to this day present a vivid picture of life, disaster, and death in a Roman town.

Pompeii is not quite a time capsule, a frozen moment in history, but it is probably the closest we will ever get to one. This up-to-date new survey draws on evidence produced at the cutting edge of modern archaeological research, revealing how the evidence for life in this city was first uncovered, and how archaeologists over the centuries have unpeeled the layers that enable us to reconstruct Pompeii's history.

With its lavish illustrations, covering monumental architecture and inscriptions, shops, graffiti, wall-paintings, and mosaics, plus its numerous box features ranging from theatrical entertainments to water supply, The Complete Pompeii is the ultimate resource and inspirational guide to this iconic ancient town. 360 illustrations, 320 in color.

Among the many topics covered:

• how Pompeii was destroyed in the eruption of AD 79

• what we know of the lives and deaths of its inhabitants

• what the houses tell us about the people who lived in them

• who was involved in politics

• what can be reconstructed about religious practices

I'm a Pompeii enthusiast having read many books on the topic and visited there a couple of times. This book is a good source of the history of the excavations among other topics. Unless you're an archeology student, it's about as thorough as you might need. Another plus is the study of the suburbs of ancient Pompeii that are now being further excavated usually through tunneling. Most books just deal with Pompeii with a few pages on Herculeanium.

The letters of Pliny the Younger are translated here - he'd made copies of those he sent to a Roman historian who'd requested the story of Pliny the Elder's last day on Earth when he succumbed to the Vesuvian eruption.

About 1/3 of the photos I'd never seen before particularly the drawings, photos, maps, etc of the excavations. Life in Pompeii is well chronicled, however, if you're looking for all the casts of Pompeiians, there are just a few represented out of the 100's made.

This book is quite detailed and a fantastic summation in one source. So far it's the best I've found with a good balance of graphics and text. Very artfully done. One of the best one-stop sources of Pompeii.

I was very satisfied with the Amazon.com service,I liked the way I was informed

about the product.The book is in excellent condition,and beautifully done.

As for the delivery the book arrived just in time before my trip to Italy.

I read this to prepare for a trip to the Amalfi Coast and found it an excellent primer, discussing the archeology and art very thoroughly. It wasn't as detailed on the history of Pompeii in its heyday, but there are other sources for that. It is a clear, thorough, and well-illustrated summary of the ruins, as well as an illuminating discussion of the impact of the various discoverers and diggers who have made it what you see today.

Wonderfully complete and up to date, this book reads like a novel with information as in an encyclopedia. I have had the chance to walk the streets of this ancient city and found more enjoyment in this book for having done so.

this coffee table book, and text book, was well written, short in fact, but enough for the casual reader, filled with excellent pictures. its could be taken on a walking tour of pompeii if were not so heavy. good references. filled the bill.