I am slightly less impressed with this book than I am with others of its kind. The illustrations of the houses are very good, and the facts contained are all accurate, but I felt like I wasn't finished, even though I had gone throught the entire book. Rather than talk about periods of history or about how specific buildings functioned, this book attempted to use broader strokes and give you an impression of what life was like for an average Roman. It does eventually start addressing portions of history, but it is almost as if Simon James is afraid to delve into the details. Given the brevity of the book, and the longevity of the legacy of Rome, this is somewhat understandable. Other books have gone in a narrative manner through history, or in a story addressing one particular Roman's experience; this acts more as a quick reference anthology.

Simon James offers his readers a look at the history of Rome and its people starting in 700 B.C. with its birth and ending in 1453 A.D. with the fall of Constantinople. James looks at important aspects of Romans lives, from government, to cities, slaves, religion, warfare and many more. An interesting aspect of the illustrations of this book is the "see through scenes" offered. These are pictures that have an overlay that shows the outside of buildings and when you flip the page you see the inside.
I think this would be a good book to use as a supplement for a social studies unit on Rome. Different aspects that James looks at may be a better fit than others. But he gives a good, concise interpretation that would be beneficial to a teacher and their students. ( )