I have a soft spot for maps, and Rome is one of my favourite cities… So, I should like a book that combines both. And this certainly does. Jessica Maier provides an impressive overview of how Rome over time has been portrayed on maps (starting with the Romans themselves). This is also an introduction to the history of Rome, with its impressive number of historic layers that are visible in the streets of the city. And at the same time it is an introduction to cartography because Maier shows very nicely how artists and scientists have developed all kinds of inventive methods to show the richness of the city in a two-dimensional way.

This was certainly enjoyable and certainly the cartographic information was new to me; for example, I learned that the 18th century Giovanni Piranesi – known for his fantastic ‘vedute’ – also ventured into serious cartography. Maier also presents the basic elements of Roman history well, although she sometimes dares to elaborate on side aspects, and I remained somewhat disappointed about the period after the second world war. There are of course many cards printed in the book, but because I only had the Kindle version, the details were sometimes very difficult to see; so I would absolutely recommend a paper version (and I hope the images are printed much larger there).

Yet I must warn anyone who was not yet familiar with Rome and hopes to get a handy introduction to Roman history here. Due to the endless succession of maps and cartographers, this seems less suitable as a first introduction. But for those interested, this - and the city itself of course - is a great book! (advanced copy through Netgalley) ( )