Paul Roberts (4) (1961–)

I recently saw this catalog’s exhibit at one of my local museums. Mask mandates and limited capacity/physical distancing rules were still in place at the time and I felt safe enough to see the exhibit in its entirety. It was an interesting exhibit but I thought I’d also read this exhibit catalog after I saw it. I often read the catalogs before I see exhibits. I wasn’t sure if I needed to read the book but I’m glad that I did. There was much more in the book than in the exhibition, show more though there were some objects that were not in the book that were at the museum, such as the food remnants, and there was a video as well. The book is well written, interesting, text heavy but with great photos & other images. I recommend seeing the exhibition and reading the book, though doing one or the other is enough to get a satisfying experience. I learned a lot from both. Excellent museum exhibit catalog! 4-1/2 stars show less

This magnificently illustrated book explores the lives of the ordinary people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the two cities on the Bay of Naples that were buried by the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

For me, these faces are the most vividly alive of all those in ancient art --looking at them they seem to be real people looking right back.

To my deep regret, I had to leave London before this exhibition opened, but I got the catalog. A well-illustrated account of life in tee cities before the disaster.