City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction

Amazing little book, if you have kids and this doesn't rock their little world you should probably give them up for adoption. Honestly, makes me cry when I remember what books are used at school to teach kids history.

Fascinating! I bought "Castle" for homeschooling this year but haven't read it yet. I read this one just for fun because of my interest in Latin and Rome and whoa! It's incredible. I decided to just buy all of Macaulay's books.

In the book “City” by David Macaulay, the reader is absorbed into the world of the Romans in the imaginary city of Verbonia. The reader is allowed an intimate view of how they planned and built their cities and complexities of design. The author explains in detail everything from the early planning and surveying to the sewage and roads and construction of the Coliseum. This book gives you insight into the everyday lives of Romans and how they built such an elaborate civilization.

City is David Macaulay's second book. Unlike most of Macaulay's other books in this series, rather than a single building, he draws an entire city. It is interesting and I learned a lot, the Romans were more advanced with basic infrastructure like plumbing and heating than I had imagined. I think Macaulay's subject is too broad though, so he isn't able to get into the hyper-detail that otherwise is the strength of his work that makes it so fascinating. It feels like a book for 14 year olds and not enough for the adults. Still, like all of David Macaulay's books, it is well worth it.

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2008 cc-by-nd

Visually impressive and concise, it explains why many of the Roman ruins still stand. You also see how many of their techniques persist today, such as curbs, sewers, and grid-based layouts. It's meant for children, but I think most adults would find it interesting.

Nice, easy, somewhat overdue research for the story I'm working on at the moment. It's a great peek into ancient technology and everyday life with a glimpse of politics, too.

Excellent drawings and dense with information. There's no action or excitement, but students who have an interest in classical Roman history will especially appreciate this book. Details of everyday life will surprise students who do not understand the relationship between modern ways and old ones. See other books in this series, but this one is my favorite.