Rome

The sweeping story of the city of Rome, told through twenty-two moments that shaped its history.

A Times History Book of the Year

'Vivid, pacey... Superb' The Times.

'Grand narrative underpinned by serious reading' Guardian.

'Confident, elegant... Admirably ambitious' Daily Mail.

From Romulus and Remus to the films of Fellini, Rome has always exerted a hold on the world's imagination. Now Ferdinand Addis brings the city of Rome to life by concentrating on vivid episodes from its long and unimaginably rich history.

Each beautifully composed chapter is an evocative, self-contained narrative, whether it is the murder of Caesar; the near-destruction of the city by the Gauls in 387 BC; the construction of the Colosseum and the fate of the gladiators; Bernini's creation of the Baroque masterpiece that is St Peter's Basilica; the brutal crushing of republican dreams in 1849; the sinister degeneration of Mussolini's first state, or the magical, corrupt Rome of Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

This is an epic, kaleidoscopic history of a city indelibly associated with republicanism and dictatorship, Christian orthodoxy and its rivals, high art and low life in all its forms.

Reviews for Rome:

'Superb... Rome's history is written in blood and Addis, who has a vivid, pacey writing style, spares not the squeamish as he describes three millennia of violence from the first kings to Il Duce' The Times.

'This is a confident, elegant account of the city's progress... [Addis's] version is admirably ambitious and succeeds splendidly in a task that would daunt lesser authors' Daily Mail.

'[Addis] brings Rome's history alive through grand narrative... The snappy paragraphs are underpinned by serious reading... Addis's chosen formula is to serve up selected highlights but to come at them from quirky angles' Guardian.

'From its ancient foundation to the Second World War, via Gauls, ghettos and gladiators, its 22 chapters focus on the themes of individuals, myths and beliefs' BBC World Histories.

'He brings the myth of Rome alive by concentrating on vivid episodes from its rich history. This is a book about people, and their experiences, prejudices and beliefs' Oxford Times.