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Secrets of Pompeii: Everyday Life in Ancient Rome

is a fascinating look at how Romans interacted in their public spaces, worshipped, decorated their homes, and spent their time--at the theater, in the gymnasium, in the baths and brothels. 

Resurrecting Pompeii discusses the important contribution of the human skeletal evidence to the archaeology and history of Pompeii. It provides students of archaeology and history with an essential resource in the study of this fascinating historical event.

Vesuvius A.D.79 The clearest and most scientific account of what really happened when Vesuvius erupted. Detailed information and pictures about the discovery of human remains. Highly recommended!

Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum This book presents a picture of life at the time Vesuvius erupted in a clear and vivid account: nonfiction that reads like a novel. Highly recommended!

Pompeii is the book that came from a BBC documentary about the ancient city (and also shown on the Discovery Channel in the US). This book provides a massive amount of detail about the city before, during and after the eruption of Vesuvius. Not to be missed!

Ghosts of Vesuvius : A New Look at the Last Days of Pompeii, How Towers Fall, and Other Strange Connections A strange, but fascinating look at Pompeii, the twin towers, and other connections. The author relates many Pompeii stories, rarely written elsewhere.

Pompeii : The Living City recreates the bustling life of this Roman town, as well as the eruption

Pompeii is a very readable novel about life leading up to (and including) the eruption. Recommended for those wanting to learn more about Pompeii through fiction! 

The Lost World of Pompeii contains an excellent account of the eruption as well as the excavations. It also includes more than 150 new photographs. Published in association with the World Monuments Fund.

Pompeii Written by the superintendent of the ruins (with others), this excellent guidebook is the perfect reference for anyone who wants more information about the buildings and discoveries at Pompeii. 

Pompeii by Alison Cooley examines the impact of science, archaeology, and politics upon interpretations of Pompeii over the last 250 years, including the ways in which vulcanology has transformed our picture of its last moments. Also by the same author is Pompeii: A Sourcebook which is designed more for students and provides excerpts from primary sources on Pompeii.

Women and Beauty in Pompeii explores the nature of female beauty in ancient Rome by studying depictions of women in Pompeii art. 

 Gladiators at Pompeii  Well-written look at the details of gladiator combat in general as well as the spectacles at Pompeii. Includes a few pages about female gladiators. 

And don't forget Herculaneum, Pompeii's neighboring city.

The Library of the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum

The richest finds were from a villa that came to be called the Villa dei Papiri, because it also yielded upward of a thousand papyrus rolls--the only library ever to have been recovered from the classical world. To the great excitement of contemporaries, the papyri held out the tantalizing possibility of the rediscovery of lost masterpieces by classical writers. Written for the general reader, this introduction to the ancient library describes the long and difficult history of attempts to unwind the damaged rolls. The author describes the how the ancient books were created from papyrus, and provides an account of attitudes toward books in Greece and Rome. This thoroughly researched and engaging book will be enjoyed by any reader with an interest in classical studies.

The Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum: Life and Afterlife of a Sculpture Collection

The book describes the nature of the ancient sculptures found at the Villa dei Papiri and their impact on the modern public. Their chance discovery affected the interpretation of the statues over the course of the next 250 years. The ancient sculptures were copied extensively. The author traces the popularity of these copies in Europe and America. Scientific analyses and photographs reveal both how the pieces were cast and pieced together in antiquity and how they were restored in the eighteenth century. Even though this collection has been known for two and a half centuries, this book covers for the first time the eclectic nature of the sculptures, their actual condition, and their quality, pointing in some cases to mass production.

The Herculaneum Women: History, Context, Identities

About 1710, three life-size marble statues of women were found near Portici on the Bay of Naples. This discovery led to further exploration of the site, which was soon identified as the ancient city of Herculaneum. The statues became famous throughout Europe as the "Herculaneum Women." This book presents for the first time in any language the comprehensive story of these famous statues, including their discovery, archaeological context, art history, interpretation, (an ongoing debate), and the impact of the Greek statuary types on representations of Roman women throughout the Mediterranean. No other models of the draped female body were used more often in Roman sculpture to carry individual portraits, including those of empresses, than the Large and Small Herculaneum Women.

One  of the best general books on the subject of Herculaneum, good for both teens and adults, is The Town of Hercules: A Buried Treasure Trove. Clearly written, and well-illustrated, it explains what happened when Vesuvius erupted and the results of archaeological excavations: not only the artifacts but what the discoveries have revealed about the lives of both the wealthy and working people. An earlier edition by the same author is Herculaneum: Italy's Buried Treasure. Either one is highly recommended!

Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum

"[In] this splendidly illustrated book ... Wallace-Hadrill argues for a new understanding of urban life in the early [Roman] empire. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in GrecoRoman study." Scientific American

The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250: Ritual, Space, and Decoration

"An exhaustive study of Roman wall painting, mosaic, and stucco decoration. . . . In case studies of 17 excavated houses throughout Italy, Clarke takes us through the changing styles and values in Roman life, from earlier, more functionally decorative art to the more extravagant (and at times gaudy) paintings of the Augustan age and beyond." AB Bookman's Weekly

  Other Books: For Children

Bodies from the Ash: life and Death in Ancient Pompeii  tells the story of the victims of Pompeii. After Mt. Vesuvius erupted on August 24 and 25, AD 79, Pompeii lay buried until 12 feet of volcanic ash and debris for the next 1700 years. Some attempts were made to excavate the town, but no one was certain of its exact location. Finally, in the mid-1700s, the town was rediscovered. Along with the desired treasures (statues, marble, jewelry) that excavators sought for wealthy patrons, workers also uncovered many skeletons of people who could not escape. At first, these skeletons were placed in locations within the Pompeian ruins as curiosity objects. Later, under the direction of Giuseppe Fiorelli, the hollow space around some skeletons was used as a mold. Workers poured plaster of  Paris into the cavity; when the outer shell of the mold was chipped away, the plaster body of a person remained—an imprint of that person’s last moment alive. By studying these individuals and the possessions that they had with them, Fiorelli and later scientists attempted to piece together their stories. Some 50 photographs illustrate the book, many of them rare and many from the photography archives of the Pompeii Archaeological Site.  Review

Ashen Sky: The Letters of Pliny The Younger on the Eruption of Vesuvius a well-illustrated version of the letters which offer the only eyewitness account to have survived the eruption

Pompeii (Roman World) takes young readers into the real world of Pompeiians: their homes (furniture, jewelry, clothing) and their shops and other buildings, including the gladiators' arena. Well-illustrated. 

In Search of Pompeii covers the territory of Pompeii with well-crafted drawings.

 Pompeii...Buried Alive! (Step-Into-Reading, Step 4)  is a good introduction for beginning readers who want to know about the famous tragedy.

The Pirates of Pompeii is part of the Roman Mysteries fiction series. This fast paced book will appeal to kids who like their history in more dramatic doses.

Escape from Pompeii gives a shorter fictional account of the tragedy at Pompeii with vivid illustrations. Amazon says: "this story makes an exciting introduction to a fascinating subject."

Two books by Mary Pope Osborne

Pompeii: Lost and Found A perfect introduction to Pompeii for children in grades 2-4.

Vacation Under The Volcano A fanciful look at Pompeii for kids who enjoy the Magic Treehouse series.

National Geographic (March 2006) Huge Vesuvius Eruption Buried Town 2,000 Years Before Pompeii

National Geographic: Volcanoes, Forces of Nature

Antiques Digest: The great disaster on August 24, A.D. 79

BBC News: Rare Pompeii dinner set unveiled

Pompeii's Cool Spots Offer Volcano Tips (Discovery Channel)