Plaster Cast from Pompeii

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books and Periodicals about Pompeii

 

 

  The Most Comprehensive Book

This is the newest and most comprehensive survey of ancient Pompeii and its buried surrounding areas. It's an academic addition to the literature on Pompeii, each chapter by a well-known expert. Published by Routledge, The World of Pompeii includes the latest understanding of the region, based on the up-to-date findings of recent archaeological work. The book is also accompanied by a CD with the most detailed map of Pompeii so far, this book is instrumental in studying the city in the ancient world and is an excellent source book for students of this fascinating and tragic geographic region. A paperback edition will be published in June 2008.

 

Other New Books

The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found

The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found (preorder now; to be published November 2008)

The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79  is only part of the Pompeii's story. In The Fires of Vesuvius, acclaimed historian Mary Beard makes sense of the remains. She explores what kind of town it was—more like Calcutta or the Costa del Sol?—and what it can tell us about “ordinary” life there. From sex to politics, food to religion, slavery to literacy, Beard offers us the big picture even as she takes us close enough to the past to smell the bad breath and see the intestinal tapeworms of the inhabitants of the lost city. She resurrects the Temple of Isis as a testament to ancient multiculturalism. This book shows us how much more and less there is to Pompeii than a city frozen in time as it went about its business on 24 August 79.


Although the two covers are exactly alike, the books are very different and each worth owning.

The Complete Pompeii is an excellent resource guide to the ancient town. 360 illustrations (320 in color), this volume is thorough and very impressive. Highly, highly recommended!  

 

Pompeii Awakened presents a thorough background to the ancient site and fills in many obscure details about its rediscovery, including what happened to Pompeii during Mussolini's rise and fall from power. Excellent!

 


Antiquity Recovered: The Legacy of Pompeii and Herculaneum contains thirteen academic essays published by the Getty Museum press, covering a range of topics. One excellent chapter covers the history of the plaster casts. Highly recommended!

Pompeii: Art and Treasures of a Buried City is stunning! A huge book, filled with exquisite photos and informative text about archaeological discoveries, this is a Pompeii treasure itself! Don't miss it!

 

  Other Books: For Adults and Guided Student Research

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.

 

  Cover Image 

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 (Duckworth Archaeological Histories)                   

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. One of the best books on the subject, 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!

 

  Other Books: For Children

Bodies from the Ash 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.  

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.


 

The Buried City of Pompeii: Picture Book A compelling account, partly told in an imaginary first-person of the two days that Vesuvius erupted. Many factual sidebars are included, bringing kids up-to-date with the latest research. Excellent photos and drawings enhance the text.

 

Periodicals about Pompeii

 

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)

 

 

 

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All material on this website is intended primarily for children, educators, and parents.  
© 1988-2008 James M. Deem 
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Latest Update: 24 November 2008

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