Pompeii by Ray Butterworth, Alex; Laur...

The authors give too much information or not enough and they tease the reader with an interesting paragraph or two, but ultimately, do not follow up. In most of the other chapters, the fusion between narrative and scholarship is weak, digressive and irritating. The chapter on slavery is particularly well written with the narrative sketches adding to the academic approach quite effectively. Subsequent chapters focus on slavery, Imperial and provincial government, political campaigns, the role of women and sexuality, with an extremely broad canvas. There are no footnotes and no index, so the academic reader is left with questions about the evidence presented without any help other than the bibliography at the end of the book. The academic side of the book, however, is weak and wandering. Any information about the individuals living in Pompeii is by necessity conjecture, but the authors succeed in inserting narrative about individuals into the general topic of each chapter - a book solely devoted to this approach would perhaps have great appeal for the general reader. The subsequent division of the following chapters into selected topics is quite useful. The first chapter explains the combined approach that the authors have decided upon and it is effective in the beginning.

Still, this is an excellent text to dip into for information, though it cannot be read as a straight-forward general narrative nor will a scholar of the period find much that is new. The idea is good, but this technique actually becomes irritating and frustrating after the first chapter.

Combining a literary narrative with archaeological and historical evidence, the authors hope to draw in the general reader as well. Ray Laurence, well recognised for his excellent work on the archaeological remains of Pompeii, has teamed up with journalist Alex Butterworth for this latest book dealing with Pompeii but from a somewhat different perspective than usual. While the premise of this book is both interesting and intriguing, it ultimately fails for both the general and academic reader.

Pompeii by Ray Butterworth, Alex; Laur...