Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20482 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

The Telegraph
'a well-polished, breezy account.'

Sunday Times
'MP, columnist, editor, television pundit and wit...his metaphors glitter; his similes soar...Johnson is never dull'

Sunday Telegraph
'the sublime and the bizarre are richly represented in this portrayal...a splendid romp through the Roman world'

Customer Reviews

Bringing ancient history to life
Like all good history books, this brings the past to life with a vengeance. Unlike some of Johnson's newspaper columns, this is well-written, full of insight and made me think again about all things Roman and how the legacy of Rome is still with us some two millennia later.

A great romping read
As someone who is currently studying Classical History with the Open University I am more used to text books - this, in contrast, was light entertainment, but of the best kind. Not only has Boris succeeded in making the Romans human, interesting and vibrant, he has also proved why they are so interesting to scholars. Rome in the time of Augustus was fascinating and that it can be compared so well with Europe today shows how pertinet its policies and belief systems still are. I read this on the train and when I'd finished I started it again! Absolutely great, don't hesitate to buy - even if it's just to find out about Roman fish sauce!

I came, I saw, I read.
As someone who's knowledge of the Romans was gleaned from Asterix books and Sword & Sandal epics, this was a fantastic introduction to the Roman Empire.

Now, Boris is a bit of a Tory, and though he does write thus it doesn't mean this book won't appeal to anti Tory types. Others have suggested that he could perhaps be accused of labouring the EU/Roman empire connection a tad, but it is a useful parallel. And it does help to illustrate one of the central themes of the book, that study of the classical world can still teach us much about current geopolitics and other stuff too.

The Dream of Rome was interesting, witty and thought provoking. And besides, I now know when Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated (44 BC), that there was a black Roman Emperor (Septimus Severus, who died in York by the way), that the Romans were into fish sauce in a big way and loads of other interesting stuff which will make me the toast of informed society.

I'm off to read some Virgil now. Good job Boris.