Overview
New master work by worldwide bestselling illustrator Stephen Biesty. The scene is Rome in AD 128. Join up with Marcus Cotta and his 9-year-old son Titus as they spend a festival day together in Rome. Each picture shows in extraordinary detail the everyday scenes and major monuments of the imperial city. Numerous cutaways enable the reader to look into the buildings, to see what the people are doing and how the buildings are constructed. Travel through Rome in one day and see what life was really like in ancient times. * The lavish illustrations include: a wild animal show at the Colosseum (teaming with 50,000 spectators); horse racing at the Circus Maximus; bathing at the Baths of Trajan; festival day at the Temple.
Full Product Details
Author: Andrew Solway ,
Stephen Biesty ,
Stephen Biesty
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 24.00cm
, Height: 1.30cm
, Length: 34.00cm
Weight: 0.658kg
ISBN: 9780199107650
ISBN 10: 0199107653
Pages: 32
Publication Date: 01 June 2003
Recommended Age: From 8 To 99
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
Stephen Biesty, illustrator of the books in the Incredible Cross-Sections series, has turned his hand to the magnificence of Rome in the first century AD. This captivating book will delight children and teachers alike - young readers will browse for hours over Biesty's incredibly detailed illustrations, brimming with detail both informative and humorous, while adults will relish the appeal of a book which is of immense educational value, but immediately accessible for children. The book follows a day in the life of young Titus Cotta Maximus, the son of a wealthy senator. It is the Festival Of Castor and Pollux, and Rome is buzzing with excitement. We follow Titus's progress as he and his father makes their way from their opulent home, to the Temple of Jupiter, the Forum and on to the Colosseum, to watch the gladiators in combat with a range of fierce animals. He then accompanies his father to the docks to check on a cargo of oil, before going to the bath house, where he enjoys a swim while his father indulges in a relaxing massage. The highlight of his day is a visit to the chariot races at the Circus Maximus, before the weary boy returns home and soon falls asleep. The day is not yet over for the rest of the family, as his parents are hosting a dinner party that evening. As night falls on Rome, and Titus dreams about the day's adventures, vagabonds are out in force; the book closes with hints that there is a darker side to this beautiful city. This is history at its most enjoyable - children will feel an instant rapport with young Titus as he strolls along eating a pizza, splashes in the pool and shouts himself hoarse at the races. There is a wealth of fascinating detail, not only in Biesty's beautiful illustrations, but also in Andrew Solway's lively captions. We are told about the buildings and the food, the system of government and the lavatories, the role of the Gods and how the Romans scraped themselves clean. This intermingling of the broad historical picture and the minutiae of daily life produces a book which will be endlessly fascinating to all children, and will be picked up and pored over again and again. Ages 8+ (Kirkus UK)
