City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction
4.5/5
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About this ebook
In City, David Macaulay introduces readers to the fascinating world of Ancient Roman architecture and engineering, combining straightforward text and black and white illustrations to tell the story of a city’s creation. While the Roman city of Verbonia is imaginary, its planning and construction are based on those of the hundreds of Roman cities founded between 300 B.C. and 150 A.D.
From the process of selecting the ideal site on which to build, Macaulay moves through each phase of the process. “Engineering, architectural and human details enliven a tour of the completed city—the water supply and drainage system, the forum and central market, the homes of a merchant and a craftsman, the theatre, the public baths” and much more are intricately imagined, illustrated, and explained (Kirkus).
David Macaulay
David Macaulay is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books have sold millions of copies in the United States alone, and his work has been translated into a dozen languages. Macaulay has garnered numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal and Honor Awards, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal, and the Washington Post–Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award. In 2006, he was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, given “to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.” Superb design, magnificent illustrations, and clearly presented information distinguish all of his books. David Macaulay lives with his family in Vermont.
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Reviews for City
112 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A lovely illustrated guide to the building of a Roman city from planing to population limit, with temples, baths. apartments, shop, houses, gutters, sewers, and public toilets.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amazing little book, if you have kids and this doesn't rock their little world you should probably give them up for adoption. Honestly, makes me cry when I remember what books are used at school to teach kids history.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City is David Macaulay's second book. Unlike most of Macaulay's other books in this series, rather than a single building, he draws an entire city. It is interesting and I learned a lot, the Romans were more advanced with basic infrastructure like plumbing and heating than I had imagined. I think Macaulay's subject is too broad though, so he isn't able to get into the hyper-detail that otherwise is the strength of his work that makes it so fascinating. It feels like a book for 14 year olds and not enough for the adults. Still, like all of David Macaulay's books, it is well worth it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Visually impressive and concise, it explains why many of the Roman ruins still stand. You also see how many of their techniques persist today, such as curbs, sewers, and grid-based layouts. It's meant for children, but I think most adults would find it interesting.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nice, easy, somewhat overdue research for the story I'm working on at the moment. It's a great peek into ancient technology and everyday life with a glimpse of politics, too.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love this book! Aimed at kids, its a cool book about how Roman cities were built. If you like it, check out the PBS show that Macauley did, too.
Book preview
City - David Macaulay
Contents
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
City
Glossary
About the Author
Copyright © 1974 by David Macaulay
All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to trade.permissions@hmhco.com or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.
www.hmhco.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Macaulay, David.
City; a story of Roman planning and construction.
SUMMARY: Text and black and white illustrations show how the Romans planned and constructed their cities for the people who lived within them.
1. Civil engineering—Rome (City)—Juvenile literature. 2. Rome (City)—Antiquities—Juvenile literature. 3. Building—Rome (City)—Juvenile literature. 4. Cities and towns—Planning—Rome (City)—Juvenile literature. [1. Civil engineering—Rome (City) 2. Rome (City)—Antiquities. 3. Building—Rome (City)] I. Title.
TA80.R6M3 711'.4'0937 74-4280
ISBN: 978-0-395-19492-8 (CI)
ISBN: 978-0-395-34922-9 (Pa)
eISBN 978-0-547-34802-5
v3.0816
For Janice
and things to come
special thanks to Hardu, Mary,
Sidney, Bill, my parents,
Melanie, Walter and Vitruvius.
By 200 B.C. soldiers of the Roman Republic had conquered all of Italy except the Alps. In the following three hundred years they created an empire extending from Spain to the Persian Gulf. To insure their hold over these lands the Roman soldiers built permanent military camps. As the need for military force lessened, many camps became important cities of the Roman Empire. The Romans knew that well planned cities did more to maintain peace and security than twice the number of military camps. They also knew that a city was more than just a business, government, or religious center. It was all three, but most important, it had to be a place where people wanted to live.
Because cities were built either where no city previously existed or where a small village stood, the maximum population and size were determined before construction began. The planners then allotted adequate space for houses, shops, squares, and temples. They decided how much water would be needed and the number and size of streets, sidewalks, and sewers. By planning this way they tried to satisfy the needs of every individual—rich and poor alike.
The planners agreed that when a city reached its maximum population a new city should be built elsewhere. They recognized the danger of overpopulation. A city forced to grow beyond its walls not only burdened the existing water, sewage, and traffic systems but eventually destroyed the farmland on whose crops the people depended.
Although Verbonia is imaginary, its planning and construction are based on those of the hundreds of Roman cities founded between 300 B.C. and A.D. 150. No matter what brought about their creation, they were designed and built to serve the needs of all the people who lived within them. This