Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pen and ink. Black and white. Cross-hatching. These are definitely not lost arts. At least not in David Macaulay’s hands.
This beautifully drawn, carefully written tale is a slight departure from everything else I’ve seen by the amazing David Macaulay. Rome Antics still contains plenty of architectural drawings, but the story itself is different and not historically based. The images are the lesson on Rome’s many ancient and historical buildings and sites.
The book follows the antics of a homing pigeon through the streets of Rome. After being charged with an important message, the pigeon treats us to a tour of one of our ancient cities of the world, but during modern day, to deliver the message to the intended recipient. Once you have completed reading the book for the first time and read the delivered message, each subsequent reading will have additional meaning for you. All I’ll say in addition is that in case you missed it at the beginning, you’ll discover the book’s play on words at the end of the story.
There is just enough text in this book to carry on the storyline, and give information about what buildings and sites you see. At the end of the book is an overview map of the city, showing where the pigeon flew. Following that, each landmark is drawn and described in more detail.
Rome Antics would be an excellent gift for anyone who loves Rome, or ancient buildings, or just a story well-told and well-shown. Whether it’s a gift for someone else, a gift for your children or a treat for yourself, this beautiful picture book will be treasured for a long time to come.
Rome Antics retails for $18 for hardcover and $9.99 for softcover. I have also reviewed another of David Macaulay’s books, Built to Last, for GeekDad.
Note: I received a copy of the book for review purposes.
