In the original dust jacket. Green cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

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First edition: as the photographs depict this book is in very good condition with little or no sign of reading or age wear.

Frank Sear traces the evolution of architecture during the four centuries from the late Republic, when Roman building came of age, to A.D. 330, when Constantine moved the empire’s capital to Constantinople. More than 200 photographs, maps, and drawings illustrate a discussion ranging over the extent of the empire, from Italy and North Africa and to the European and eastern provinces.Sear elucidates the complex development of Roman architecture by studying in detail the one site he feels to be the most significant and representative of a given period or province and by placing each site in its historical and cultural context. Incorporating the latest archaeological findings, Sear treats much more than stylistic innovations; he carefully considers the building methods and materials used by Roman architects and engineers, and he pays close attention to the conditions under which the buildings were erected. This updated edition of Roman Architecture includes a full bibliography.

Reviews: 

• Frank Sear has entered the arena…. Beginning with a brief chapter on Republican construction, he follows chronologically with chapters on Italian projects by Imperial patrons, from Augustus through Hadrian…. Post-Hadrianic buildings are first introduced in the provinces, then succinctly summarized in a final chapter on the Late Empire. Separate sections cover Roman building types; architects, building techniques, and materials; and de rigueur analysis of the best preserved Roman cities, Pompeii and Ostia…. His descriptions of Roman structures are succinct and informative, encompassing archaeological as well as architectural data. The engineering aspects are particularly well explained, from the workings of a Roman bath to the erection of a lighthouse, and the explanations are supported by clear, well delineated drawings.

• “Attractive and carefully presented. . . . It has the virtues of being clear, concise, and readable.”–Times Literary Supplement
• “Frank Sear has entered the arena. . . . Beginning with a brief chapter on Republican construction, he follows chronologically with chapters on Italian projects by Imperial patrons, from Augustus through Hadrian. . . . Post-Hadrianic buildings are first introduced in the provinces, then succinctly summarized in a final chapter on the Late Empire. Separate sections cover Roman building types; architects, building techniques, and materials; and de rigueur analysis of the best preserved Roman cities, Pompeii and Ostia. . . . His descriptions of Roman structures are succinct and informative, encompassing archaeological as well as architectural data. The engineering aspects are particularly well explained, from the workings of a Roman bath to the erection of a lighthouse, and the explanations are supported by clear, well delineated drawings.”–Design Book Review