The history of ancient Rome, one of the most captivating subjects in all humanities, has become a very difficult topic to write about. This difficulty is to some extent due to the high number of books (some monumental) that were, and continue to be, published on ancient Rome. Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall (1776–1788), still powerful for its famous conclusions and celebrated for its very distinctive style, and Theodor Mommsen's Römische Geschichte (1854–1885) are quintessential examples of such monumental endeavours. As for more recent publications, one may cite the Cambridge Ancient History (Volumes 7–14), the Blackwell Companions to Roman History and G. Woolf's provocative Rome: an Empire's Story (2012). It is against this rich backdrop that the seventh edition of A History of the Roman People manages to find its place under the sun, which in and of itself is an impressive feat. Indeed, it has served its purpose very well as an elegant, clear and reliable survey of the history of ancient Rome for more than 50 years. Few books offer such a balanced and scholarly introduction in terms of ancient sources, Latin terminology (see the index as a glossary of many Latin terms), concise narrative of main events and their contexts, and up-to-date discussion of the main problems of Roman history. In this latest edition a significant change is the inclusion of eighteen sidebars (pp. 29, 130, 186, 217, 227, 280, 328, 351, 381, 412, 427, 445, 459, 488, 522, 627, 629, 677) that discuss a wide range of topics from the Etruscan ‘brontoscopic calendar’ in Chapter 2 to ‘poisoning’ in Chapter 23.

The volume is divided into 38 chapters. The first 19 chapters are dedicated to early Rome and the Republic (with four introductory chapters on geography, human foundations, the civilisations of pre-Roman Italy and early Rome), and the last 19 chapters are concerned with the Empire from Augustus to c. 600 ce. Such a division is particularly useful as it keeps the book well-rounded while at the same time maintaining a good chronological order. However, it is important to note that its mainly political and military narrative sometimes excludes many aspects of Roman social and cultural life and still preserves the romantic idea of the fall of a ‘glorious Rome’. In order to compensate for the focus on political and military events, the authors (Schultz and Ward after the foundation established by Heichelheim and Yeo) include nine chapters on the social, cultural and economic life of ancient Rome (Chapters 4, 10, 11, 18, 26, 29, 33, 34, 37) that successfully mitigate the problem. Yet, the book ends abruptly with a brief chapter entitled ‘The Church and the Legacy of Rome’. The last two sentences leave us with a sense of incompleteness: ‘They would enlist the armies of heretic and pagan nations in the cause by converting their kings and queens to Rome's faith. Rome in the West would now be the Church’ (p. 720).

The strongest feature of the volume is its systematic presentation of ancient sources throughout the book. One of the best examples of such attention devoted to Latin and Greek authors as sources for Roman history is the careful description of a long list of late Latin poets and prose writers, classicising Greek poets and late Greek historians and philosophers that include Augustine (354 to 430 ce), Orosius (c. 390 to after 417 ce), Zosimus (fl. 490 to 520 ce), Procopius (c. 500 to 565 ce) and Synesius of Cyrene (c. 370 to c. 414 ce) (pp. 701–10). This traditional historiographical approach is not only very informative but also of major help to those interested in the history of ancient Rome to guide their thoughts from what ancient sources allow them to say about the Roman past. To look properly into Roman history requires a good knowledge of ancient authors and their works, and this book is an excellent starting point for students to exercise that way of thinking.

Another characteristic that deserves attention is that this latest edition still relies exclusively on English references as further readings. If there is an improvement in the way these references are presented (at the end of each chapter instead of a final and massive list of works to be read), this user-friendly and interesting update could have also included more references from different academic traditions. Although the volume seems to be intended mainly for North American students, Classical Studies attracts worldwide interest, and ancient historians are encouraged to be aware of different, older and equally relevant academic traditions as well as to learn foreign languages (ancient and modern). This is even more important in the twenty-first century when digital humanities are supposed to have improved communication and access to information.

In spite of being commonly criticised for its political and military narrative, or because it relies heavily on mainly one historiographical tradition, this volume should be seen as a standard introduction for those considering the study of the history of ancient Rome. Its reliability as a constantly updated good old-fashioned history book, along with its close attention to the ancient sources and Latin terminology, is perhaps what explains its undisputed success since 1962.