Since Ferdière's book follows the standard pattern for provincial surveys — background; conquest and occupation; towns; country; economy; society; religion; late empire; end — there is no point in cataloguing its contents. However, it should be noted that F.'s ‘Introduction’ is unorthodox in that it deals directly with ‘background, conquest and occupation’ and summarises much of the discussion of the early imperial period to come. The result is an impression of brevity and haste followed frequently, in the main text, by one of déjà vu.

I found few errors, though it was Valerian, not Aurelian, who was captured by the Persians (17). There are, inevitably, disputable points of detail, such as that imperial taxation of the Three Gauls was supervised from Lyon by officials of the Altar (95). The most important point to make for readers of this journal is that this work is not like the stalwarts of the RKP/Batsford series which began in 1967 with Frere's Britannia, and continued with Wilkes' Dalmatia (1969), Wightman's Gallia Belgica (1985), and Rivet's Gallia Narbonensis (1988). These comprehensive syntheses of history and archaeology made figures move in the landscape, and have become standard works of reference. F.'s book is not in their league because, first, its layout comes between its content and the reader. There are no part-, chapter- or section-numbers; and page-numbers are frequently displaced by figures and plates, impeding citation and reference. Many diagrams lack full keys (e.g. fig. 1), or have keys that are poorly linked to the text (e.g. fig. 36b) or even hard to understand (e.g. fig. 71a/b, ‘après le test de Khi2’). There is a marked absence of good maps. Most references are to the mean and over-busy effort opposite the main title page (the absence of reference to the Barrington Atlas is inexcusable). There is no index. Second, though explanation of some basic concepts, such as the fact that Romanisation did not involve the mass immigration of Romans (23), suggests that the book is directed at the ‘general’ reader, this is not consistent. ‘La Tène finale’ and ‘Dressel 1’ (10), leaguestones (90), and the Magna Mater and Mithras (116) appear without elucidation. The result is that often (e.g. concerning Late Roman taxation (147)) it is possible to see what F. is driving at only if one already knows something of the history of Gaul. That the target audience is, in fact, the ‘general’ reader is confirmed by the lack of citation of modern works, all banished to the bibliography. This last lists references by chapter, but those given are few and not easy to relate to particular points. Given their, albeit inconsistent, concern for the ‘general’ reader, I was puzzled by F. et al.'s lack of success in making figures move in the landscape even on those occasions when this should be easy. More could have been made of the personalities and activities of the individuals mentioned on the ‘Thorigny marble’ (24–5) and in the Testamentum Galli Lingonis (123), not to mention of the martyrdom of Blandina (ignored on 155). Third, and fundamental, as F. acknowledges throughout (9, 32, 159), unlike other provinces, Gallia Lugdunensis never existed as a distinct geopolitical entity, and so never had its own history, economy or culture: it was what was left after the creation of Narbonensis, Aquitania and Belgica/the Germanies.

So what do we have from F. and his collaborators? First, a wealth of glorious plates, some covering two sides, the most striking of which is that of the Lyon circus-mosaic (fig. 32); these will greatly aid the preparation of future PowerPoint presentations. Second, a useful check-list of themes, points and sites relating to Lugdunensis. Third, a clear awareness of the general direction of Gallo-Roman archaeology, visible in, say, close attention to ‘agglomérations secondaires’ (67–78). Fourth, a profusion of hints of particular new research in the region, in the case of, for example, towns, from High Roman waste-disposal (37, 62) to the complexities of the Late Roman ‘decline’ (135). And fifth, as might be expected from scholars of the quality of F. and his associates, a range of stimulating aperçus, including observations on the cultural significance of the provision of butcher's meat in towns (26, 44) and on Lugdunensis's trade with Britain as one of the few features that made the province different from its neighbours (9–10, 96).

Sadly, these days, almost no undergraduates and few junior postgraduates will dare tackle a book in French. At €65.00 it is not cheap, and since it is not really a work of reference most university teachers will hesitate to recommend it for purchase by financially straitened institutions. However, it deserves a place in major research libraries.