The first decade of the new millennium witnessed a surge of publications, for both the generalist and specialist, dealing with the history, archaeology, art and culture of the Bay of Naples during the Roman period. As we enter the second decade, interest in the region and its material culture will likely not wane. And while M.'s publication of Winckelmann's Letter and Report on the Discoveries at Herculaneum may be seen as simply another addition to this long list of publications, its value should not be underestimated. Setting aside for a moment the insightful introduction and expert commentary by one of the field's leading scholars and the book's inherent interest to Romanists, M.'s translation also offers both specialists and non-specialists an accessible, primary account in English of the earliest days of activity in the region, and especially the first descriptions of works of art discovered in Herculaneum and the Bay of Naples. Winckelmann played a central part in making known to the rest of Europe the antiquities brought to light in the early excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum – antiquities that would profoundly influence Winckelmann's own interpretation of ancient art and be featured in his well-known Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums (1764).

As M. herself notes (p. vii), the book benefits from the extensive commentary and annotated bibliography found in the series edited by S.-G. Bruer and M. Kunze (Johann Joachim Winckelmann: Herkulanische Schriften), and thus it should not be seen as a replacement, but rather a complement that provides this material to an English-language audience. This is the first English translation of Winckelmann's Report (Nachrichten) since its appearance in 1764, while the Letter (Sendschreiben) was translated from German to French and eventually English as ‘The Critical Account’ by 1771; M.'s translation of the Letter is the first in English since then (pp. 3, 22–3). The book will also be of interest to scholars working on the history of archaeology and the impact of antiquarian activities in Italy and Europe during the eighteenth century. M. emphasises that these works have been largely overlooked by scholars, despite their importance as contemporary documents of early discoveries in the region, as well as unique (and critical) comments on the excavation and conservation methods of the Bourbons (p. 3).

The organisation of the book is straightforward and logical. After a brief preface, M. provides a learned introduction that contextualises Winckelmann's Letter and Report within their contemporary eighteenth-century milieu. The translations of the Letter and the Report follow, each with its own set of notes. The notes provide useful references, especially to early studies, and identify particular works that are now quite familiar to scholars of Roman art. A list of abbreviations and bibliography, as well as an index (an indispensable tool for scholars hoping to find specific accounts or information) round out the volume. The German text is not provided. Throughout M.'s translation, handsome and well-placed illustrations, mostly reproduced from eighteenth-century publications, complement the text.

As a background to her translation of the Letter and the Report and to put both works in their proper context, M. highlights Winckelmann's activity – first in Dresden and then in Rome, and also discusses his four trips to Naples, the Bourbons and their interest in antiquities, as well as the creation of the Reale Accademia Ercolanese di Archeologia and the Museum at Portici. M. notes that in both the Letter and the Report Winckelmann openly criticises the way in which excavations were carried out in the Bay of Naples and offers his own assessment of how and where they should be conducted (p. 25). M. also gives a useful overview of various people mentioned in the publications, from Alcubierre, Weber and Paderni (Director of the Museum of Portici) to members of the Royal Academy of Herculaneum, such as Bernardo Tanucci and Antonio Piaggio, commenting on Winckelmann's characterisation of these important figures and his opinion of their work (pp. 25–35).

M. understandably focusses on only some of the works of art or monuments that are more extensively described by Winckelmann, such as the Villa dei Papiri and its sculptures (pp. 27–31), the theatre of Herculaneum and the bronze horses and chariot found there (pp. 35–9). On the conservation of the fragments of the chariot and on the choice of restoring only one of the horses from the ensemble, M. highlights Winckelmann's criticism, as well as his disapproval, of other restoration works of bronzes carried out by Paderni. A section is devoted to the Royal Museum at Portici, which Winckelmann describes in detail in the Letter, noting its layout and the works of art displayed there (pp. 41–9). M. stresses (as noted above) how the works of art from Herculaneum and Pompeii described in the Letter and the Report were incorporated into Winckelmann's Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums (pp. 49–53); for example, the six bronze women (sometimes identified as the Danaids), the bronze head of a young man (only later identified as that of the Doryphorus), and the famous Seated Hermes – all from the Villa dei Papiri and all considered by Winckelmann to be Greek originals – occupy important places in his history and periodisation of Greek art.

The Letter (1762) and the Report (1764), despite the title of the latter, were both written in the form of a letter: the former was addressed to Count Heinrich Von Brühl, while the Report was addressed to the Swiss artist Heinrich Fuessli. Von Brühl and Fuessli were Winckelmann's travel companions on different trips he took to Naples in the early 1760s. For both publications, M. provides numbered headings in the margin that divide each section based on the topic of discussion; bold numbers in square brackets in the text refer to the original page numbers, while M.'s endnotes include Winckelmann's own notes, also indicated in brackets.

Rather than a catalogue of antiquities, Winckelmann intended the Letter to be an account of what he and von Brühl had seen during their trip and also objects that Winckelmann alone had the privilege to observe during visits to the museum in Portici. In particular, Winckelmann says that his focus is on the most outstanding objects, preferring to omit ‘what I have said about the paintings and statues there [Portici] in my History of the Art of Antiquity, which is currently being printed’ (p. 66). Winckelmann states that he relied upon the not-yet-published work of Giacomo Martorelli (De regia theca calamaria). After discussing the geography of the region in ancient times and the toponymy and location of the sites, Winckelmann turns to the eruption and subsequent rediscovery and excavation (including comments on early methods). He then describes the finds moving from architecture (‘subterranean sites and buildings’ [p. 78]; e.g. the theatre, ‘round temple’ and Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, a ‘shrine’ in Pompeii and a villa in Stabiae) to paintings, sculpture, inscriptions and ‘implements’ (objects of daily life). Of particular interest are his comments on the ‘Herculaneum texts’ (the papyri scrolls), which Winckelmann claims deserve ‘particular attention, much more so since nobody before myself has reported on them’ (p. 116). Throughout, we are treated to wonderful digressions (e.g. on writing in antiquity and the unrolling of the scrolls) and side notes (the discovery of the inscription that identified Herculaneum, the ‘damage’ and the ‘loss of many beautiful things’ [p. 76] at the hands of Alcubierre, or the debt owed to Weber, an ‘intelligent gentleman’ [p. 76]) that are surely of interest to anyone concerned with the history of scholarship in Roman art.

Two years later, Winckelmann's Report was published to provide an update on what was discussed in the Letters and focussed on observations made concerning the Theatre at Herculaneum, the Herculaneum Gate and the Street of Tombs in Pompeii, the so-called Villa of Cicero, as well as newly-discovered sculptures and objects. The Report was more limited in scope (53 pages) and, like the Letter, lacked illustrations.

Winckelmann's Letter and Report have remained somewhat obscure, primarily because they were followed closely by the author's magnum opus, A History of Art in Antiquity in 1764, which received multiple printings and translations. That said, M.'s new English translation will surely reach a wider audience and be a welcome addition to any university library, as well as the bookshelves of scholars interested in Winckelmann and the intersection of art history and archaeology during the eighteenth century.