This is the English-language edition of a French work published in 2010 (Edition, Editions Citadelles & Mazenod. It's a very big book, measuring 11.5x17.5", printed on thick coated stock. Too heavy to read in bed or on a plane, it requires a roomy table for support. Two volumes similar in concept and format preceded this work, on the cities of Venice (2006) and Paris (2008), initiated by the French historian Georges Duby. After his death, a new team of art historians undertook to treat Rome in a similar manner. The images are shown full page or in double-page spreads, or in a four-part foldout (at least one), with bleeds of all edges in most cases--so they're huge. The text occupies a tiny proportion of the pages, and it consists of essays summarizing the epoch under consideration. The history ends with brief mention of events that occurred at the end of the 20th century, and paintings by Picasso (1962) and Renato Gutturo (1973). The volume is elegantly presented in a sturdy, illustrated slipcase. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)