"[This book] stands out as a superior work against all the competing texts . . . the work is ideal for students and interested non-professionals. The texts are all translated into clear, accurate English. They are also thoroughly contextualized, both in categories as well as individually. This insistence on the historicity of the sources sets the book apart from the norm. The book also benefits from Harvey's extensive, almost encyclopedic, knowledge of inscriptions, which are used as important sources along with the literary excerpts. Finally, the many photos by the author himself augment the texts and are themselves analyzed as unique sources." —Steven L. Tuck, Miami University, Ohio

Here are well chosen pieces, with brief, clear introductions, beautifully translated. A model sourcebook. — The Reading Room , classicsforall.org.uk

A welcome addition to those seeking to illustrate 'Roman' culture by providing the uninitiated with access to the ancient sources, with Harvey bringing to bear his own particular interest in the epigraphical evidence and introducing a number of texts not usually encountered outside more specialist source collections. . . . Those who come to this volume without previous instruction will find much to entertain them, students with teachers to guide them through the maze of mirrors (and Harvey's running introductions point the way) will find here a useful base for discussion, and scholars who come with an open mind will be glad to have been reminded of a few items they may have forgotten and perhaps to stumble across items previously unnoticed. —- Tom Hilliard, Macquarie University, in The Classical Review

"Harvey has compiled [an] attractive new sourcebook of ancient texts meant to provide a more human window into how the ancient Romans lived and thought about their world. "To his credit, Harvey has done his own new translations for all the passages. . . . This is on the whole a welcome choice, as it lends itself to a consistency in translation style, and his renderings read smoothly, a crucial factor in making the text more accessible and enjoyable to the target market of students who are most likely unfamiliar with these texts. "Harvey's sourcebook does a remarkable job of packing a wealth of information into a compact, user-friendly volume, and it deserves the full consideration of any teacher looking for a sourcebook to complement a course on ancient Rome. . . for the foreseeable future I will now be using Harvey for my Roman civilization courses, primarily due to its much greater affordability and accessibility to newcomers." —Mark Thorne, Luther College, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review