This book is a series of chapters, each of which is a group of people or region with whom the Romans had contact: Gauls, Germans, Indians, Slavs, the Chinese, etc. It's a lovely amateurish book, in the best way possible. More and more I find that amateur historians make the best writers, and the reason why is right there in the word: They love their subject, unlike academic historians who end up either loathing or completely disinterested in their subject (If you know academic historians, you understand. If you don't, trust me on this one). What this means is that the book is very readable, very fun, and full of interesting information. Sitwell knows his sources thoroughly, brings in archaeological findings, and connects things to modern day features. Some of it is a bit strange: Talk of the "Celt mindset," for example, might be some kind of British anti-Irish sentiment or something, I don't know. But overall, it's great. My view of the ancient world is much more clear: He explains the mess of Germanic tribes, how they related to each other and the Gauls. He details the already-flourishing spice trade. I learned about Hanno the Explorer, who I had never heard about before, and who gave us the world "Gorilla"!

Rating: 5 Depressed Gauls