The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
"The transition from the first empire to the present is wonderfully retold... Heather's style is seductive and his British wit enlivens this engrossing history of the piecemeal 'restoration' of a Rome that lingers still." --Publishers Weekly"In this brilliant account... Peter Heather explains how and why efforts to reconstruct the Roman empire ultimately failed, and how they unwittingly laid the foundation for a new sort of Roman empire... This is a beautifully written book that combines sprightly narrative with detailed analysis, but never loses the big picture." --Peter Jones,BBC History Magazine"The Restoration of Romepresents an exciting and learned argument in a convincing, passionate way designed to be intelligible to a popular audience. Heather is a masterly interrogator of evidence, questioning the texts he quotes in such a way to make his book feel at times like a historical detective puzzle... This is a keenly conceived, deeply intelligent and very timely history." --Dan Jones,Sunday Times"This is the story of the birth of Europe, with its profusion of competitive states. It is told with energy and zest, full of lurid detail and enthralling biographical portraits." --Ben Wilson,Telegraph"A tightly argued and highly stimulating book that will be of obvious interest to readers curious about the aftermath of Rome's fall and the cultural and ideological legacy of Rome. The style is chatty and accessible, and the scholarship up to date and reliable." --Peter Sarris,Literary Review