The Towns of Roman Britain

London: BCA , 1976. Book Club. Hardcover. Very Good +/good. First published in 1974 and quickly became a standard source on the urban landscape of Roman Britain. The author shows how Roman towns have affected the history and geography of Britain right down to the present day. Having defined the types of Roman settlement that can be called towns, he examines the reasons which lie behind the choice of sites, the factors which caused their foundation and the way in which the towns influenced provincial life. With the aid of numerous maps, plans, diagrams and photographs, and very full documentation of sources, each town is then examined individually and in detail - its topography, historical development, institutions, buildings, inhabitants and economy. Wacher concludes with a controversial chapter about the decline of Romano-British towns in the 5th Century and argues that they did not survive as institutions into the Dark Ages. Size 25 x 19cm, 460 pages, 78 b&w plates and 89 figures. Burgundy cloth boards showing very small dent in spine in Good plain dust jacket showing minor shelf wear to edges. Internally, Very Good+: clean, bright and unmarked in excellent bindings.