Hadrian's Wall: North-West Frontier of Rome

New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1995. 244 pages, 18 plates, illustrations, map; 22 cm. First published, 1969. Near fine. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Spine slightly rolled at the crown. First edition thus. Fine DJ. "Hadrian's Wall is the most important surviving memorial to the military might of Rome--much admired and emulated as a model of frontier management. Yet the author's provocative study vigorously attacks tradition, calling the wall a military triumph but a political disaster. The failure of the Romans to pacify the Caledones produced a military situation that compelled the establishment of a strongly defended frontier, the maintenance of which upset the economic balance of the province. This book is an impressive study of a province militarily uncertain, economically unviable, and politically unstable. It is also a clear, thoughtful, and eminently readable history of the Roman occupation of Britain through four centuries of existence." - Publisher.. 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. 8vo.