City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1974, the year after Cathedral. Where that book followed a single building, City tackles an entire urban infrastructure: the planning and construction of a Roman colonial city from scratch, based on the real Roman practice of founding new cities according to standardized plans throughout their empire.
Macaulay calls his city Verbonia and sets its founding in 26 BC. The book traces every stage: the military surveyors who choose the site and lay out the grid; the construction of walls and gates; the building of the forum at the crossroads of the two main streets; the aqueduct that brings water from distant hills; the public baths with their sophisticated heating systems; the amphitheater; the temples; and the private houses that fill the grid.
The genius of the book is its cumulative effect: by showing each element in sequence, Macaulay reveals how Roman cities were not random accumulations of buildings but integrated systems — the aqueduct connects to the baths which connect to the sewers which drain to the river. Every piece depends on every other piece. The result is a profound appreciation for the engineering intelligence that underpinned Roman civilization — and, by implication, all urban civilization.
Collecting City
First edition (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1974): Oversize hardcover with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $40–$100
- Very good: $15–$40