Title & Author:

How to make a home : an ancient guide to style and comfort / Vitruvius and guests ; selected, translated, and introduced by Marden Fitzpatrick Nichols.

Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2025]
©2025

Description:

xxxviii, 195 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm

Series:

Ancient wisdom for modern readers

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Simplicity Is Bliss (Ovid) -- 2. How Houses Came to Be (Vitruvius) -- 3. Why Infrastructure Matters (Strabo) -- 4. Privacy Is for Nobodies (Velleius Paterculus) -- 5. A Home Should Reflect Its Owner (Vitruvius) -- 6. Don't Be Upstaged by Your House (Cicero) -- 7. Prime Real Estate Won't Solve All Your Problems (Seneca) -- 8. Displaying Portraits of Your Ancestors Could Make You Look Shabby (Juvenal) -- 9. Unless You Have Deep Pockets, the Big City Is a Death Trap (Juvenal) -- 10. Caveat Emptor (Cicero) -- 11. New Construction Requires Your Presence and Input (Cicero) -- 12. The Decorator Must Understand Your Vision (Cicero) -- 13. So Your Architect Blew Through the Budget: Now What? (Vitruvius) -- 14. When Redecorating, Use the Most Expensive Materials the Least (Vitruvius) -- 15. Overspend, and Your Home Could Ruin You (Bibaculus) -- 16. Neglected House, Neglected Soul (Plautus) -- 17. They Don't Make Them Like They Used To (Seneca) -- 18. The Golden Mean (Cornelius Nepos) -- 19. The Consummate Villa, the Perfect Home (Pliny the Younger).
Ancient Greek and Latin texts with parallel English translation.

Summary:

"The idea that our homes can communicate professional as well as personal identities may seem as new as the work-from-home revolution. But it was second nature to the ancient Romans, for whom the home was in many ways the center of public and private life. Roman authors saw infinite practical and symbolic value in houses, and they have much to say about them. 'How to Make a Home' presents some of the best Roman writings on houses, detailing everything from buying and selling to designing and decorating" --Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

9780691249124 hardcover
0691249121 hardcover

Subject:

Vitruvius Pollio.
Vitruvius Pollio. De architectura.
Romans Dwellings Early works to 1800.
Dwellings Rome Design and construction Early works to 1800.
Architecture, Roman Early works to 1800.
Architecture, Domestic Social aspects Rome Early works to 1800.
Interior decoration Rome Early works to 1800.
Decoration and ornament, Roman Early works to 1800.
Decoration and ornament Social aspects Rome Early works to 1800.
Habitations Construction Rome Ouvrages avant 1800.
Architecture romaine Ouvrages avant 1800.
Décoration intérieure Rome Ouvrages avant 1800.
Décoration et ornement Aspect social Rome Ouvrages avant 1800.

Added entries:

Nichols, Marden Fitzpatrick, 1981- editor, translator.
Ancient wisdom for modern readers.

Ancient guide to style and comfort

Holdings:

Location: Library main y 322363
Call No.: 322363
Copy: 1
Status: Available