Pompeii and Herculaneum: The Glory and the Grief (Ancient Cities of Art) by Brion, Marcel - 1960

New York: Crown Publishers, 1960 The sites dramatically obliterated by lava two thousand years ago; but miraculously not destroyed - simply entombed. Marcel Brion, as historian, novelist and art critic brings to colorful life this bustling first century metropolis. The tremendous drama of the earthquake in 62 A.D., and the tragedy of the holocaust 17 years later, are empathetically presented. Brion also recounts the painstaking task of removing the `protective' layer of lava which revealed - as if a clock had abruptly stopped - this Graeco-Roman city beneath. Over 180 photographs, with many in color, were taken especially for this book and include objects rarely, if ever seen, even by visitors to the archaeological museum in Naples. [NOTE - large heavy volumes wighs over 1 kg]. 1st US Edition.. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Illus. by Photographs By Edwin Smith.