"This very readable, engaging book is an excellent introduction to the emperor Hadrian . It is detailed, covering an astonishing number of aspects of second-century Roman life; it is enlivened by humour, the author's personal experience, and modern comparisons. Most importantly, it provides a well-rounded, enlightening picture of Hadrian and his world. It is an essential introduction to the subject and would benefit readers from high-school age to seasoned academics." -- Classics Ireland "An excellent and highly readable account of this fascinating emperor [that] includes enough background for the story to be fully comprehensible to anyone new to Roman history" -- Classics for All Reviews "This book is beautifully written and richly informative. It offers readers a good mixture of ancient sources and modern scholarship." --Robert Gurval, University of California, USA "James Morwood's Hadrian is the perfect introduction to this fascinating and elusive emperor. Morwood has given us a wonderful panorama of the Roman empire at its zenith, based on complete mastery of the modern scholarship.

Lucid, accessible, and beautifully written, this book deserves the widest possible readership." --Peter Thonemann, Wadham College, Oxford, UK "Hadrian, "the most remarkable of all the Roman emperors" (as a famous historian called him a century ago), was regarded as a strange and baffling figure even by his second century AD contemporaries. James Morwood has produced a well-written and coherent introduction, with very up to date bibliography. He steers his way in sovereign fashion through the fragmentary sources as he follows Hadrian around the empire and manages to bring him to life." --Professor Anthony Birley, Newcastle University, UK.