Interesting material, presented in possibly the most glutinous prose I have ever read. A real struggle to get through to the end, like walking through a mud-filled field. ( )

I'm trying to work out why this book was such hard going.

It wasn't the writing (which was beautifully measured and sometimes even lyrical) or the notes (which were extensive, properly referenced and included after the story, so as not to clutter the main narrative) or the index (which was comprehensive, helpful and, similarly, non-intrusive).

I think it was the illustrations. Scattered quite close to the points where they are mentioned in the text, but not quite in the right place, they are un-labelled where they sit, so that you have to scan from text to picture, and back to text, to try to work out where they fit in the narrative.

On reflection, perhaps the author is trying to make our enjoyment of the book experiential: just as the remains of Roman roads are discovered by casting around for clues, so we are encouraged to hunt down the illustration that fits the description.

If this is the intention, then I'm afraid it didn't work for me.

I also found that some of the illustrations were just uninformative, so rather than adding to the text, they subtracted from it, leaving me puzzling over the meaning. The LiDAR image on pg. 129 is a good example. It supposedly shows an agger (or camber that once supported a road) but, unlabelled, it's difficult to tell an agger from the other raised feature(s) shown).

It's a shame that the illustrations detract from what is otherwise a fascinating study into the development of roads in a landscape. ( )