This book claims to be a (time) travel guide published in the year 2163 by Time Corp, a company that specializes in tour packages to various famous historical periods. In addition to some truly hilarious commentary on surviving the dangers of Roman times, it gives readers a good background of Roman history from the middle of the Republic to the fall of the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, the civil wars, and the second Triumvirate receive the most attention by far, but everything from the wars with Carthage in the 200s BC to the Gothic invasions in the fifth century AD get a mention. 

Author Jonathan W. Stokes sprinkles in an excellent introduction to everyday Roman culture in the form of “Helpful Hints,” “Excursion Recommendations,” and “People to Have Lunch With.” Travel tips include such gems as “few things can make a bad day worse than being decapitated,” and “Horses cannot be steered by telepathy. Horses do not acquire telepathy until the year 2061, after the Meteor crash,” and (on the topic of Cleopatra’s first meeting with Caesar), “If you choose to sneak yourself into Caesar’s chambers, it’s worth watching this just for the expression on his face.” There is also a highly entertaining metanarrative about Time Corp’s megalomaniac CEO, who has clearly used his ill-gotten wealth and power to turn the future into a plutocratic dictatorship with himself at the helm. Not very educational, but certainly funny.  

Unsurprising, The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Rome tends to paint Roman history in broad strokes that erase important historical nuances and play up sensational tidbits for laughs. Most of the Imperial period is covered lightly in a chapter misleadingly titled “Rome’s Top Five Craziest Emperors.” The author also tends to use modern names and titles to avoid confusing readers. For example, Caesar defeats the Swiss and the French, not the Gauls. That said, it’s overall an engaging, memorable, and amusing introduction to ancient Roman history and culture. – Krishni Burns