"Rich and provocative."
Times Literary Supplement
"Beard discusses theories of humor, power relationships, evolutionary psychology and much more in Laughter in Ancient Rome ."
"Laughter in Ancient Rome is a book that is filled with good sense and sound scholarship. It is a worthy successor to the previous published volumes of the Sather lectures."
"This is a very sensible, readable, and useful volume. . . . A valuable contribution to scholarship on a difficult topic."
Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"Laughter in Ancient Rome is never dull. Beard's tone is conversational throughout, and it's almost as if the reader gets to experience a little of what she's like as a lecturer."
"Wide-ranging, deeply thought, and extensively researched."
Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Beard’s ability to draw together a wide array of ancient and modern references in her discussions is impressive... Laughter in Ancient Rome succeeds in leading sympathetic readers on a stimulating journey through Roman “laughterhood”.
"What made the Romans laugh? It’s an incredible, almost childlike thought to have. But in this characteristically brilliant book by Mary Beard, this simple thought becomes a mental projection that conjures up the world of Rome as well or better than any book in recent memory."
"You can read hundreds of books on Roman emperors and conquests; this represents a valiant attempt to bring a little understanding of a smaller, but no less important, part of what made Rome run."
Columbus Commercial Dispatch
"Few things are more tiresome than seeing a joke analyzed. . . . Beard’s book avoids pedantry but also its opposite, the archness that preens itself on 'not taking humor too seriously' and signals inane wordplays with 'pun intended!' More importantly, her treatment makes one look with new eyes . . . even at works she does not herself discuss . . . [a] stimulating book."
"Like a great piece of archaeology, Laughter in Ancient Rome allows us to glimpse ourselves in the cracked mirror of a distant culture."
"Written in Beard's trademark combination of erudition and effortless prose, Laughter in Ancient Rome is a fascinating combination of history, psychology, linguistic exploration and humor. This is scholarly writing at its best."
Shelf Awareness for Readers
"Superbly acute and unashamedly complex. . . . To our vision of the solemn grandeur that was Rome, she restores a raucous, ghostly laughter."
"[Beard's] central question is simple: what made the Romans laugh? Her answers are pleasingly complex. . . . Beard is always enlightening, and writes with a perfect balance of forensic detail and wide-ranging intellect."
"Expect to be engaged by an enthralling book."
Laughter in Ancient Rome: On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up, which has just been published, is an engaging exploration of what made the Romans laugh—bad breath, among other things—but it also explores dimensions of Roman sensibility that have become elusive to us."
"Beard has posed excellent questions about Roman laughter . . . Her engaging style of writing draws the reader into the discussion. . . . A must read."
American Historical Review
Beard’s ability to draw together a wide array of ancient and modern references in her discussions is impressive... Laughter in Ancient Rome succeeds in leading sympathetic readers on a stimulating journey through Roman “laughterhood”.
Beard’s ability to draw together a wide array of ancient and modern references in her discussions is impressive... Laughter in Ancient Rome succeeds in leading sympathetic readers on a stimulating journey through Roman “laughterhood”.
"Wide-ranging, deeply thought, and extensively researched."
Journal of Ícaro|Ícaro|Ícaro|Interdisciplinary History
"Laughter in Ancient Rome is never dull. Beard's tone is conversational throughout, and it's almost as if the reader gets to experience a little of what she's like as a lecturer."
Irish Ícaro|Ícaro|Ícaro|Independent
"[Beard] makes the Romans come alive and through them, gets readers to ponder that most fundamental and uniquely human facilitylaughter. The phenomenal Ms. Beard has written another cracking book, one of her best, I think."
Ícaro|Ícaro|Ícaro|Independent
"Beard has posed excellent questions about Roman laughter . . . Her engaging style of writing draws the reader into the discussion. . . . A must read."
American Historical Review - John R. Clarke
"This is a very sensible, readable, and useful volume. . . . A valuable contribution to scholarship on a difficult topic."
Bryn Mawr - Kristina Milnor
"A fun read . . . accessible yet academic."
"What made the Romans laugh? It’s an incredible, almost childlike thought to have. But in this characteristically brilliant book by Mary Beard, this simple thought becomes a mental projection that conjures up the world of Rome as well or better than any book in recent memory."
Flavorwire - Jonathon Sturgeon
"Like a great piece of archaeology, 'Laughter in Ancient Rome' allows us to glimpse ourselves in the cracked mirror of a distant culture."
Washington Post - John Domini
"Rich and provocative."
"You can read hundreds of books on Roman emperors and conquests; this represents a valiant attempt to bring a little understanding of a smaller, but no less important, part of what made Rome run."
Columbus Commercial Dispatch - Rob Hardy
"Written in Beard's trademark combination of erudition and effortless prose, Laughter in Ancient Rome is a fascinating combination of history, psychology, linguistic exploration and humor. This is scholarly writing at its best."
Shelf Awareness for Readers - Pamela Toler
"Superbly acute and unashamedly complex. . . . To our vision of the solemn grandeur that was Rome, she restores a raucous, ghostly laughter."
The Telegraph - Iona McLaren
"[Beard's] central question is simple: what made the Romans laugh? Her answers are pleasingly complex. . . . Beard is always enlightening, and writes with a perfect balance of forensic detail and wide-ranging intellect."
"Expect to be engaged by an enthralling book."
The Spectator - Harry Mount
"[Beard] makes the Romans come alive and through them, gets readers to ponder that most fundamental and uniquely human facilitylaughter. The phenomenal Ms. Beard has written another cracking book, one of her best, I think."
The Independent - Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
"Few things are more tiresome than seeing a joke analyzed. . . . Beard’s book avoids pedantry but also its opposite, the archness that preens itself on 'not taking humor too seriously' and signals inane wordplays with 'pun intended!' More importantly, her treatment makes one look with new eyes . . . even at works she does not herself discuss . . . [a] stimulating book."
New York Review of Books - Gregory Hays
“'Laughter in Ancient Rome: On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up,' which has just been published, is an engaging exploration of what made the Romans laughbad breath, among other thingsbut it also explores dimensions of Roman sensibility that have become elusive to us."
New Yorker - Rebecca Mead