"Expect to be engaged by an enthralling book."—Spectator
"Rich and provocative."—Times Literary Supplement
"[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."—Scotsman
"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 Independent
"This is a very sensible, readable, and useful volume. . . . A valuable contribution to scholarship on a difficult topic."—Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"Wide-ranging, deeply thought, and extensively researched."—Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"Beard discusses theories of humor, power relationships, evolutionary psychology and much more in Laughter in Ancient Rome."—Scientific American
"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
"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
"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."—Hermathena
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”.—Phoenix
"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
"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
“
Laughter in Ancient Rome is a masterwork, simultaneously a sophisticated work of historical and literary scholarship and an unputdownable read. Beard never loses sight of the specificities of Roman culture, yet she encompasses an extraordinary range of ancient and modern theorizing. Her book will appeal to psychologists and anthropologists, as well as to classicists and indeed anyone who has ever thought about the much-debated question of why we laugh.”
—William V. Harris, William R. Shepherd Professor of History at Columbia University, and author of
Dreams and Experience in Classical Antiquity “With a bounty of suggestive and unfailingly intelligent conclusions about the situation of laughter within ancient Roman culture, Beard’s remarkable learning is displayed on every page.
Laughter in Ancient Rome is unmistakably a work of scholarship, but it is also an unpretentious and inviting exploration available to anyone who is interested. As a literary attainment, this book is marvelous.”
—Dylan Sailor, Associate Professor of Classics at University of California, Berkeley