Skip to Main Content
University of Maryland Libraries Logo
RESEARCH GUIDES

Pompeii Resources in University of Maryland Libraries

This guide directs you to Pompeii related resources available in Special Collections at the University of Maryland Libraries.

Pompeii

Before being destroyed in 79 A.D., the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were thriving.  The location on the Bay of Naples and temperate climate enabled the population to participate in the trade and agriculture of the region.  This area was also viewed as a resort location by much of Rome's wealthy, many of whom built vacation villas there. Little did the people in Pompeii and Herculaneum know how much everything would change on August 24th, 79 A.D.

Since Pompeii was directly downwind of Mount Vesuvius, the heaviest part of the ash cloud fell there. Poisonous gas caused most peoples' deaths in Pompeii, while in Herculaneum most of the deaths were a result of pyroclastic surges of hot gas and rock.  Pompeii was completely covered in ash and volcanic deposits, which resulted in a great amount of preservation of artifacts and  buildings, and allowed the now famous casts of people and animals to be taken.

The books in this guide explore what life was like in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the eruption, the affect that eruption had, and the information that has been uncovered by archeologists over the past few hundred years.

Books on Pompeii in the Maryland Room

This page contains books that the Maryland Room currently has on the subject of Pompeii.  To narrow your search down, you can also use the drop down menu at the top of the page, which divides the subject further into "The City of Pompeii," "Art Related," and "Gardens."

English Language Books

20th Century Publications

  • Pompeii and Herculaneum, the glory and the grief. Text by Marcel Brion. Photos by Edwin Smith. Translated by John Rosenberg. - Brion, Marcel, 1895-1984 
    Call Number: DG70.P7 B74
    This book focuses on what life was like in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the eruption in 79 A.D. This book has many full page color photographs of the art and artifacts that have been found at these ancient cities. There is also a fold out map of the site of Pompeii.

  • The gardens of Pompeii : Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius / Wilhelmina F. Jashemski ; photos., drawings, and plans, Stanley A. Jashemski. - Jashmeski, Whlhelmina Mary Femmster, 1910- 
    Call Number: DG70.P7J29
    This book contains pretty much everything you might need to know about gardens and the role they played in ancient Pompeii. There are over 500 images (in a little over 300 pages) which include illustrations, maps, color photographs, and black and white photographs. There are also two fold out maps: one of the site of Pompeii, and another of the Villa at Torre Annunziata.

  • Letters from Pompeii - Jashmeski, Whlhelmina Mary Femmster, 1910- 
    Call Number: DG70.P7J29
    This book's intended audience is set towards a more juvenile crowd, but young and old alike will find this book interesting and informative. Written in an epistolary style, the book is comprised of the letters Wilhelmina and Stanley Jashemski wrote to their nieces and nephews about their travels and their stay in Pompeii. The book is filled with lovely illustrations by M. Sasek, as well as building plans and photographic prints. Inscription in book reads: "To the University of Maryland Library From Wilhelmina F. Jashemski."

  • Pompeii, its life and art, tr. into English by Francis W. Kelsey ... with numerous illustrations from original drawings and photographs. - Mau, August, 1840-1909 
    Call Number: DG70.P7M5 1902
    This 557 page second edition book is divided into six parts, all containing multiple illustrations and photographs of Pompeii. The art of Pompeii is discussed at length, as well as the architecture that houses it. Also included is a fold out map of the excavated site of Pompeii (as of 1902), along with a key for reading it.

  • A companion to the study of Pompeii and Herculaneum, by A.W. Van Buren. - Van Buren, Albert W. (Albert William), b. 1878 
    Call Number: DG70.P7 V3
    This pamphlet was published in 1933 by the American Academy in Rome and was intended to give their students a portable compendium of the documentary evidence for the interpretation of the monuments for their use while on the ground. This guide also references to further documentation and recent publications (at the time). Much of this work is in Greek and Latin, with descriptions of events by scholars such as Cicero, Seneca, Livy, and Tacitus.

  • Pompeii and the region destroyed by Vesuvius in A.D.79 [by] Stanley A. Jashemski. Text and notes by Wilhelmina F. Jashemski. - Jashemski, Stanley A. 
    Call Number: DG70.P7 J28
    This book contains text by Wilhelmina Jashemski and photographs by her husband Stanley Jashemski. Photographs include 30 images of the Pompeii area, including geography, art, architecture, remains of the city, and the modern city of Pompeii. Inscription inside of book states: "To the Maryland Room University of Maryland Library with much appreciation Wilhelmina Jashemski."

    19th Century Publications

    Pompeiana: the topography, edifices and ornaments of Pompeii, the result of excavations since 1819 - Gell, William, Sir 1777-1836 
    Call Number: DG70.P7G4 1832
    There are 88 prints in this book, with large descriptions accompanying them. The illustrated prints include scenes of Pompeii, art, architecture, and plans of buildings. Some prints in color.

    20th Century Publications

    • Le insulae 3 E 4 della Regio VI di Pompei : un’analisi storico-urbanistica / Francesco Carocci ... [et al.] 
      Call Number: DG70.P7I5 1990
      The first volume of this French Italian book contains a large amount of text on Pompeii. Separate from the text are 60 pages of photographic prints of the remains of Pompeii, including architecture and art of the site. The second volume includes multiple print illustrations, and plans of buildings and sections of the ancient city.

    • Ricerche a Pompei : l’insula 5 della regio VI dalle origini al 79 d.C. 
      Call Number: DG70.P7 R525 1984
      The first volume of this Italian books focuses on the research that has been done on the city of Pompeii, up to 1984. The second volume includes color and black and white photographs of excavated sites, a visual catalog (illustrations and photographs) of artifacts that have been found in Pompeii, and color photographs of broken pieces of art, pottery, and amphora.
    • Pompei alla luce degli scavi nuovi di Via dell’Abbondanza (anni 1910-1923) - Spinazzola, Vittorio 
      Call Number: N5770.S65
      The first and second volume of this Italian book is made up of over 1,000 pages on the subject of Pompeii. There are many photographs and illustrations of the art, architecture, and artifacts of this ancient city. Multiple fold out plans of the city and other buildings are found throughout both volumes. 96 20 inch color and black and white prints are included in the portfolio. The prints include photographs and illustrations of art, architecture, excavation, and artifacts of Pompeii.

    19th Century Publications

    18th Century Publications