Mary Beard
Mary Beard is the most acclaimed classicist working today. She is the Professor Emerita of Classics at Cambridge and is the Classics editor of the TLS. She is also the co-host, with Charlotte Higgins, of the podcast Instant Classics. Her previous books include the bestselling, Wolfson Prize-winning Pompeii as well as Confronting the Classics, SPQR, Women & Power and Emperor of Rome. Her work has been published in over 35 languages.
Books by Mary Beard
Democracy
Margaret Atwood
In collaboration with the Financial Times: powerful, urgent reflections on the value of democracy from eleven women writers and thought-leaders
Emperor of Rome
Mary Beard
A sweeping account of the social and political world of the Roman emperors by 'the world's most famous classicist' (Guardian)
Civilisations: How Do We Look / The Eye of Faith
Mary Beard
Companion to the BBC series CIVILISATIONS
Women & Power
Mary Beard
Number One Sunday Times BestsellerThe gender agenda revisited by Britain's best-known classicist, Mary Beard
SPQR
Mary Beard
Mary Beard on Ancient Rome: Britain's favourite classicist lifts the lid on the Roman Empire. A major new BBC TV series presented by the author s…
How to Manage Your Slaves by Marcus Sidonius Falx
Jerry Toner
An entertaining and amazingly informative guide to the realities of slavery in ancient Rome, with an introduction by Mary Beard
Confronting the Classics
Mary Beard
Mary Beard takes us on an exhilarating journey through the extraordinary riches of the classical heritage, and why it still matters.
All in a Don's Day
Mary Beard
Mary Beard's famous blog 'A Don's Life' has been running on the TLS website for nearly five years. Through it she made her name as…
The Colosseum
Keith Hopkins
Award winning classicist, Mary Beard with Keith Hopkins, tell the story of Rome's greatest arena
The Parthenon
Mary Beard
'A classic in every sense of the word' John Julius Norwich Revised and updated to include the story of the New Acropolis Museum, the controv…
It's a Don's Life
Mary Beard
Britain's best known classicist speaks her mind on the ancient, and modern, worlds. A wide-ranging selection from her 'best hit' blog.
Pompeii
Mary Beard
'Much of what you think you know about Pompeii may turn out, on reading this eye-opening book, to be wrong … Beard always wears her learning li…
Related news
Mary Beard Returns: April 2026
In Talking Classics, the world's most acclaimed classicist explores whether and why the Classics still matter
Profile Titles Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year
Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard and Murdle Vol. 1 by G. T. Karber have been shortlisted for the prestigious prize.