The Writing on the Wall

What are monuments for? And why are the inscriptions invariably in Latin? What on earth is the point of communicating in a language no one understands? Peter Kruschwitz, a Classics scholar and specialist in the Latin language and its history, uses these questions as his starting point in The Writing on the Wall: Reading’s Latin Inscriptions. In it he reveals a fascinating range of texts chosen from the wealth of Reading’s Latin inscriptions. Starting from the statue of King Edward VII outside the station, the reader embarks upon a journey of discovery through the remarkable and chequered history of this town, uncovering some of Reading’s hidden treasures and recalling the individuals who have made the town what it is today. Whom, or what, should we remember? And why? Knowledge, true or false, that passes on from one generation to another forms part of a tradition, of a legacy. We need to understand that legacy in order to preserve and appreciate the rich heritage we have been left.